| Innocents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | January 2012 – June 2013 | |||
| Length | 64:27 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Moby chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Innocents | ||||
| ||||
Innocents is the eleventh studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released in October 2013 by record labels Little Idiot and Mute. The album features collaborations on seven of the album's twelve tracks.
For Record Store Day 2013, Moby released a 7-inch record called "The Lonely Night" which featured former Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age vocalist Mark Lanegan. An accompanying video was created by Colin Rich, of which Moby stated: "I'm really excited to have an experimental music video from this great video artist, and I feel like the slow, rich, and languorous desert visuals fit the song perfectly." [1] The track was subsequently released as a download with remixes by Photek, Gregor Tresher, Freescha and Moby himself. [2]
In July, Moby announced that he would be releasing a new studio album titled Innocents. [3] [4]
Moby recorded Innocents from between January 2012 and June 2013 in his apartment. The album was produced by Grammy-winner Mark 'Spike' Stent (Muse, Depeche Mode, Björk, U2, Coldplay). [4] The album features several guest performers and vocalists, including Cold Specks's Al Spx (who appears on two tracks), Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips), Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age), Damien Jurado, Skylar Grey and Inyang Bassey.
On working with Coyne, Moby stated that "Wayne and I first met in 1995, when The Flaming Lips and I were both opening up for a Red Hot Chili Peppers’ European tour. We became friends, shared a dressing room and the same bad craft services, and watched the Chili Peppers from the side of the stage. I thought of Wayne for this song because the Flaming Lips have evolved in this very open, celebratory band when they play live, and that was the perfect vibe for what I was imagining for 'The Perfect Life'." [5] Of the collaboration with Al Spx, Spx explained that Moby approached her to sing on the new album: "He had heard about me because I'm on Mute in America and the UK. He heard about the record ( I Predict a Graceful Expulsion ) and asked if I wanted to sing. So I went and I sang. It was a very free, collaborative, creative environment. He was really open to what I was doing and, luckily, he liked what I was doing and it worked really well. I was quite happy to do it and I would probably do it again some day if he asked me." [6]
As with Destroyed, the photographs comprising the album's artwork were all shot by Moby.
The first official single from the album, "A Case for Shame,", [7] was released on July 1, 2013. A video was released to promote the single. A quieter remix of the song by Moby himself (“Under the Manhattan Bridge Version”) was made available for free download from his official Web site. The previously released track "The Lonely Night" was announced to appear on Innocents.
It was revealed in August that "The Perfect Life", which features Coyne, would be the next single, after a casting call for a music video was announced, calling "for obese Speedo-sporting bikers, nude rollerskating ghosts, and an S&M gimp proficient in rhythmic gymnastics" [8] The video saw a premiere on Rolling Stone's website on September 3. [5]
The third single, "Almost Home", featuring Damien Jurado, was announced through a music video competition. [9] The winner, which was revealed on January 6, would receive $6,000, with a shortlist being chosen by Moby. In the meantime, he filmed a lyric video for the track at the Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles. On February 4, the official video for the song, which reportedly cost only $10 to make, premiered on Reddit. With this occasion, Moby took time to answer a multitude of questions from fans. [10]
Innocents was released on October 1, 2013 by record labels Little Idiot and Mute. [11] [12]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 5.8/10 [13] |
| Metacritic | 60/100 [14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [15] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [16] |
| Mixmag | 3/5 [17] |
| Mojo | [18] |
| NME | 4/10 [19] |
| Q | [20] |
| Rolling Stone | [21] |
| The Scotsman | [22] |
| Spin | 8/10 [23] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [24] |
Innocents was met with mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 60, based on 19 reviews. [14] Andy Kellman from AllMusic described the album as "another downcast, occasionally grand-sounding set suited for solitary home listening" while pointing out the substantial presence of Moby's synthetic strings within the record which makes it his "most powerful work in several years". [15] Raul Spanciu from Sputnikmusic noted the "wider range of collaborators" and the "more relaxed and soulful atmosphere", but felt that the tracks were plagued by formulaic issues, with tracks "carving the same basic canvas for the collaborator to put his own touch on". He selected "A Case For Shame" and "Almost Home" as the album's "essential cuts". [25] Spin's Barry Walters recognised the "hypnotic purity" within Innocents, writing: "... as if [Moby] finally surrendered to the fact that these psalm-like prayers are where he excels — maybe they're only thing he’s truly great at", and labelled the instrumentation as the album's high point. [23] David Pollock from The Scotsman complimented the "bunch of cannily picked collaborations" which "lend this 11th album reassuring depth". [22] Thomas H. Green from Mixmag wrote that Innocents "boasts plenty of [the] epic melancholia" found in tracks "Saints" and "Going Wrong", which "hits a grand, ethereal pitch few could match". [17] Brendon Veevers from Renowned for Sound was confident for Innocents to be the "strong continuation" of Moby's successful 1999 album Play which could "place him back at the top of his game", with the track listing "balanced nicely between vocal fronted pennings with artists old and new and gorgeously arranged instrumentals". [26] Kat Waplington from Drowned in Sound felt that most of the record was "unrecognisable", writing that: "in isolation, I would never have guessed this was Moby." She adknowledged that Innocents wasn't a "simple rinse and repeat" despite the return of Moby's "distinctive synths and chord progressions", and affirmed the "huge range of styles on display" which made the album a "remarkably cohesive and creative record". [16]
