The Mirror Conspiracy is a 2000 album by the Thievery Corporation. All songs on the album were written, recorded and produced by Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, although Pam Bricker contributed vocals to “Air Batucada”, “The Mirror Conspiracy” and “Lebanese Blonde”, which was also on the soundtrack to Zach Braff's 2004 film Garden State. The track “Indra” was used in a scene of the film Vanilla Sky.
Review:
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.
All Music Guide – John Bush