Richard Kazandzhidi Kazandzhidi 1

Professor Johnson

April 20 2017

As a classical and jazz musician, my ear is always drawn to complex harmonies,

gorgeous melodies, exotic rhythms, and the overall atmosphere that the music creates.

While I do spend most of my time listening to classical music of the 19th up to the 20th

century, there are a few bands and groups that I highly respect and believe are on a

higher ground of musical culture than the majority of pop singers and other artists.That

group for me, is Thievery Corporation. Originally from Washington D.C, the group

consists of two Djs and 10+ featured singers on all of their albums. Thievery has proven

to be on a higher and more sophisticated level that contributes much to the

underground musical culture. There is a phenomenon why this group is not as popular

as many other artists because they have proved to be more sophisticated and original

than most other artists.

A surprising fact is that this group has been successful for over 20 years without

producing a top radio hit, music video, or flamboyant public appearances. Nevertheless

they have collaborated with high profile artists and have had their music featured in a

great movies and series such as Garden State, Six Feet Under, Better Call Saul, Cruel

and Unusual, and The Vampire Diaries. Rob Garza and Eric Hilton are the two

producers of this group and always bring in talented little known artists to enhance their

music and flavor. Back in 1995, both Eric and Rob resided in Washington D.C, at the

time they were both partners in owning a lounge and were very close and personal
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friends, more than business associates. They shared a common passion for Jazz,

Bossa nova (A brazilian jazz form that grew popular in the 1950s with leading artists

such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, and Stan Getz.) and both wanted to

incorporate this into modern club life. The next year they started their own record called

The Eighteenth Street Lounge Music. Since 1996 the duo have become more and more

popular with sold out concerts mostly all over Europe as well as both North and South

America.

The music style that they produce vary from album to album on purpose. A

general overview of their styles, their songs and albums represents blends of; electronic

downtempo house, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Bossa Nova, Persian, French,

and Middle Eastern influences. With 9 studio albums and 18 compilation albums they

are able in incorporate a common theme and musical genre into each album. For

instance their fairly recent album Saudade (a feeling of longing, melancholy, or

nostalgia that is supposedly characteristic of the Portuguese or Brazilian temperament,

which is what most of the songs lyrics show.) they incorporate lots of Brazilian

influences and Latin jazz rhythms which ironically almost 20 years prior is what brought

Rob and Eric together. French, portuguese, and English languages are used in this

album. In contrast, an earlier album titled The Cosmic Game has influences of

classical indian harmonies and instruments as well as reggae inspired songs and even

shows political anger on the Bush administration and corruption in the world through

their lyrics.
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The lyrics they chose to write their songs in varies from English, Portuguese,

Spanish, French, Persian, and several others. Most of the lyrics have very strong visual

influences and comparison between nature and the human mind. Their lyrics can also

be looked at as short poems. For instance in one of their songs Depth of my Soul from

the album Saudade the female singer vocalizes a line You believe what you see, all the

things that you know, but oh, you don't know. The depth (perhaps even playing with the

word death and depth) of my soul.Karma's just a key, unlocking every gate. Eyes are

just mirrors, putting us to our fate. Short lines like this shows a much more meaningful

message than most pop songs do now. In another song from the same album we have

Natalia Clavier singing in spanish the song Claridad (clarity) the listener is engaged in

strong visual imagery. Clarity. It's spring in this blue winter. Night sky dyed by your

light. Pink and violet mutating color. Perfect vision, healing reflection. In every night of

an unreal brightness. Fulfilled heaven, divine glow. Magical silence, of pale glow. Most

of their songs regardless of the language they use have a divine and unique meaning

that is most pleasing to listen to in comparison with very basic lyrics and four chord

progressions.

