Thievery Corporation - "The Cosmic Game" (ESL Music)

With bossa nova beats, trip-hop, Jamaican dub, and world grooves galore, the Washington DC based DJ duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton are back with The Cosmic Game, their fourth record. Since the mid-90's Hilton and Garza have created their own flourishing cultural cottage industry with their own record label and a niteclub, restaurant and bar in Washington, DC. Starting out as DJ's catering to fans or rare-groove and acid-jazz music, they broadened their sound to include an ecelctic mix of groove and ambient genres of music. The Cosmic Game is their finest studio record yet.

You may be familiar with their song "Lebanese Blonde," which was on their 2002 release The Mirrios Conspiracy, as well as the highly regarded soundtrack to Garden State. There is still some of that mid-East flavor on their latest album, however this record reveals a psychedelic side to their music that had not previously been a part of what they do (at least explicitly). While an all-star cast that includes The Flaming Lips, Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction and David Byrne on the outstanding song "The Heart's A Lonely Hunter," are perhaps the most obvious songs on the record, these stars are not the only ones that shine. The Cosmic Game is filled out with excellent contributions by Sleepy Wonder and Gunjan on the reggae-slammer "Warning Shots," the stomping funk of "Sol Tapado," featuring singer Patrick de Santos and the psychedelic samba of "Pela Janela" featuring Gigi Rezende.

For late night grooves, early morning work-outs, lazy Sundays or long drives, The Cosmic Game is right on time.

Written by Bruce Warren

Release Date: 2/22/2005

XPN CD of the Month for May, 2005

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