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After nine years the Washington DC duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have pretty much stamped their trademark dub-meets-lounge sound throughout the "pop" world, and with considerable success. Reflecting last year's (2003) excellent mix CD ('The Outernational Sound'), this time around (studio album number four) the duo have expanded their sonic palate to tackle a more blatantly "pop" sound, albeit a supremely sophisticated one, and one that reflects their lush downbeat leanings. Don't stress though "long time" fans, what this effectively means is the album has a more defined set of "songs" as opposed to simply grooves, and as the duo have always had a great knack with remixing other people's tracks, the use of different vocalists sits naturally within the Thievery blueprint. Taking in everything from jazz funk to slick dancehall to rich bossa nova, and even lashings of 'Meddle' era Pink Floyd, plus numerous vocal collaborators (including The Flaming Lips, dancehall toaster Sleepy Wonder, Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell and David Byrne), 'The Cosmic Game' is a deep, smooth, and highly appealing "downbeat" workout which will delight the legions of fans and bring many new listeners to the fold. Recommended (and perfect summer listening). |
