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▓█▀ █▒░░░░░░░░█ ▀█░░░░░▒░█ █▓██▀ ▄█▓░▒░░▒██ ░▒█ █▓▓▒░ ░ cRO
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▓█▓▓█ Artist.....[ Lithops ▀████▄█▓
██▓▀ Album......[ Mound Magnet ▀▓██
▄ █▓█ █ Label......[ Thrill Jockey █ █▓█ ▄
█▒█▓█▄▀ Catalog #..[ THRILL179 ▀▄█▓█▒█
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▓█████▓▓█ █▓▓█████▓
▓█▀ ▀▀█▓█▒ Source.....[ CD ▒█▓█▀▀ ▀█▓
▓█▄ ▀▄ ██▓ Genre......[ Electronic ▓██ ▄▀ ▄█▓
▓▓█▓▀ ██ Language...[ English ██ ▀▓█▓▓
▀ ▄████ Rip Date...[ 2006-11-07 ████▄ ▀
▄ ▀ ▓█▓ Store Date.[ 2006-11-07 ▓█▓ ▀ ▄
█▀▀ ▄▓█▀ Rip Tool...[ EAC ▀█▓▄ ▀▀█
▓█▄████▀ Encoder....[ LAME 3.90.3 --alt-preset standard ▀████▄█▓
▀█▓▀ Quality....[ 186 kbps AVG VBR 44.1/Joint Stereo ▀▓█▀
▄ █▓█▄▓█▓ Url........[ http://www.thrilljockey.com ▓█▓▄█▓█ ▄
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█▓ 01 Opposite Of Windward 3:58 ▓█
█▓ 02 Cephalopod 2:27 ▓█
█▓ 03 Evacoda 4:26 ▓█
█▓ 04 Vortext 5:16 ▓█
█▓ 05 Stakes Barrier 7:28 ▓█
█▓ 06 Peek 4:10 ▓█
█▓ 07 Harpoon Point 4:13 ▓█
█▓ 08 Stratografic 4:57 ▓█
█▓ 09 Conturn 7:50 ▓█
█▓ ----- ▓█
█▓ 44:45 ▓█
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▓█▓█ ▀ ▓█▄▀ ▓█▀ ▓█ ▓█▀█ ▓█ █ ▓█ ▓█▀ -▀▀▀█ ▀ █▓█▓
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█░█ It's all in there, somewhere. Or at least I've █░█
█░█ fooled myself into thinking that it is. "All," █░█
█░█ referring to the accumulated chops and gestures █░█
█░█ and signage and grooves and grooves denied that █░█
█░█ have accrued over the course of Jan St. Werner's █░█
█░█ tenure in Mouse on Mars, Microstoria, and as █░█
█░█ Lithops. (The name of Jan's solo work has always █░█
█░█ struck me as deceptively gentle. Lithops are █░█
█░█ plants from Namibia and South Africa also known █░█
█░█ as "living stones" for theirùding!ùdeceptive █░█
█░█ appearance.) █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ It's all in there, or much of it, on Mound █░█
█░█ Magnet. More so than on the other Lithops █░█
█░█ releases, each of which could be said to comprise █░█
█░█ a narrower set of oft-lucid investigations. Two █░█
█░█ of Jan's most recent releases ù Mouse on Mars's █░█
█░█ space funk juggernaut Radical Connector and █░█
█░█ Lithops' quite fabulous and to my mind underrated █░█
█░█ (dunno, maybe I had my head beneath a lithops) █░█
█░█ and smeary and sometimes vicious Scrypt (find it █░█
█░█ if you don't know it)ùare two of the more █░█
█░█ dissimilar records in the batch containing his █░█
█░█ fingerprints. Mound Magnet makes cheerful █░█
█░█ overtures towards commonalities. "Vortext," one █░█
█░█ of Mound Magnet's sublimities, means that you no █░█
█░█ longer have to imagine Scryptlike grit'n'snot put █░█
█░█ into service of sirens (inhuman upward glisses) █░█
█░█ summoning you to the dance floor. Why don't you █░█
█░█ spin "Vortext" this very second and tell me if █░█
█░█ you agree? Equidistant fromùbetweenùRadical █░█
█░█ Connector and the futuristic, sprayed daubs and █░█
█░█ fizzles of Scrypt. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ If I think I hear it all in there, what else am I █░█
█░█ hearing? Uni Umit, the first Lithops record on █░█
█░█ Moikai; Mouse on Mars's Idiology; the █░█
█░█ rubber-bandish electric guitar that leads off █░█
█░█ MoM's Niun Niggung; much besides. Hearing it all █░█
█░█ in there . . . somewhere . . . is less a matter █░█
█░█ of being fooled than of trusting . . . in . . . █░█
█░█ accumulated . . . wisdom. Non-renunciation. █░█
█░█ That's something that has kept me coming back to █░█
█░█ each new record of MoM/Microstoria/Lithops. Jan █░█
█░█ St. Werner is less the perpetual refugee from and █░█
█░█ much more perpetually astride these multiple █░█
█░█ musical worlds. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ Non-renunciation, and yet Lithops always reminds █░█
█░█ me of how far we've drifted from electronic █░█
█░█ music's presumed utilitarian function as dance █░█
█░█ music. I'm not reminded of this because Lithops █░█
█░█ has drifted into the ether of contemporary █░█
█░█ composition, or that he (it) has become all █░█
█░█ whooshily texture-centric and now creates sand █░█
█░█ mandalas out of granulated audio. No! It's █░█
█░█ because of the varied afterlives of the break █░█
█░█ beat, the shake beat, of shed skin and abandon █░█
█░█ seat. MoM's Radical Connector really was a █░█
█░█ classically-styled funk album, spaceship torch █░█
█░█ songs and all. "Funk" hereùI guess I'm still █░█
█░█ talking about "Vortext," but also about "Stakes █░█
█░█ Barrier," "Cephalopod," and "Harpoon Point"ùis a █░█
█░█ series of improvised gestures . . . How to █░█
█░█ further describe? [Actor makes karate-chop █░█
█░█ gestures.] "Stakes Barrier" in particular seems █░█
█░█ like a particularly sinister afterlife of a rave █░█
█░█ misremembered. "Peek," avowedly otherwise, █░█
█░█ revisits the stumble beat (hello Bolan, hello █░█
█░█ Oehlen). █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ Nobody said that Lithops was built to get the █░█
█░█ joint jumping. And yet, and yetàà. Less █░█
█░█ cartoonish, perhaps, but no less funny. When you █░█
█░█ have ceased to expect it, there's the revenge of █░█
█░█ the trashy drum machine, the bedroom electric █░█
█░█ guitar, of overdriven stepwise samples you had █░█
█░█ understood to be banished in the bright dawn of █░█
█░█ Lithops. Nope. It's almost all in there. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ You should be so lucky as to misremember a music █░█
█░█ so vivid. █░█
█░█ █░█
█░█ --David Grubbs █░█
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▄▀▀██ 1way AMOK BCC BUTT CMS EGO ██▀▀▄
▀▓█ ESC FNT FTD gF HiT2000 iTS █▓▀
▄▄ ▀▓█ JUST MTD NuHS pyt rH RNS SDR █▓▀ ▄▄
▓▓█████▓▄ SER soup SSR twee UKi WUS ▄▓█████▓▓
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▄ ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ASCii By AyL!cRO 2oo5 ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ▄
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