Long-distance partnerships are a dime a dozen these days, not infrequently the fruits of internet intimacies (…) born around the coordinates of “unknown nonentity kisses the ass of a prominent entity until he/she agrees to publish something together and the unknown nonentity becomes a recognized oneâ€. Lawrence English and Stephen Vitiello met for real – in 2006 – and usually function at a level of significance that excludes them from the above kind of tactics entirely. Acute Inbetweens mixes treated field recordings and synthetic investigations quite consistently, standing among the area’s nicest records heard in recent times. As always in this type of work, the capacity of suggesting and confounding is at the basis of a success. Blurring definitions to the point of not allowing the listeners to distinguish familiar attributes and impressions, all that the couple leaves is the effect of glowing murkiness that accompanies the listening experience almost completely. The sounds appear both unequal and embracing, occasionally very polite yet never syrupy; spherical patterns as heard in the final “Exposure In Relief†are rendered less normal by other sorts of contingent sonic events wholly immersed in an equalizing mist. The vibe surrounding us throughout is made of reminiscence, cuddling frequencies, smoothed contours and a general sense of melancholic well being. It takes a while before realizing it, but the album is rewarding under nearly every angle of inspection.