It’s hard to believe that it’s been 12 years since Moby came out to Play. He’d played before, of course, but the diminutive New Yorker’s 1999 techno-blues-gospel album remains his most critically and commercially successful release. It might have been somewhat overexposed through lucrative placements in movies, TV shows and advertising, but Play remains his magnum opus.
Produced by Ken Thomas (Gavin Friday, Cocteau Twins, Throbbing Gristle), Destroyed is his tenth studio album, but is unlikely to knock Play off its pedestal. Essentially, it’s mood music for insomniacs. In the liner notes, Moby writes, “I don’t sleep very well when I travel and, as a result, I tend to be awake in cities when everyone else is asleep. And that’s where this album comes from. It was primarily written late at night in cities where when I felt like I was the only person awake (or alive).”
Track by track, it’s very much a hit and miss affair, varying between Eno-esque ambience (‘The Broken Places’, ‘The Day’), straightforward songs (‘Blue Moon’) and Play-like grooves (most especially with the female vocals on ‘Lie Down In Darkness’). It’s designed to be listened to straight through in one listen, and definitely works as a 71-minute late-night mood-piece. Listened to during the cold light of day, though, the temptation to skip through certain songs is almost irresistible.
Having said that, Moby fans won’t be particularly disappointed. Nor will any advertising agencies.