The weeping strings on the orchestrated “Division” immediately make
it clear that Moby isn’t targeting nightclubs with his ninth disc,
Wait For Me. After last year’s dance fest, Last
Night, the mellow vibes on Wait are a pleasant change of
pace. The new record shares the mood of earlier efforts like 1995’s
Everything Is Wrong rather than the more upbeat pop-oriented
fare that made 1999’s Play such a hit. “Shot in the Back of the
Head,” a superb instrumental, would fit perfectly on a Mogwai disc with
its melodic guitars and underlying tape loops. The dark “Mistake” is a
beautifully sad indie-rock affair. Fans know Moby is always testing
different genres, but on Wait, he executes such risks better
than in the past. Ambient tunes like “Slow Light” and “Isolate” would
fit well on a film score — they’re essentially classical music
with beats. The only track that comes close to Play-era Moby is
“Study War,” mostly due to use of a vocal sample. We’ve come to expect
curveballs from Moby, and this one’s definitely a welcome surprise.
—Eddie Fleisher
This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2009.