Thievery have gone out of their way to show their protest for war, corruption,

while being a big advocate for human rights and food assisting programs. In an

interview with Rob Garza in 2005 he states Radio Retaliation is definitely a more overt
political statement...There's no excuse for not speaking out at this point, with the

suspension of habeas corpus, outsourced torture, illegal wars of aggression, fuel, food,

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and economic crises. It's hard to close your eyes and sleep while the world is burning

around you. If you are an artist, this is the most essential time to speak up In one of

their songs called Amerimacka (a play on North Americas name, almost mocking it)

the featured singer Notch sings lyrics such as Miss Liberty turn inna Jezebel. All of the

dreams you go sell turn inna hell. Her bed of roses are filled with thorns. Her righteous

robes are tattered and torn. If she had only stood for love, that would have been

enough. She wouldn't have to hide in her shame, but now we all burn in her flame. that

send a powerful image playing on America's symbols. For instance, when he says Ms

Liberty turns into a jezebel it can be implied that Lady Liberty that represents freedom,

the United States, turns into a jezebel. Jezebel was a Phoenician princess, a shameless

and wicked woman who encouraged sin and later was killed for her actions. America

has changed its original good intention of values to corruption and war. When Notch

says now we burn in her flame it is a clear indication of Lady Liberty's flame that she

holds up and that we as a population now burn in it. In the chorus section the lyrics are

Amerimacka, oh what a beautiful lie. It's like licking honey off of a knife. Amerimacka,

oh what a beautiful sight, oh what a beautiful lie. In reference to licking honey off the

knife this comes from a saying by Buddha in which he states People are unable to

renounce wealth and sex. They are just like a child who cannot resist honey on the

blade of a knife. Even though the amount is not even enough for a single meals
serving, he will lick it and risk cutting his tongue in the process. In the same album, the

first song titled Marching the Hate Machines the lyrics go Well let's start by, making it

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clear, who is the enemy here. And we'll show them, That it's not them, who is superior.

It's gonna be bad, It's gonna be wrong, and It's gonna feel good. This is a clear

message that America wants to make it clear that they are never the enemy and that

America will assert its dominance and ego onto whoever they go to war with. In an open

confession America is saying that it is going to be a bad war for the wrong reasons but

in the end it's going to feel good and fuel the country's ego. In an interview with Eric

Hilton he states I feel our music can sometimes sound political, but I think its much

different than politics in terms of right, left, Republicans, Democrats or surface level

politics...We touch on subjects that are taboo, but I think our messages are beyond

politics, theyre more about how the world is organized on a grander scheme than just

every four years, or this or that administration. There are power structures that survive

administrations. Although there are other groups who have shown protest in their

songs, Thievery is able to blend it in with good taste of background music and subtle

lyrics that the listener might not get at first.

Thievery has received little to none negative reviews and critics on their live

concerts, albums, or a group as a whole. The L.A Music blog says Thoroughly

enchanted by Thievery Corporation...Electronic soundscapes being played with live

instruments, and in that respect, these ladies and gents are sitting pretty with the best of

them. When you add to that the sheer variety of influences the band employs, you have
all the makings of a set thats eclectic and utterly delightful. If youre in for something

thats both cerebral and accessible, look no further than Thievery Corporation. Adam

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Parker from Live Music news and reviews had similar compliments to say. With

admittedly little experience in concerts in the electronic, rap, and hip-hop genres, I was

completely blown away. The sound, musicianship, and overall experience were far

better than I ever expected. They sounded just as good and precise live as they do on

their studio albums but with an intense crowd-engaging energy.Sometimes I go to

shows that I have trouble finding words for because nothing really happens. No

standout moments, no crowd interaction, nothing that takes you to that special happy

place. That is not the case with Thievery Corporation though. Their album Radio

Retaliation earned them the nomination of a grammy award along with high profile

singers like Perry Farrell, David Byrne, and Wayne Coyne. According to critics from

popmatters on their use of politics they say Their politics however go beyond

partisanship and focus on issues that affect the whole world, making it ironic and wildly

subversive to hear their music sometimes played in decadent lounges and luxury

clothing shops, their potent messages disguises under their sophisticated beats.

Looking at their tours and schedules they are most popular in Sweden, Switzerland,

Greece, Germany, Hungary, Budapest, and of course some shows in major American

cities. Perhaps the reason for their popularity abroad is their diverse musical style that

can be related to many people of that culture.

 So the question is, why is Thievery Corporation not as popular in the United

States as it is in foreign countries? Their music is enjoyable, tickets are about 50 dollars

for great seats, and they help out many good causes. Why are people willing to spend

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500 dollars or more on a ticket for Adele and Beyonce rather than enjoying good music?

