Thievery Corporation: Cosmic Game : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

There's a lot of crappy, global-minded chill music out there, hearable at trendy retail outlets and bistros around the world. Thievery Corporation have risen above that din for four studio albums, thanks to the Washington, D.C., duo's impeccable taste and light production touch. The Cosmic Game displays much of what we've come to expect from Thievery: lush, down-tempo beats laced with authentic Jamaican and Latin flair.

One notable change? Big-time guest spots. Wayne Coyne brings his Flaming Lips to "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)," where soothing, electronic atmospherics almost obscure the urgent call for peace; Perry Farrell channels a surprisingly convincing Rastaman for "Revolution Solution"; David Byrne just channels kookiness -- but never loses the groove -- on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter." In less capable hands, all this talent might distract. On Game, it's just another subtle, seductive element in the mix.