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Yet another record from Moby who, not keen to rest on his laurels, has produced his second album in just over a year. Wait for Me is the ninth studio album to be released by the house-techno-pop veteran. The mood has changed dramatically from the happy-go-lucky feel of his previous album Last Night; here we find Moby exhibiting a heartbreaking melancholy that harks back to some of his earlier work.
The album’s opener ‘Division’ immediately encapsulates you with a blanket of warm string harmonies, beautifully inviting you to listen on. Moving on, we are treated to some truly soulful music in ‘Pale Horses’ ‘Study War’ and ‘Walk with Me’. The vocals are provided by some very talented soul singers, and the tracks work in a similar way ‘Why does my heart feel so bad?’ from Play.
‘Pale Horses’ stands out particularly, a sadly sung melody (“Look at all the places where all my family died”) and basic accompaniment are joined by lush strings and a choir at the song’s climax. ‘Mistake’ by contrast is fairly average by Moby’s standards; a fairly enjoyable track with his own vocals featuring. Nice - but nothing new to report here. ‘Jltf’ provides a chilled-out relaxed tempo upon which a simple but elegant female vocal line and delicate, thoughtful layers of strings rest.
Moby goes on to make use of a church choir in ‘A Seated Night’, another of this album’s gems. The title track brings yet more soul to the table and from here on to the album’s conclusion, Moby creates a relaxed and safe atmosphere for his music to truly shine from. One personal highlight is ‘Hope is gone’; it tells a sombre tale of loss and a bleak vision of the future. I haven’t heard such a desperately pretty, yet heartbreaking song in a long time. It’s almost ‘Porcelain’-esque, which can really only be a good thing.
It’s hard to sum up an album as rich and beautiful as this. There’s no sign of the electro-pop Moby we saw overused on the below-par Last Night. Gone are the bright flashing disco lights and city scenes. On this outing, Moby takes us back to some good old soul, and it’s what he does best. I’ve no idea how he continues to write music like this, music so beautiful in its essence. But he does, and I hope he can carry on in the same vein.
Wait For Me is available now.
Moby - Pale Horses ===
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