John Garrett from Popmatters found the "diverse" roster of special guests artists and co-production with English producer Mark Stent to make the album stand out in Moby's discography, yet felt that Innocents "still sounds like so many other Moby albums", writing: "No matter what changes Moby's attempts to apply to his sound, his musical identity seems too deeply entrenched in the ways that Innocents demonstrates for it to truly absorb anything new." [12] Writing for Rolling Stone , Michaelangelo Matos agreed that Innocents was still a Moby album with "patient tempos, frosted with strings and comfortably melancholy melodies", but realised that the collaboration with Mark Stent "has made him knuckle down; the writing is sharper than on 2009's sketchy Wait for Me or 2011's overblown Destroyed ." [21] Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound described the album as "monastic", since it "ultimately proves that Moby’s happiest where he's been all along, which explains why tracks like "Everything That Rises", "Going Wrong", or "Saints" could slip into 18, Hotel, or Destroyed and nobody would bat an eye." [27] John Murphy of MusicOMH believed that Innocents had the "feel of a new start" seeing that it was Moby's first time working with a co-producer, and was impressed with the "minimal instrumental" in "Going Wrong" and the opening track "Everything That Rises", stating: "...when Innocents works, it does so beautifully". [28]
Exclaim's Vincent Pollard said that Innocents "contains some great vocal performances and catchy hooks" while starting with a "promising foot", but found that the instrumentation "wears thin quickly" once listeners "look past the vocal performances", akin to a "Hollywood blockbuster that blew its entire budget on special effects". [29] Lucy Jones from NME said that despite the "wizened vocals" of Mark Lanegan on "The Lonely Night" and Skylar Grey on "The Last Day", Moby still managed to "bogglingly" create an album "full of saccharine strings, endless loops and narcoleptic synths". [19] Jack Scourfield from Clash criticised the album for being "dull", stating that Moby's attempt to "paper over" the "demonstrable lack of songwriting inspiration with grand string arrangements and a sequence of guest collaborators" only manages to emphasise the tedium. [30]
Moby performed a DJ set in Las Vegas on September 1, [31] before flying to Australia to DJ at an intimate show in Sydney on the 19th, which forms part of a 3-day promotional tour of Australia for Innocents. [32] [33] [34]
The official Innocents tour consisted of only three shows to be held at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on October 2, 3 and 4. Billed as Moby live + special guests, the show was separated in two parts, the first consisting of material from Innocents, while the second was a greatest-hits set. Each concert was expected to last for three hours. He stated that those would be his only fully live shows of 2013 and 2014. [35] The show on October 4 also streamed live online. [36] Moby stated that the reason for doing little to no touring was "When I go on tour I sit around a lot (cars, airports, hotels, etc), and when I sit around I can't spend my time making music. And pretty much all I want to do in life is stay home and make music. So, thus: a three-date world tour." [37] He conceded that he might return to world touring in the future. [37]
All songs written by Moby unless indicated.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Everything That Rises" | 4:38 | |
| 2. | "A Case for Shame" (with Cold Specks, backing vocals by Inyang Bassey) |
| 6:05 |
| 3. | "Almost Home" (with Damien Jurado) | 6:00 | |
| 4. | "Going Wrong" | 3:44 | |
| 5. | "The Perfect Life" (with Wayne Coyne) | 6:03 | |
| 6. | "The Last Day" (with Skylar Grey) | 4:41 | |
| 7. | "Don't Love Me" (with Inyang Bassey) | 4:20 | |
| 8. | "A Long Time" | 4:31 | |
| 9. | "Saints" | 4:34 | |
| 10. | "Tell Me" (with Cold Specks) | 5:33 | |
| 11. | "The Lonely Night" (with Mark Lanegan) | 4:53 | |
| 12. | "The Dogs" | 9:25 | |
| Total length: | 64:27 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Tried" (with Julie Mintz) | 7:19 | |
| 2. | "Illot Mollo" | 3:38 | |
| 3. | "Miss Lantern" (with Mindy Jones) | 4:43 | |
| 4. | "Blindness" (with Joy Malcolm) |
| 5:39 |
| 5. | "Everyone is Gone" | 2:31 | |
| 6. | "My Machines" | 4:25 | |
| Total length: | 28:15 | ||
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Richard Melville Hall, known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, DJ and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the most important dance music figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience both in the United States and the United Kingdom".
Mark William Lanegan was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins. He released 12 solo studio albums as well as three collaboration albums with Isobel Campbell and two with Duke Garwood. He was known for his baritone voice, which was described as being "as scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather" and has been compared to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave.
