It's obvious that the Thievery Corporation considers themselves somewhat loungy-- a part of the space-age bachelor pad movement. But they're far more advanced than that; this is lounge music from the 21st century. There's no trace of typical lounge music elements (e.g. xylophones, quirky, jingly melodies, nutty maracas); instead, the groop plays laid-back electronic grooves in the vein of Air and Neotropic.

Ethereal keyboard sounds ride comet-style on the tail of hip-hop beats creating a soundscape as pleasant to listen to as old Miles Davis records, despite the fact there's not a jazz sample to be found here. Rather, it's just this type of thing that could arguably be called "the new jazz."

So to sum things up, you could say that Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi is more interesting than lounge music will ever be, and twice as danceable. Get on your feet, boy!

-Ryan Schreiber