by John Bush
Like their debut album, Thievery Corporation's second, The Mirror Conspiracy, is a pleasant album of sublime mid-tempo trip-hop, reminiscent of easy listening groove music, and continually referencing the breezier, atmospheric side of Brazilian, Jamaican, French, and Indian forms. The nocturnal dub-poetry of &Treasures& sets a tone for the bruising basslines and echoey keys throughout the album, and &Lebanese Blonde& is another early highlight, with the graceful vocalese of Pam Bricker framing live sitar by Rob Myers and a Jamaican-style horn section. Brazil represents with a triple-shot of &Air Batucada,& &So Com Voce& (with vocals from Bebel Gilberto), and &Samba Tranquille.& French chanteuse Lou Lou adds a bit of downtempo continental flair on &Le Monde& and &Shadows of Ourselves,& and Thievery Corporation even samples Ella Fitzgerald on the ambient-jungle closer &Tomorrow.& As on their first LP, Garza and Hilton occasionally appear satisfied to just push a few grooves and reference their favorite styles of music over the top -- at the expense of any new ideas -- but The Mirror Conspiracy is excellently produced and almost as stylish as the duo's swinging suits on the cover.