release date: Mar. 2, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]
producer: Moby
label: Little Idiot - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Mere Anarchy" - 3. "Like a Motherless Child" - 4. "The Last of Goodbyes" - 5. "The Ceremony of Innocence" - 7. "Welcome to Hard Times" - 9. "Falling Rain and Light"
15th studio album by Moby [aka Richard Melville Hall] released on his own label and via Mute Records following the second release credited Moby & The Void Pacific Choir, More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse from 2017.
Stylistically, this is a return to his 'electronic' releases - as contrary to the 'dance punk' and 'synth punk' of releases with The Void Pacific Choir - and Moby has been around the 'electronic' scene for more than three decades exploring and incorporating genres and styles to satisfy himself more than his fans. That's always a good staring point, but as with someone like Neil Young it takes the artist off on many excursions - sometimes losing, sometimes gaining popularity, but I really like the attitude. With Moby I have felt a certain disappointment at times but this is no such instance. He reworks some familiar bits but mainly maintains a distinct sound, and it's really a nice journey. I like his touch on 'trip hop' combined with what sounds almost 'industrial' with an underlying bittersweet tone like one will find on his masterpiece Play from 1999, although, there's no real revisit to that, as it's more like a big combo of his many influences.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, The Daily Telegraph 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]
