Moby's 11th outing finds him breaking out of his solitary shell and working with an interesting group of collaborators, but it somehow manages to hit a lethargic chord.
MOBY/ INNOCENTS
Earlier this year, in true Moby fashion, the artist officially announced the release of his new album, Innocents, via his YouTube channel. The one minute, 32 second clip shows the 48-year-old musician donning a wolf mask and stepping into a pool while a monotonous voice-over describes how the album has help from producer Mark Stent and a host of collaborators including Cold Specks, Damien Jurado and Skylar Grey. This will probably come as a surprise to those who've followed Moby for the past two decades and know he's a bit of a recluse who prefers to do things on his own. With Innocents, he seems to embrace a newfound confidence in working with others and that alone makes it rather intriguing.
Described as the album that he has waited his entire life to make, Innocents offers a vast array of genres based on Moby's signature ambient and electronica influences. It ebbs and flows steadily on lo-fi beats, creating mid-to-low-tempo numbers from the beginning (Everything That Rises) to end (The Dogs). Moby sounds mournful as per usual, and that seems to rub off a little on his guest collaborators. The singalong anthem, The Perfect Life, has Wayne Coyne singing in unison with Moby about drug addiction whereas the brooding The Lonely Night features the alluring croak of Queens of the Stone Age's Mark Lanegan. Canadian singer-songwriter Cold Specks contributes to the album's first official single, A Case for Shame, and the uber haunting Tell Me. Elsewhere, Skylar Grey provides her icy croon on The Last Day, Damien Jurado his ethereal falsetto on Almost Home while Inyang Bassey begs with all her might on the bluesy number Don't Love Me, singing "I know you don't love me, but you don't have to be so mean/Treat me like the worst thing you've ever seen."
But despite the presence of these stellar guest vocalists, Innocents still feels strangely introspective and unvaried. Moby seems to overshadow his collaborators with his own introversion. The tempos here are languid, the melodies tread on after-hours melancholy and the synths weep with lofty string arrangements.
It's ironic because when compared to Play, Moby's platinum-certified masterpiece produced with virtually no one else pitching in, Innocents offers much, much less in terms of musical variety and flair. If you're looking for another Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? or Find My Baby, just stick with Play _ otherwise you will be severely let down.
THE PLAYLIST
O-Pavee/ Payayam
After independently making his own music for a while, pop upstart Pavee "O" Kotchapakdi, otherwise known by his stage name O-Pavee, finally gained attention earlier this year with the single Ror (Wait). O-Pavee continues to make his presence felt with his second single Payayam (Try). Inspired by a scene from his favourite movie, the acoustic track finds the singer-songwriter lamenting unrequited love: "She said, 'Please stop trying, please stop'/ 'Forget everything, please stop everything."' Although simple in its arrangement, Payayam is heartbreakingly bittersweet.
Chromeo/ Sexy Socialite
Following the excellent first single Over Your Shoulder, the electro-funk duo release another disco-tastic single, Sexy Socialite, from their forthcoming album White Women. The super-bouncy song features all the great things we've come to love about Dave 1 and P-Thug _ foot-tapping synths, female backing vocals, and keenly observed lyrics.
MIA/ Yala
"If you only live once, why we keep doing the same shit?" MIA wonders out loud on her latest offering, Yala, an acronym for "you always live again". The track features wobbly synths, rumbustious bass and plenty of effects. As for lyrics, it's classic MIA with a bunch of random rhyming words thrown in together ("I dream some honcho came in my poncho/Run out like Castro/Blow up and get go"). The song, together with the earlier release, Walk With Me, will appear on her long-awaited new record, Matangi, which is due out this week.
James Blunt/ Bonfire Heart
Apparently the British singer-songwriter was messing around with us when he announced that he'd retire from music last year, because here he is with a brand new single, Bonfire Heart. Lifted from his fourth studio album, Moon Landing, the song is co-written and produced by none other than Blunt's buddy, OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. "People like us don't need that much/Just someone to light the spark in our bonfire heart," he croons alongside some stadium-ready guitar.
Lady Gaga (featuring R Kelly)/ Do What U Want
Only a few seconds in, and we're already in love with Lady Gaga's new cut Do What U Want. After failing to woo us with her last single, Applause, Gaga releases an R Kelly-aided, electro-inspired jam that immediately recalls Chromatics and Kavinsky's bewitching synth loops. "I feel good, I walk alone/But then I trip by myself/I stand up, and then I'm okay," she intones before channelling a bit of Xtina. Then Kelz comes in in the second half, lashing out at Gaga's detractors: "We taking these haters and we roughin' them up/We layin' the cut like we don't give a f**k." It's pure perfection.
