The Cosmic Game

Discovered on an Internet radio. I love the "dynamics" rythms.
Some songs make me remind of west indies sounds.
Eddy

3 1/2

I always end up wishing this electronic group stuck to the non-lyric tracks. It is on those more refined productions where studio finesse really kicks in and their diverse palate of electro-world influence becomes noticeable. Unfortunately, cluttered side-by-side with run of the mill vocal appeasements, Thievery Corporation miss the mark of attaining the kind of flow you would think they were aiming for in the first place.

In most respects, Thievery Corporation's 2005 album THE COSMIC GAME is a further refinement of the global lounge styles they had explored in previous efforts. There's Asian female vocals and sitar ("Satyam Shivam Sundaram"), echoes of Brazil ("Pela Janela"), and a rastaman glorifying Hallie Salassie ("Warning Shots"). The duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, who ran an elite lounge in Washington DC that would accept only the finest dress and comportment, also continue their theme (its sincerity is questionable) of the Third World masses held down by the Man; witness the songs "Revolution Solution" and "Amerimacka" where Perry Farrell and Notch deliver such lines "The toil of the many goes to the fortunate few" and "Land of the free built on slavery." Most tracks are banal, musically fluff and nothing that compels a purchase if you've already got THE MIRROR CONSPIRACY and THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON.

Yet, there are a couple of songs where Thievery Corporation ventured in a new direction that should have been featured more heavily on this album. The opening "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)" and "Sol Tapado" are clearly influenced by 1960s psychadelia, and the "Pink Floyd meets dub" soundworld creates a chillout vibe much more effectively than Thievery Corporation's now played-out World music extravaganza.

This is yet another high-quality, gold-standard Thievery Corp release. Fantastic reggae & Indian influenced riffs and groovy beats. I love albums you can just listen to from beginning to end without having to skip a song; always the case with their music. Stick the cd into your player and then sit 'relax' with a special friend or party with a bunch of pals and chill out. Love this album. So far I've love all their albums that I've come across, inclu "Sounds (Songs?) from the Thievery HiFi" and DJ Kicks and "Richest Man in Babylon". I need to investigate what else is out there. "Versions" in on order.

The CD is awesome. I have "The Mirror Conspiracy" as well. "The Cosmic Game" is the one I just bought. It groves very well, its a great CD for the car ride home from a hard days work. As well as a great soundtrack for a clam dinner party with friends. If you like Thievery Corporation, this album is a must have.