Moby

‘Wait for Me’

Release Date: 6/30/09

Record Label: Little Idiot

Rating: B+

The nerdy vegan with a taste for electronic music made the mainstream fall in love with 1999’s ‘Play’. Just as it seems he finally faded out from the public’s eye, Moby has returned with one of his best works yet.

The album ‘Wait for Me’ was inspired by a speech given by David Lynch. The speech was about creativity and dismissing the public marketplace as an afterthought. The speech moved Moby to hole up in his home recording studio to create his latest offering.

The first single ‘Shot in the Back of the Head’ features a video directed by the albums’ inspiration, David Lynch. The video is a dark, fuzzy cartoon that fits the album’s gloomy vibe.

It is on the second single that Moby fits all the pieces together perfectly.

‘Pale Horses’ is a haunting song that deals with the loss of family and the longing for home. The song’s one and only verse is repeated throughout, emphasizing the hardships of loss and distance.

Moby’s friends, mostly unknown singers, handle the album’s vocals; this decision serves the record well. The album was constructed with an inward focus and a drive to satisfy Moby’s senses.’ The aesthetic of the album does not fit into a large studio filled with managers and executives. It feels like an album made by friends in a dreary moods on rainy days.

Each song fills its space quite well; each track floats cohesively over one another to construct a wonderful atmospheric sound. The trademark Moby pieces are all there, the electronic music with heavy hitting gospel samples and a wonderful mix of strings.

Moby’s biggest success comes when he is able to lay gospel samples over his simple backbeats in tracks like ‘Study War’ where he is able to construct a wonderful melody but also challenge society’s low points.

Several tracks are a mixture between Brian Eno ambience and club drug electro. Moby never slows to Eno’s pace but fills the record with simplicity, not getting bogged down under too much instrumentation.

Lynch’s words of creativity must have hit Moby hard. The album leaves most of Moby’s pop sensibility behind to create a dark and not overly optimistic view of the world.

However, as long as Moby keeps a kind smile plastered on his face while creating consistent electronic albums, the world will stay that much brighter.

Chris McGregor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275

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