Mound Magnet – Lithops

Mound Magnet, Jan St. Werner's fifth Lithops full-length -- following the Queries compilation, released earlier in the year -- is, unsurprisingly, packed with knotty and tense electronics. It's noticeably steadier than 2003's Scrypt, with slightly less drastic shifts between assaultive and restful moments, along with a higher count of tangible rhythms. While this is also the most accessible Lithops disc, the tracks remain a distant cry from the likes of Jan Jelinek's relatively rhythm-and-buried-melody-driven productions. The stark contrasts between torrents of twisted sounds and moments of relative calm -- not to mention the quick alternations between the two -- can really wear on a pair of attentive ears and congeal into one monolithic scrap heap. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide