So which side of the fence are you going put Peter Rehberg on, Richard?

Not sure exactly what you mean Dan. If you are just asking if he makes noise music or EAI then I'd say obviously both, varying from project to project. I certainly prefer his occasional quieter improv to anything else he does though.

His disc with Schmickler is another good example of finding a meeting point between EAI and noise actually, though it approaches the problem quite differently to the Tandem Electrics disc.

Please stop using "whilst" so much.

Please stop using "whilst" so much.

Richard is from the UK, he can use whilst all he wants. I really enjoyed R/S, personally.

My point was where to draw the line between noise and EAI (old debate) - does a noisy (for the most part) EAI outing like R/S count as one or the other? I'd say it was EAI myself because the musicians know what they're doing, which I don't always imagine is the case with noise (though I know this is inviting a shitstorm of protest from the noiseniks)..
And where do we file Kevin Drumm?

My main categories are:
1. Did I listen to it more than once?
2. Did it affect my own music in a clear an obvious way?

I give R/S a yes on both counts. Timing was part of that, I was just starting to work with the laptop in my music when I got it.

To address your question more, I would say the "I" in EAI is the determining factor.
Does it go to the shitstorm collectively? Or is it just one bozo burying everyone?
If it is just one, how long do they do it for? Do the others get space at other points in the piece for their ideal dynamic? I think is those sort of issues that push it toward one camp or the other.

don't you guys "cue in line" as opposed to simply line up? ;)

Indeed I am English Tory kind Sir, and the use of the word "whilst" is perfectly acceptable on these shores. Being named "Tory" is however less acceptable around here...! ;)

and Tom, no we don't "cue in line" we "wait in a queue" ;)

I can't find it right now, but somewhere online there's an English to American translator site.

Pardon me good Sir Richard - I meant queue of course, not cue....my apologies...

Dan, did the Tandem Electrics guys send you a copy to review as well? I wonder where this fits in terms of quality and perceived self-awareness on that noise:eai continuum to your ears.

I think we can make a distinction b/t noisy EAI and Noise (capital "N") by using Keith Rowe's explaination of why Sonic Youth can't play Avant-Garde music from the Wire.

With EAI there is an attention to the detail of the phrase (whether quiet, noisy, sparse or dense) that is lacking in Noise music.

With Noise the attention is more on gross gestures.

Of course, there is still grey area, but that seems to make sense to me, and is the same reason I would categorize Oren Ambarchi's solo on Southern Lord as EAI, rather than pop music (or the SSSD cd on Grob as EAI rather than new age, etc.)

If this seems too complicated then you can use these simple 2 steps as deciding criteria:
1) If they are wearing costumes and/or have compound nonsensical names then they are Noise.
2) If they have a recording on Erstwhile then they are EAI.

No, David, haven't heard this. Thanks Jacob for the comments (even the more tongue-in-cheek ones); you have a point about phrasing, yes.
New Age? Euurch, we had that discussion over at IHM. Not opening that can o' worms again.

"If this seems too complicated then you can use these simple 2 steps as deciding criteria:
1) If they are wearing costumes and/or have compound nonsensical names then they are Noise."

- You mean like TV Pow?

"2) If they have a recording on Erstwhile then they are EAI."

- You mean like TV Pow?

Richard, thanks for the review. I don't know if it's really proper protocol for a musician to post a comment on a review of his own album here but I just want to address one quick point.

"I’d like to hear the duo play with a third, perhaps even acoustic musician too to extend the depth of the sound even further."

I can't predict if expanding to a trio with an acoustic musician will ever happen but there is a recording available at the netlabel Noise-Joy of Reed and myself playing a set with Billy Gomberg and using a somewhat broader palette of sounds than ultimately became the limits of Tandem Electrics. It's not as strong as Intaglio but it's quite good I think too.

http://www.noise-joy.org/artists/gombergkamermanrosenberg.html

And Dan, I wasn't in charge of mailing out discs but I'll make sure one gets sent to you now!

Thanks Richard, for that and the link above. And there's no reason why you shouldn't comment on your own work, or a review of it. In this area of business there aren't always enough people around to blow your trumpet, so go ahead and blow it yourself.

Not even the English (most of whom prefer the infinitely more common "while") would find the need to use the word "whilst" about half a dozen times in such a short piece; and those all in the same form, namely, at the beginning of a sentence.

Whilst I'm not kept awake by this, generally I think it has the effect, intended or unintended, of sounding snooty--by dint of it being archaic, as is "amongst" for among--and that it would benefit by becoming as modernised as the music under scrutiny.

zackly

Tried posting a more literate version of this post last week but it didn't take--Good recording! One of the better things I've heard this young year.

Susan, Tory, whilst I appreciate you may not like my turn of phrase it is perfectly natural to me, the way I speak every day and I have no intention of changing it, sorry! Personally I don't think I have a snooty bone in my body, but you are of course entitled to your opinion.

I do think it would be more interesting to discuss the music in question rather than pass comment on the number of times a particular word lies amongst the body of text however :)

Just a word to thank you Reed for fwding the disc, which arrived yesterday. Looking forward to a good listen this weekend.

"Whilst" is great. My own all-time favourite is "Whereas". In an entire lifetime, I don't think I've ever heard an American use it.

Ah, welcome back Graham. Been on sabbatical, have you?!

Dan:

I've intermittently been here all along, whilst on my daily searches of the net for good sounds, and whereas the occasional temptation did indeed raise its head, the heart ultimately could not abandon dear Bags.