Innocents
Moby may be EDM’s most famous practitioner, but there isn’t much to dance to on *Innocents*, an album that seeks shelter in the shadows just outside the spotlight. Well-chosen guests handle the vocal duties, often writing their own lyrics. The singers—Cold Specks, Damien Jurado, The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Skylar Grey, Inyang Bassey, Mark Lanegan—each bring an identifiable tone to his or her song. And Richard Melville Hall isn’t working alone on *Innocents*. Mike “Spike” Stent (known for hi-fi work with Coldplay and Muse) mixes and co-produces the album, and as a second set of ears he keeps Moby on track. Nothing here pokes out at you, because nothing is supposed to. *Innocents* is meant to sound like a man’s last night on earth. Damien Jurado helps assemble that trajectory with the six-minute “Almost Home.” Skylar Grey and Inyang Bassey attempt to trick him back to life. But Mark Lanegan, a singer known for delivering the final word, buries the concept in its rightful place on “The Lonely Night,” as Moby’s “Dogs” is left to search for a new day.
Innocents is in line with Wait for Me (2009) and Destroyed (2011), Moby's most intimate and isolated albums.
Whatever side of the fence you fall on regarding Moby at his most commercial peak, he's always had a deft touch when handling vocals.
Over the course of 11 albums, Moby has donned many different musical personas, from techno button-pusher to punk rocker to sound designer and a whole host of others besides. On his latest, Innocents, Moby creates a body of work for adults.
Album review: Moby's new (11th) album 'Innocents' proves to be guilty of a distinct lack of inspiration, despite guest turns from Wayne Coyne, Cold Specks and Mark Lanegan
Moby - Innocents review: Or learning how to sit as comfortably as possible in your own bubble.
Grand and often lovely 11th album from electronic perennial. CD review by Thomas H Green