eMusic Review
Jan St. Werner's interests when working solo as Lithops range from playful electro-pop miniatures, not far from his more accessible work as Mouse on Mars, to harsh and dense soundscapes fit for only the hardiest explorers of out-there sound. So while certain elements remain consistent — a focus on glitches and distortion, elastic structures that toy with the limitations of sequencing, richly textured programming — individual releases remain variable. In general, the easiest entry points for the uninitiated are the albums that collect tracks created for other purposes such as 7" or 12" singles or compilations. Where the standalone albums Scrypt and Mound Magnet are often daunting in their unrelenting abstraction (though both are certainly rewarding if you put in the time and focus), Uni Umit and Queries are looser, more pop-friendly, and easier to immediately grasp for a few tracks at a time.
St. Werner's latest Lithops album, Ye Viols!, is another collection of stray tracks, but this time consisting of work created for the world of high art — sound installations, contemporary dance pieces and experimental films. As such, it splits the difference between the two kinds of Lithops albums and serves as an excellent… read more »
