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.
You Might Also Like
- Massive Attack
- Groove Armada