Cosmic Game, The - Thievery Corporation

...Babylon album in 2003, The Cosmic Game is expected step forward, and not just that, it is breathtaking musical experience for TC fan’s but surely will attract new ones.
Thievery Corporation is one unusual duet. They mix, blend and experiment with music and the products is finest music you could hear this days. If you like down tempo, jazz, boss nova, samba, oriental ethno, reggae and rock music, just try to imagine all this on one album. ...
...few others you’ll have The Cosmic Game.
Don’t let this make you think it is another remix type of album (although TC have done as much remixes as their original songs), it is very unique, profound and thoughtful collection of songs that will make you come back for more many times.

Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun) featuring The Flaming Lips – light and atmospheric sound with few lazy beats, but also ... more

Rob Garza and Eric Hilton deliver another opus of mixed genres like rock, breaks, future-bossa, dub, ethno…
After excellent The Richest man in Babylon album in 2003, The Cosmic Game is expected step forward, and not just that, it is breathtaking musical experience for TC fan’s but surely will attract new ones.
Thievery Corporation is one unusual duet. They mix, blend and experiment with music and the products is finest music you could hear this days. If you like down tempo, jazz, boss nova, samba, oriental ethno, reggae and rock music, just try to imagine all this on one album. Then add some guests like Perry Farrell, David Byrne, Gunyan, Loulou, Notch, Sleepy Wonder, Verny Varela, The Flaming Lips and few others you’ll have The Cosmic Game.
Don’t let this make you think it is another remix type of album (although TC have done as much remixes as their original songs), it is very unique, profound and thoughtful collection of songs that will make you come back for more many times.

Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun) featuring The Flaming Lips – light and atmospheric sound with few lazy beats, but also pay attention to lyrics. Pretty striking and you would not expect something like this with nice chilled out sounds in background.

Warning Shots featuring Sleepy Wonder and Gunjan – more beats and more rhythm with provoking Sleepy’s voice. The best parts are lyrics “Hollywood sending signals of destruction .Stereotype the ghetto youths as the bad man. Overcome the rough times and we grow strong .Step up in a life, now them want to shake we hand.”
This track has the sign of call for revolution which was notable on previous albums. Gunjan also makes her appearance in second part of the song which just blends to prefect into whole atmosphere of the song.

Revolution Solution featuring Perry Farrell – you would have thought that whole album talks about some sort of revolution, but this is TC for you. They do not shout, they whisper, and this whisper is more powerful than any shout. Perry Farrell is well knows controversial American artist ( Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros, and one of founders of Lollapalooza festival). He sound confident and his unexpected appearance on this track showed as right choice. Easy rhythm and provoking lyrics throughout song , TC’s great asset.

The Cosmic Gate – lovely instrumental, psychedelic mix of beats and electronic that is great for evening chill out session in your favourite chair.

Satyam Shivam Sundaram featuring Gunjan – beats and oriental music with beautiful Gunjan’s voice is journey into sandy dreams of Persian tales. If you like mild and gentle oriental female voices, this tune will overtake you completely.

Amerimacka featuring Notch – one of my favourites. TC’s know how to make great reggae song. They always do on every album. This song is about hope, faith, love and lost. There is call for revolution replaced with hope for love and life, making it a sort of a hymn of The Cosmic Game. I have never heard Notch, but he makes great impression in this song. Fluent in his expression, all I can say; great reggae singer.
Just sit and relax and enjoy background trumpets, they deliver smooth and relaxing
sound to your ears.
Ambicion Eterna featuring Verny Varela – I like this man, Verny. He reminds me of Julio Iglesias which I have listened in my dad’s car as a child. Downtempo, bossa, Latino sound in this songs will suit nice dinner atmosphere for two. Totally romantic and smooth. If you girlfriend is romantic type then this song will totally right choice.

Pela Janela featuring Gigi Rezende – Gigi Rezende sing in portugese, which sounds great. Relaxing guitar, beats, and boss nova sound is spot on. I would recommend to play this songs straight after previous one (Ambicion).
Perfect to play in your car player while cruising somewhere around Mediterranean.

Sol Tapado featuring Patrick de Santos – Latino rhythm and little bit of beats. Not my favourite song but like it anyway. It is one of those to which you can smoothly shake your hips in some tropical bar. Or in your favourite pub, it doesn’t matter.

The Heart’s a Lonely Hunter featuring David Byrne – great name on this song. It is sort of reggae-beat-funky song and great for lounge clubs and bars. David Byrne is recognizable by his authentic way of singing, rhythm is faster than on most of other tunes, and you can actually dance to this song.

Holographic Universe – instrumental that will probably see many remixes in future.
A little more beats then usual, electro effects and female voices in background. I like this tune, it is for dance, for relaxing and has to be listen loud. In a car, preferably.

Doors of Perception featuring Gunjan – very good sound; Gunjan again at her best; sing and brings oriental, heavenly atmosphere with lots of echoes in background. And they match so perfectly. This tune could be great soundtrack for some film with theme about life on Middle East. Just a thought.

Wires and Watchtowers featuring Sista Pat – easy reagge, and beautiful voice of Sista Pat. Again, first time I have heard this artist and already like it. It is classic reggae tune in recognizable TC arrangement with electro effects, but those who like reggae would definitely not dislike this song because of little experiment. The more you listen TC the more you like reggae. This is what actually happened to me.

The Supreme Illusion featuring Gunjan – last song from this artist on this album sort of closing oriental trilogy on The Cosmic Game. Very atmospheric indeed, little more beats than usual but works very well. This is lounge music, and should be treated like this, but someone might disagree with me. I really look forward to see Gunjan again on future TC releases.

The Time We Lost Our Way featuring Loulou – one word; perfect. I am truly TC fan, and since I have heard Un Simple Historie on The Richest Man in Babylon, I was really wondering whether they will call Loulou to guest again. And the did.
She delivers performance that makes TC music even better, a little mystical, but so relaxing, clever and thoughtful. When you sit in little café on early November morning and drink you favourite macchiato, watch people in their daily routine under their umbrellas, and feel like you have all the time in the world, this song is about you. At least for 4:11 minutes you’ll have right to feel like that.

A Gentle Dissolve – closing statement of the album. Yes, now you can fall in your bed and have nice dreams. It is a lullaby. It dissolves your thoughts literarily and you are almost half a way to dreamland. Good night. 

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