CD Review

Thievery Corporation aren’t your typical Chemical Brothers or Crystal Method duo deal. Incorporating dub, reggae, hip-hop, cocktail/lounge, jazz, and funk, the Washington D.C. dj/production team of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton made a splash with 2000’s Mirror Conspiracy and 2002’s The Richest Man In Babylon. Now with The Cosmic Game, the duo takes a new turn from previous efforts. Instead of relying on sultry female vocals, a number of familiar voices are invited to the party including Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips, David Byrne and Perry Farrell.

The dreamy pop of the Flaming Lips is mixed with a down-tempo soundscape in “Marching the Hate Machines,” which sounds like a Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots cut. A reggae flair is met in “Amerimacka,” featuring Jamaican singer Notch, while Farrell’s potent howl on “Revolution Solution” is further boasted by some slick guitar work. The highlight is David Byrne’s jittery vocals on “The Heart’s a Lonely Hunter,” where Thievery Corporation shows that their knack for song arrangement is as suave as their lounge attire. Most of The Cosmic Game is a definite mood setting affair, that blends, grooves and swings with little rest for a breather.