Moby Flouders

Following his 1999 best-selling sellout album, “Play,” and his subsequent efforts to regain his credibility as a bona fide artist, Moby created some of the most boring, redundant and annoying records to date.

But, with “Wait For Me,” Moby seemed to make an ernest attempt.

As if to cement his recent unoriginality, Moby cited Academy Award-nominated director, David Lynch, as an inspiration.

Moby said the “creative impetus behind the record was hearing a David Lynch speech at BAFTA, in the UK.”

In addition to inspiring Moby, Lynch directed the music video for “Shot in the Back of the Head,” the first single from the album.

Lynch recently collaborated with Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse in making the artwork for “Dark Night Of The Soul,” a critically acclaimed, indefinitely shelved 2009 album filled with numerous guest musicians.

Moby did not stop recruiting for help on the album with Lynch; he also enlisted Ken Thomas, famous for producing Sigur Ros, to mix “Wait For Me.”

And did all of this aid pay off?

Sort of.

“Wait For Me” incorporates inane, nonsensical lyrics, classic electronica and Sigur Ros’ characteristically calming, swooning instrumentals to create a listenable and easily digestible record.

But it’s so safe and bland that no one should think of wasting their time listening to the album.

In “Theory of a Dead Man,” Moby whines, “You are not alone tonight / Imagine me there by your side / It’s so hard to be here so far away from you.”

However, Moby’s musical chops at creating ambient music are still spot-on. His compositions are functional, but that’s where his talents end.

“Wait For Me” works as an album one puts on to fall asleep to, and nothing else.
Clearly, Moby has slipped into a stagnant, musical fugue, where lyrical subterfuge and compositional ennui taint every minutia of his songs.

One can only hope this musical ribald loses his proclivity to produce such blowsy albums. Yet, with endless records to sell and endless songs to licence, I doubt he will ever stop.