CD Reviews for Lithops and Parts & Labor
Oct 28, 2008 2:11 PM
CD Review: Lithops, Mound Magnet Pt. 2: Elevations Above Sea Level (Killer Pimp)
Electronic beats with fun house funk
Named after a plant species that practices camouflage by appearing like smooth stones, this solo project of Jan St. Werner (Mouse on Mars, Von Sudenfed, Microstoria) has an equally duplicitous, slippery nature. But it's not nearly as bland. Propelled by shifting rhythmic patterns, the songs run into clusters of static and squishy beats that aren't as much steady electronic melodies as snatches of overheard electronic conversation. "Rosa in a Light Speed Vessel" amps up with funky melodies and a rubbery bass line before a sustained chord ominously pans back and forth like a pilot slowly strafing a target. "Serendippo" runs on carnivalesque beats that warp into a Luke Vibert-like acid party. It's polyglot production that feels fun, not forced.—Patrick Sisson [3.5 out of 5 stars]
Noise punks unleash a refined roar
Made with audience participation—all submissions to an open call for samples were incorporated—Receivers is more a broadcast of grand, bombastic rock. Parts & Labor still starts with a raw, churning base, with the sounds of grinding metal and lo-fi electronics. But even more than its predecessor Mapmaker, this record swells with epic riffs, barreling drums and massive vocals. Opener "Satellites" crests on bright synths before crashing into an undertow of samples and static. The group, now a quartet, steps back from more hardcore rhythms. "The Ceasing Now," starting with Konono No. 1-style bleeps, somberly marches toward swirling crescendos. Occasionally the squealing riffs sound like rusty brakes vainly attempting to hold back the massive sound.—Patrick Sisson [4.5 out of 5 stars]
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