The Cosmic Game

If not the best, then Mirror Conspiracy is the only one that can top it. Love this album, very solid all the way through. So chill, it's good mood music. Top tracks; Holographic Universe, Marching the Hate Machines, The Cosmic Game, and The Time We Lost Ourselves (probably the best track). If you check those out and like them, you likely will dig this album. Fans of bands like Massive Attack and Portishead likely will like Thievery Corporation.

I've followed TC for some time and have several of their discs. I've always liked their atmospheric, eclectic approach but got put off by the overly rudimentary, "paint by numbers" approach of much of their earlier material. TC sometimes lacked sonic depth and it was often all too obvious where electronic drum tracks were being used. Also, TC's hard-left stance gets a bit doctrinaire.All of this changes with Cosmic Game. Continuing the trend first etablished with "Richest Man in Babylon," the overall level of musicianship is much stronger, the grooves are more convincing, the drum parts much livelier, and the use of reverb, delay, and other effects is both more discreet and more musical. The whole package creates, for me, far and away their best and most compulsively listenable disc.Certainly, to start with, this is their best dub album, with the lovely lilting chords of Track 6, "Amerimaca," poised against the commentary of how the Bush administration has perverted the ideal of American liberty and optimism. Track 13 is another dub gem. TC have thoroughly mastered the timing and reverb-soaked fade-outs typical of dub, but also make them more musical somehow than many other dub artists. In some cases they remind me of Bill Laswell, while being a little more accessible. (The political pretensions are similar as well.)Tracks 5, 11, 12 and 14 may be the best groove tracks TC have ever written. All are smooth, atmospheric and perfect for late-night moonlit drives across rural highways. Track 5 particularly makes admirable use of Indian vocals and sampled sitar, and creates what I think is the best Indian-oriented tune (out of many) they've done. As I see it, by track 4 this disc hits cruising altitude and stays there the rest of the way. (I'm not a big fan of Perry Farrell, so his "revolutionary" rant on Track 3 did nothing for thsi reviewer.)The CD wraps up with a touching example of how TC can sensitively back a female vocalist, in this case Lou Lou with "the Time We Lost Our Way," with its staggering, almost drunken rhythm and deceptively simple guitar figure.Others compare this disc to their earlier work; this is valid but I feel this disc is musically their strongest. It shows growth in every direction from better, warmer instrumentation to better use of effects and an overall warmer, less mechanistic sound.

I am a straight up hip-hop fan. Nothing else really appeals to me much. I heard this album when my g/f played it in my car once in a while. I started to like it. The songs started growing on me, to the point where I was the one who was wanting to listen to it! I like the fact that they use what I would call a hip-hop drum beat. But they put all different kinds of music over top of it. It usually sounds spacey and kind of psychodelic. The music is crisp and high quality. Not so much for if you really want to listen to something energetic to get you pumped up, but its more of chill music. Its really actually good for most any occasion and I even listen to it sometimes in the gym during my workouts! They incorporate musical styles from all over the world. I am now checking out some of their other albums after falling in love with this one. I recommend this to a fan of any kind of music. Cus as a hip-hop guy I really didnt expect to like this as much as I do so I dont doubt others will be the same as me!

Context: I own a lot of music from Thievery Corp. , K&D, Moby's instrumental work, Rob Dougan and others. But of all the different kinds of "groove" I listen to and work to all day long, Thievery are my favorite artists / duo. If you own and enjoy the Mirror Conspiracy, you're going to love this IMO.These guys are truly incredible the way they manage to integrate a wide variety of sounds into a completely seamless and natural sounding whole. This CD flows together as a single work probably better than any other that I own. And I own a ton of instrumental music. Urban, Jazz, Ethereal, you name it. It's just impossible to get sick of this music. It reveals something new almost every time I listen to it, which is not always true of modern instrumental music. Often it just fades away into the background after a while. Not this, however....I don't often use the word "rewarding" in reference to music, but this CD qualifies in almost every respect. Worth every penny.

After owning this album for many months, I am still quietly amazed. Can an album be political, spacey, aggressive, relaxed, serious, sexy, rocking, jazzy, trippy, and funky...yet flow and blend together seamlessly? It can, and The Cosmic Game makes it look easy. Like true gourmet chefs with a nice supply of exotic spices and ingredients, the masterminds at Thievery Corporation have crafted an amazing delicacy.My first impression, like that of many reviewers, was that this was business as usual for these guys. But there's something to be said for that. This group challenges itself to constantly enrich and inform its aesthetic, reaching further and expanding its repertoire of styles and source material. The fact that it doesn't look like they're trying is a testament to how good they are. This album builds on what they've learned, ambitiously stretches, and ultimately succeeds.Garza and Hilton are nothing if not adventurous. They continue to enrich our lives with their masterful synthesis of rhythm and music. The Cosmic Game is another of their recipes definitely worth sampling.

The great thing about this band is their allegiance to the music, as opposed to trying to fit into politically correct, packaged mold, so prevalent in modern music. They will always do it their way, and I will keep listening..

This recording has an expansive sound stage. You can bathe in the deep rich sounds.The channel separation and balance are excellent. There is no trace of distortion or muddiness.The recording has a broad dynamic range. This helps give the recording a great atmosphere.The vocals are clear and capable of soaring. The bass is tight and with the drums is capable of crashing and rumbling across the tracks.The drums are marvellously defined as is the treble. Even the cymbals are crystal clear.The Indian instruments sparkle adding tone and a sense of place to the recording. The horns have a wonderful sharpness adding bite to the recording.The overall result is a recording which is rich deep and complex with velvety vocals. Equally important this is a recording which is not tiring to listen to.I have not set out to write reviews of the music content as “beauty is in the ears of the listener”. These reviews are about the quality (or not) of the recorded sound. To read about how the reviews are done please see my profile.

Bought on Vinyl. Defect pressing. Track A.5 has an horrendous chip that causes the track to skip so badly it can’t play through. Disappointing quality for a brand new, sealed record.

all OK

Fab. Other worldly with hints from the subcontinent and my hippy years. Not harsh at all.

Excellent work from TC. One of their best albums, even better in vinyl. Highy reccomended!