Thievery Corporation

With its previous albums, Thievery Corporation's adoration for the cocktail lounge could wear thin. But The Cosmic Game embraces a broader song-based collection, buoyed by outside vocalists both familiar and exotic. And Rob Garza and Eric Hilton make the most of their A-list guests. "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the...

By Tim Grierson

March 17, 2005

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With its previous albums, Thievery Corporation's adoration for the cocktail lounge could wear thin. But The Cosmic Game embraces a broader song-based collection, buoyed by outside vocalists both familiar and exotic. And Rob Garza and Eric Hilton make the most of their A-list guests. "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)" provides the Flaming Lips with a psychedelic groove worthy of the band's recent outings. Perry Farrell's shamanistic silliness works to fine effect on the ghostly "Revolution Solution," while the beguiling Third World rhythms of "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" allow David Byrne to sound sprightly for once. But a relative unknown steals the show; Lou Lou's midnight cool elevates the heartbreakingly sweet "The Time We Lost Our Way," as the DJs' love reverie beautifully meshes with her cooing voice and a far-off mournful horn. The Cosmic Game stumbles when the guys flirt with hip-hop, but elsewhere, they chill out with the best of 'em.

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