Style: Moody electronic music; compare to Chemical Brothers, Brian Eno, Son Lux
Top tracks: “The Right Thing,” “The Violent Bear It Away”
Moby rose to fame with 1999’s Play, and he seemed drunk on the possibilities afforded by the manipulation of club-ready beats and samples of golden-age gospel and blues. The resulting concoction was earthy and spiritual at the same time. These days, the electronic mastermind seems to prefer brooding. His last album, 2009’s Wait for Me, was a mournful affair, and this follow-up strikes a similar tone of disconnect and loneliness. The artist—a professing Christian—hints at his faith here and there, most notably on the existential questions raised in “The Day” (written after the passing of his mother). But Destroyer hardly achieves the lift-off of Play, giving too much space to faceless dance anthems and pensive mood music. Still, points for “The Violent Bear It Away,” a beautiful instrumental with its title inspired by Flannery O’Connor.
Copyright © 2011 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
