Thievery Corporation - One thing we noticed with the new release by Thievery Corporation is the packaging of their CD, "Radio Retaliation."  This struck a cord with us at Below Zero because for our release, MINUS 1, we followed the same line of thinking... something new, something collectible and something with a green theme.  Thievery didn't dissapoint with the CD that offers amazing cut out artwork, song lyrics and information from people who must have influenced them in their creation.  Names such as Albert Einstein, Noam Chomsky and Gandhi to name a few...

From the first time we discovered this amazing duo back in 1999 they had a world sound like nothing I have ever heard before all with a very dubbed out and groovy sway about them.  Their first compilation on DJ Kicks was sheer brillance and they have gone on to release 5 albums, 4 more compilations, 2 soundtracks and over a dozen singles.  Their label ESL music has signed even more amazing talent and their live show with a full band while the two hold the line in the back behind the decks was a total celebration of music.

This release, Radio Retaliation has so much meaning hidden inside the layers of music and lyrics. For us at Below Zero, they have returned home.  This is a pure journey of what down tempo defines and who better to lead us than Rob Garza and Eric Hilton.  The unique horns and vocals take you back to when you first discovered this duo.  They educated us once again with their dub, jazz, lounge, reggae and Indian sounds.

After the smoke clears on the first few listens the layers begin to peal away and you find there is something hidden underneath, "Radio Retaliation is definitely a more overt political statement," says Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation.  But in the chilled out way we would expect Thievery Corporation deliver their message without raising their voice or jumping up and down.  The title itself screams out for the loss of individual music and voices in our society today.

It was hard to pick a song that stood out as a #1 for the BZ Top 10, there were so many on this album that hit home.  But in the end we went with the classic Thievery that hooked us the first time we ever heard them and picked "Le Femme Parallel".  That doesn't exclude the many other cuts we loved such as "Sweet Tides", "(The Forgotten People)", and "Mandala".  If you love this band you need to pick up this release.