September 2000

Conspiracy to Commit Musical Espionage

The Mirror Conspiracy Thievery Corporation ESL Music 2000

Thievery Corporation’s The Mirror Conspiracy was released on a Monday. I waited a week and a half to get my hands on it. I curse those 10 days. I don’t care if I was on urgent Evil Robots business (takin’ it easy in the Outer Banks), I still should have made arrangements to get these grooves into my head. Upon returning from our surfin’ safari, I still didn’t have this disc. I could have had CDNow deliver it to me and have it waiting upon my return. But no, I was foolish. I went to several recorded music outlets in search of it with no luck. I finally had to break down and go to Tower and shell out a fortune. It was worth it, of course.

Now that I’ve confessed my sins, let’s discuss the album.

The Mirror Conspiracy is Thievery Corporation’s first entirely original full-length album since the release of the powerfully brilliant Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi in 1997. In the meantime, however, Thieves Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have supplied us with many fine remixes and teased us with many fine singles that have found their way onto this album. So we can’t really complain. I suppose they’ve been too busy keepin’ it real runnin’ the Eight Street Lounge in DC and their similarly named record label- Eighteenth Street Lounge Music. ESL Music, in the interim, has released nothing but quality music with the likes of Ursula 1000, Thunderball, and many fine compilations (most of which have been reviewed in this fine publication). I think you get my point here: Garza y Hilton know quality music.

Their keen ear for the quality sound is more than apparent on The Mirror Conspiracy. This album shows a maturity and sophistication that is rarely seen in electronic music. Their past work has show this as well, but not with such subtle force. The Mirror Conspiracy, first and foremost, is a soundtrack. For what? For everything. This album plays through like a movie soundtrack. Except that it doesn’t suck. Ninety nine percent of all soundtracks suck. I have Top Gun on vinyl, so I should know. The Mirror Conspiracy demonstrates itself as a soundtrack primarily through a sense of drama. The selection of the tack order seems to lay out a story. Not a story with and specific plot, but a story told by setting and altering a scene just enough for one to notice.

This almost cinematic change of musical scenery throughout The Mirror Conspiracy is what really reveals Thievery Corporation’s sophisticated sound. Listening to any of their songs separately, as in the single format- conveys this sophistication as well- whether it be "Lebanese Blonde" or "Focus On Sight." But it’s when one hears these songs back to back that one really says "Ahhh". Like any good musicians, Thievery Corporation takes many different influences and melds them into their own distinct sound. But here Garza y Hilton have shown their refinement. They have taken their well established Bossa Nova fetish to new heights by actually producing a samba. "Samba Tranquille" isn’t too far removed from Jobim, yet seems to be delivered from the future in a time machine.

Thievery Corporation brings their obvious affinity for Bossa Nova together with a smattering of international sounds ranging from the Middle East to France with their subtle dub beats to propagate The Mirror Conspiracy. It’s a vast and far-reaching conspiracy which is just as adept at plotting international espionage as it is scoring a lazy afternoon at the ocean.