Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi is the debut album of the Thievery Corporation, originally released in 1997. Guest vocals include Pam Bricker and Bebel Gilberto.
Review:
Rare-groove duo Thievery Corporation may fall under the general
classification of electronica, but their album Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi,
like much of their music, is such a confluence of subgenres that techno fans
might not find what they're looking for in it. This record is electronic in that
nearly everything heard on it has been tweaked in the studio, but almost all of
the actual synth sounds on Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi lie in the background.
What carry each song are recordings of actual instruments, either live or
sampled, mixed to create the arc of the specific track. Add a smattering of
vocal samples, and the result is the love-child of Massive Attack and Mondo
Grosso, a trip-hoppy, acid jazz mutant that will make you want to dance, have
sex, or lounge by the pool (if you're not left walking in confused circles,
trying to figure out which one). That seems to be the CD's only real weakness:
the seams that bind the various influences involved in the music can be a bit
ragged, leading to some songs that come off as awkward, rather than eclectic.
The amalgamations throughout most of the disc are quite effective, however. The
track “Scene at the Open Air Market,” for instance, sounds like the melody
is played on a xylophone, before switching to perhaps an accordion, eventually
coming to sound like a mixture of lounge music, rhumba, and Eastern European
folk – but sexy. The samples of a man yelling reggae-style shout-outs during
“2001 Spliff Odyssey,” however, are mostly just distracting from the
ultra-smooth groove, and can feel like interruptions. In the end, assuming that
almost everyone who picks up Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi is a fan of
trip-hop, acid jazz, club/dance, or electronica, then it is essentially a record
for everybody. Its only real fault is that occasionally, it edges on being a
record for nobody.
All Music Guide – Cammila Albertson
