About

The second studio album from Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, The Mirror Conspiracy was release on April 2, 2000 and is one of the duo's best-selling albums of the lounge, trip-hop, and chillout era. The 15-track release features vocals by Brother Jack, LouLou Ghelichkhani, Pam Bricker, SEE-I, Bebel Gilberto, and Plejah. The album also features the reissue of the band's 1997 single, "Lebanese Blonde," which was featured on the soundtrack to Zach Braff's 2004 film "Garden State."

Like their debut album, this follow-up 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. — (via AllMusic)

↓
Label: Primary Wave Music, ESL
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Gatefold
Country: Europe
Reissued: 2022 / Original Release: 2000
Genre: Electronic
Style: Downtempo, Batucada, Balearic, Bossa Nova, Future Jazz

File under: Downtempo
⦿