Play is the fifth studio album by American electronic musician Moby. It was released on May 17, 1999, through Mute Records internationally and V2 Records in North America. Recording of the album began in mid-1997, following the release of Moby's fourth album, Animal Rights (1996), which deviated from his electronica style; Moby's goal for Play was to return to electronica, blending downtempo with blues and roots music samples. Originally intended to be his final record, the album was recorded at Moby's home studio in Manhattan.
18 is the sixth studio album by American electronica musician, songwriter, and producer Moby. It was released on May 13, 2002, by Mute Records in the UK and on May 14, 2002, by V2 Records in the US. After the unexpected commercial and critical success of his previous album, Play (1999), Moby started to write songs for a follow-up during its supporting tour. He started work on the album at its conclusion in December 2000, using fewer samples than before. Guest vocalists include Azure Ray, MC Lyte, Angie Stone, and Sinéad O'Connor.
Lullabies to Paralyze is the fourth studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on March 22, 2005. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, and sold 97,000 copies in America during its first week of release, eventually topping over 342,000 copies as of March, 2007 according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album has been certified gold in the UK, where it has sold over 100,000 units. It is also the band's first album to be released after bassist Nick Oliveri was fired from the band. Singer/guitarist Josh Homme and singer Mark Lanegan are the only members from the previous album, Songs for the Deaf, to play on this album and it is the first album to feature drummer Joey Castillo and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.
Hotel is the seventh studio album by American electronica musician, singer, songwriter, and producer Moby. It was released on March 14, 2005, internationally by Mute Records and on March 22, 2005, in the United States by V2 Records. The album marked a stylistic shift from electronic and dance-oriented music towards alternative rock and Moby's decision not to use vocal sampling for the first time since his 1993 album Ambient.
Singles 93–03 is a compilation album by English electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers, released on 22 September 2003. It is a collection of singles from the duo between 1993 and 2003, plus two new songs "Get Yourself High" and "The Golden Path". Early copies of the CD came with a bonus CD. It was certified gold by the BPI on 24 October 2003.
Supernature is the third studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released on 17 August 2005 by Mute Records. The album received generally favourable reviews, with most critics complimenting its blend of pop and electronic music. It debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 52,976 copies, and has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Supernature has sold one million copies worldwide.
English electronic music duo Goldfrapp have released seven studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, four extended plays, 25 singles, eight promotional singles, one video album and 29 music videos. The band was formed in 1999 in London, and consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory (synthesiser).
Bubblegum is a 2004 rock album by American singer-songwriter Mark Lanegan, released on the Beggars Banquet label under the name "Mark Lanegan Band".
The discography of American musician Moby consists of twenty-two studio albums, one live album, eleven compilation albums, twelve remix albums, three video albums, four extended plays, eighty-nine singles, fourteen promotional singles, a hundred and fifty-one music videos, and forty-four remixes.
"Natural Blues" is a song by American electronic musician Moby. It was released on March 6, 2000, as the fifth single from his fifth studio album, Play (1999). The song is built around vocals sampled from "Trouble So Hard" by American folk singer Vera Hall (1937). "Natural Blues" was one of several songs on Play produced by Moby based on samples obtained from albums of American folk music originally compiled by field collector Alan Lomax. In the United Kingdom, "Natural Blues" peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. In Iceland, it peaked at number one.
Last Night is the eighth studio album by American electronica singer, songwriter, and musician Moby, released on March 29, 2008, by Mute Records. The album is a much more dance-oriented release than Moby's previous few albums.
Sounds of the Universe is the twelfth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 April 2009 by Mute Records. The album was supported by the 2009–10 Tour of the Universe. Three singles were released from the album: "Wrong", "Peace", and a double A-side of "Fragile Tension" and "Hole to Feed". "Perfect" was also released in the United States as a promotional single.
Wait for Me is the ninth studio album by American electronica musician Moby. It was released on June 29, 2009, by Little Idiot and Mute.
Head First is the fifth studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released 19 March 2010 by Mute Records. The album debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart, selling 23,261 copies in its first week. It was supported by three singles: "Rocket", "Alive" and "Believer". Head First received a nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Destroyed is the tenth studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released on May 13, 2011, by record labels Little Idiot and Mute.
Tales of Us is the sixth studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released on 6 September 2013 by Mute Records. In June 2013, the duo embarked on the Tales of Us Tour to promote the album.
These Systems Are Failing is the thirteenth studio album by American electronica musician Moby and the debut studio album by Moby & The Void Pacific Choir, a musical project formed by Moby with musicians Mindy Jones, Julie Mintz, Joel Nesvadba, Jamie Drake, Jonathan Nesvadba, and Lauren Tyler Scott. It was released on October 14, 2016 by record labels Little Idiot and Mute.
Reprise is the 19th studio album by American musician Moby, released on May 28, 2021, by Deutsche Grammophon. It features orchestral and acoustic arrangements of songs from his career, performed by the Budapest Art Orchestra, a string quartet, along with multiple guest artists.
