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MOBY
Play (V2 records)
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes
Federal Record Reviewer Bias Statement: I first heard Moby back in 1995 while watching the final scene in Michael Mann's Pacino/Deniro/Kilmer vehicle, Heat. God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters was enough to make me seek out his then current album, Everything is Wrong. Songs like Hymn and First Cool Hive moved Moby onto my personal A list. His latest album, Play, keeps him there.
Born Richard Melville Hall, Moby was his family nickname at an early age since he is a descendant of Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick. He's grown up to be a totally 90's New York native artist, dealing mostly in the techno-ambient trip-hop end of the music spectrum. His music bears certain similarities to the style of Beck on one side and perhaps Fat Boy Slim or the Chemical Brothers on the other since he's not above sampling other recordings. What sets him apart from these others is a true talent for rendering lovely spacey melodies that is uniquely his alone.
Moby' s music is always interesting, but I'll quickly point out that I'm also intrigued by his philosophy. All of his original albums contain thoughtful essays in the liner notes--heady stuff that does as much for me as any of his music. This time around he discourses on vegetarianism, fundamentalism and personal freedom. His stances on animal cruelty especially seem very principled but I find it incongruous that his music has driven the soundtracks to some very violent films, like Heat and 1997's James Bond retread. You know, the one set in Hong Kong. Hell, I'm not going to waste time looking up the title because it was such a cultural car wreck--even Moby's energetic James Bond Theme couldn't save it. One of these days I'll talk with him about this stuff, but enough of that for now.
Musically Moby doesn't like to do the same thing over and over. (At least in material on his original albums; there's a nearly endless supply of Moby club remixes that you may come across.) Everything is Wrong featured some female vocals over dance beats and spacey melodic soundscapes, then Animal Rights featured Moby singing and playing guitar in a full frontal punk attack balanced with more instrumental ambient pieces--very schitzo but engaging. On Play he's creating yet another different sound. He discovered a gold mine of soulful vocal tracks, field recordings originally recorded by audio historian Alan Lomax which he uses to great effect on several tracks.
There's quite a few songs I liked enough to put on repeat right from the first listen. I think my favorite so far is Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? which features singing by the Shining Light Gospel Choir. The two phrase vocal sample is repeated throughout the track and counterpointed with a beautiful chorus, but the piano driven melody is one of Moby's best creations yet. Porcelain features more of his own singing, also in South Side. There he sounds like Brian Eno's work around the time of Before and After Science. Bodyrock is definitely one for the clubs, featuring a sample of Love Rap by Bobby Robinson. If Things Were Perfect and My Weakness are both built around Moby reciting some moody poetry. If they had a solo bongo accompaniment it would be beatnik material, but they are more like unusually slow bass and drum compositions. The Sky Is Broken returns him to an instrumental piano and synthesizer drone that's quite pretty, but dark.
It's hard to top things like First Cool Hive and God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters, still my favorites in his catalogue, but taken as a whole, Play may be Moby's best effort yet.
Track list: Honey, Find My Baby, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, South Side, Rushing, Bodyrock, Natural Blues, Machete, 7, Run On, Down Slow, If Things Were Perfect, Everloving, Inside, Guitar Flute & String, The Sky Is Broken, My Weakness
© 1999 - Rusty Pipes