Of course the term good music is subjective According to science, pop music is going

extremely downhill in the United States. Is it because of their anti political lyrics of

America? The country is in an epidemic of being infatuated with glamour, looks, and

songs about heartbreak or violence. If we compare rap from its origins to current day,

we can see it went from spoken poetry to a beat to lyrics of rape, killing, shooting, and

gangs. Another comparison would be Burt Bacharach's era of pop music. He composed

beautiful melodies with beautiful lyrics that also encompassed love and struggle.

Present day, it takes almost 5 people to write one single song. Most producers and

vocalists are not trained in theory, harmony, and composition and rely strictly on a

computer to input music for them. This implies a lack of critical thinking and originality in

modern day artists. The same thing happened with classical music in the 1990s. In

1989, when Vladimir Horowitz died (considered the last pianist of the romantic era) soon

came a drastic decrease in classical music yet a surplus of pianists. Up until Vladimir

Horowitz, pianism and classical music had more emphasis on the actual interpretation

and music created by the artist. In recent years it has changed from beauty of

interpretation to a contest of skill. It is who can play faster, harder, cleaner than the

previous pianist. In the 18th and 19th century there were no such thing as piano
competitions or even judging pianists for wrong notes as long as they got their

interpretation across. We can hear this from examples of Alfred Cortots recordings in

the very early 20th century. He was regarded as one of the great pianists and was

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famous for the mistakes of notes he made during his performances but still was revered

as a God in the classical music world. In present day the classical music economy is

producing a surplus of very well trained pianists mainly from Asia and Europe who can

play perfectly clean and fast but can not move an audience. The classical artists that

adapted a different mind set such as Lang Lang, Ji Kim, and Joshua Bell realize that in

the present day musical world looks and visual attraction is very important and they

incorporate this into their performances. Although the public considers them good

musicians, they are often look down by other serious classical musicians for their lack of

musicianship and emphasis on visual attraction. The same is tied to the current world of

pop music. SInce the creation of music videos, artists have gone to spend millions of

dollars on trying to attract the viewers attention. The most expensive being Michael

Jacksons song Scream which costed seven million dollars to produce. Kanye West

spent one million dollars on his song Touch the Sky and 1.2 million dollars on Stronger.

Although these artists have big bank accounts this is still a lot of money invested into a

visual aspect. Tying this back to Thievery, they have not nor I think they will go to such

lengths to attract audience through the use of visual stimulation, even though they have

some low budget music videos. In other genres of music in Europe, especially classical,
house, jazz, and alternative you will find a greater attraction and demand for this style

and perhaps this is the reason why Thievery has more concerts there.

There are lots of reasons to consider why one should listen to Thievery

Corporation and to support the group. As a result of having a good number of

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downtempo relaxing music, it can be helpful to listen to while studying or meditating. If

one types in a yoga playlist search on apple music they will find several songs of

Thievery on there. In a recent study it was proven that listening to half an hour of

classical music will have similar results on your brain as a benzo (Xanax, Clonazepam,

Valium) will have. Of course we can not assume everyone wants to listen to Mozart or

Brahms but a modern form of relaxing music can be beneficial to our health. Another

Advocating reason for listening to their music is that it is more complex and colorful than

the average pop song. From a music theory standingpoint, Thievery uses unusual

chords that are heavily jazz influenced and the instrumentation they use is varied. It is a

fact that in the two worlds between classical and jazz harmony and theory, jazz has

been proven to be more complex and creative. When classical music stopped evolving

in the middle 20th century, early jazz musicians took over and expanded on it. By

adding additional harmonies and extensions to chords this enabled the capture of

attention to the listener's ear and this is exactly the type of stuff Thievery does. Another

advantage of attending their live concerts is the fair price per ticket in comparison with

other large hit artists that can charge up to one thousand dollars for a ticket. For less

than 50 dollars a person can enjoy good live music featuring many different people and
genres of music from reggae, jazz, indian classical, brazilian, and house. Not to mention

their openness of opposing war, corruption, and world hunger should motivate people to

listen and support the group.

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