Rhythm Method: By The Bye

Rhythm Method—a quintet of some of Dublin's finest contemporary musicians—was founded by guitarist Shane Latimer and bassist Cormac O'Brien in 2009. Trumpeter Bill Blackmore, Rhodes keyboardist Darragh O'Kelly and Latimer form a probing three-pronged front-line, with O'Brien and drummer Shane O'Donavan plying lithe grooves. The division of labor, however, is not quite that simple, for like the Miles Davis' electric groups that seem to provide much of the collective inspiration, everyone rides the interlocking rhythms. However, whereas Davis' groups jammed over extended vamps, Rhythm Method's leaner approach favors shorter compositions with more clearly defined melodic contours.

Melody and rhythm are bound on O'Kelly and O'Brien's darkly head-bobbing intro to "12 Points," which O'Donovan soon fleshes out. Trumpet and guitar ply a unison path of melodic counterpoint, punctuated by free-flowing solos from O'Kelly and Latimer. In the simultaneously insistent and elastic grooves and in the tight unison motifs that alternate with freer individual rein lies the blueprint for the quintet's idiom. "Working Title" is built on the foundation of O'Donovan's bustle and O'Kelly's four-note mantra. Blackmore's measured lyricism crowns the slow mid-section before Latimer ignites the quintet's fuse once more.

"Sweet Candaay" is a tale of two halves; ruminative guitar and fluttering brushes set the tone for Blackmore's balladic intervention before a collective shift in gear kicks in, releasing first Blackmore then O'Kelly on mazy runs. Embedded in the rhythmic motifs here and elsewhere, the DNA of Joe Zawinul/Davis' In A Silent Way (Columbia, 1969) is repeatedly felt. That said, the quintet's sonic identity is robust and despite evenly shared writing credits a clearly defined style prevails. The tunes are catchy to boot; O'Brien's slinky "Christmas Tune" flirts subtly with funk, blues and reggae and boasts a central motif so infectious it deserves its very own cartoon character.

Rumbling bass and lively drums underpin spiraling trumpet on Latimer's "Easy Peasy," where indie-rock and Cuong Vu-esque ambiance meet in smoldering synergy. The guitarist shares protagonism with Blackmore on the laid back title track, with melodicism trumping groove. "Withdrawal" blends strongly defined melody with urbane rhythms and flowing solos from author O'Kelly and Latimer. Though there's plenty of virtuosity throughout By The Bye the solos never overstay their welcome. O'Brien steps up with a singing intervention of his own on Blackmore's "Three Piece Suit," an episodic track where O'Donovan and Latimer's creative juices also flow. "Paul's Theorem" combines the quintet's defining attributes—groove, melody and improvisation—in a potent cocktail that ensures a satisfyingly climactic finale.

Rhythm Method may get buried on the worldwide web among all the other groups sharing the same name but time—and with luck further recordings—should separate the wheat from the chaff and bump this exciting band to the top of the search lists where it belongs. The production values are strong and the cartoon death-by-toaster artwork deserves a prize -as indeed does this visceral yet sophisticated, grooving debut.