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Their sound may seem ubiquitous -- the soundtrack to every hip boutique on the block -- but nobody marries down-tempo beats and pan-global flavors with more finesse than Thievery Corporation. Emerging out of the multicultural U.S. capital, the duo of Eric Hamilton and Rob Garza draw on the sounds of Brazil (breezy bossa nova), the Middle East (throbbing hand drums), Jamaica (pulsing dub reggae), India (sitar-rich mixes), and beyond on The Richest Man in Babylon, a slightly more sophisticated update on its immediate predecessor, The Mirror Conspiracy. As on that sleeper dance music hit, the pair show utmost respect and outright affection for the varied strains making up their composite sound, allowing each room to breathe even as it commingles with its neighbors. A perfect example would be "Omid (Hope)," which French vocalist LouLou renders in airy Farsi (one of five languages represented here), her cloud-borne words floating atop bubbling percussion, echo-laden synths, and a persistent beat. Or "Meu Destino (My Destiny)," which layers tasty, Latin-veined acoustic guitar picking and Patrick De Santos's Portuguese singing over a gently pulsing rhythm track. Other highlights include the Latin excursion "Exilo (Exile)" and the bristling dub-influenced "The State of the Union," a political fireball aimed at the lawmakers down the road, sung by dancehall vocalists Shinehead and Sleepy Wonder. With their world-clique perspective, these two American fellas have emerged with a true lingua franca -- a sound that transcends borders and tongues with taste and an innate musicality. Lydia Vanderloo, Barnes & Noble