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album review
From the title alone, it's clear that Thievery Corporation has more on its mind than just the construction of breezy coffeehouse soundtracks and laid-back global chill. Radio Retaliation is a record of righteous fury (the targets are political, if that even needs to be said) and one that makes their previous efforts sound like Discreet Music in comparison. Thievery amps up their beats, quickens the pace, and unleashes a phalanx of vocal features to attack the D.C.-based Corporation's crosstown rivals on Capitol Hill and at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. (Granted, this is still a revolution mostly in the head.) The mTlange of worldbeat influences finds all the usual traces (Jamaica, India, Brazil, Nigeria, Arabia), but virtually all of the locales are charted by natives (Sleepy Wonder, Anoushka Shankar, Seu Jorge, Femi Kuti). On the title track, narcoleptic chatter Sleepy Wonder details his list of grievances, speaking for the entire corporation: "50,000 watts of Thievery hit them like poison darts/And watch the whole system what them build up fall apart." The two most important features are Femi Kuti's and Seu Jorge's; first, Kuti uses the track "Vampires" to call out African genocide throughout history (from Kinshasa to Darfur to Lagos to Malabo, Guinea), then Jorge comes next with the yin to Femi's yang, a beatific ode to peace titled "Hare Krsna." Thievery producers Rob Garza and Eric Hilton haven't quite revolutionized their beat-making or production from the past decade, but they sound energized by the political and social events of the 2000s. Despite the politics, there are still a few more of the ethereal masterpieces Thievery Corporation have made a hallmark in the past, including the sublime "Beautiful Drug" (featuring Slovakian singer Jana Andevska) and "Mandala," a guest feature for Anoushka Shankar that's particularly refreshing as an alternative to the usual Indian atmosphere on downbeat records (sampled, not played). The liner notes are a huge 20" x 30" fold-out booklet, including not only the lyrics but numerous quotes from a variety of world figures -- from Einstein, Chomsky, and Edward Bernays to John Lee Hooker and Mos Def. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
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- The Cosmic Game
- Released 2005
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- The Mirror Conspiracy
- Released 2000
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- The Richest Man In Babylon
- Released 2002
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- Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi
- Released 1997
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listener reviews
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Great TC Album
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- By Kyder
- 1/11/2009 13:21:58
- If by chance you are a returning fan of Theivery Corporation, this really is a must have album. The lyrics are less sublte about their meaning but they are still just as deep. I do have to applaud TC at how they came up with tasteful defiant and political music without suddenly being reminiscent of Green Day and their ilk. This album is a bit louder and more bold, however. It does have slwoer songs, but as a whole, it still is very strong.
If you want something more chill, go on and check out The Cosmic Game. They really hit a sweet spot with that album and it is sure to please. - 1 out of 1 people
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Sound the Alarm!
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- By cjohngroove
- 11/9/2008 14:26:51
- To put it shortly, I don't think this album as a whole is as strong as the Cosmic Game, but it still contains several great songs worth noting. By far the standout track on this album is "El Pueblo Unido" which is decidedly more upbeat than most of the other tracks on this album. "Vampires" is similarly upbeat and very reminiscent of The Cosmic Game's "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" but is a little too much of something with its political crosshairs aimed squarely at the IMF and World Bank. "La Femme Parallel" is another soft, sincere LouLou collaboration and "(The Forgotten People)" is Thievery trip-hop at it's finest. Definitely an easy download if you're already a Thievery fan. For those that aren't, I would recommend The Cosmic Game (my favorite Theivery outing) first and picking this one up second.
- 2 out of 2 people
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Great!
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- By Matt 37405
- 9/29/2008 05:40:27
- "Radio Retaliation", is even free!
- 3 out of 9 people
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Shadow Unit 2
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- By Shadow Unit 2
- 9/25/2008 07:18:58
- This is a great album to just "chill" to and it has some great beats. I like it a lot!
- 1 out of 2 people
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