CD Reviews

Moby | Destroyed

Mute (2011)

By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | May 12, 2011

3.0 Stars

This was supposed to be some sort of acoustic jaunt, but Moby reverted to what he does best: sounding like Moby. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. Destroyed is frontloaded in an incomprehensibly dull manner: lots of vocoder and drum looping spanning tracks that never go anywhere and bleed monotonously into one another. Many won't make it past that, casting the record aside and chalking it up to a really shitty effort by ol' baldy. That'd be a pity, because Mobz does a complete U-turn mid record with "The Day," a heartbreaking lament about watching a loved one suffer through the painful solace of drug addiction. It sets the stage for "After," "Victoria Lucas" (Sylvia Plath's old pen name), and "Blue Moon" — all of them tailor-made for those after-hours clubs where drugs aren't necessary to enjoy the soundtrack (though they wouldn't hurt). The final segment swells atmospherically. "Stella Maris" is a simple but stirring ambient piece that could fit well over the final scenes of any Jim Sheridan film. Ditch the first 20 minutes and open the album with the stunning, nearly seven-minute "The Violent Bear It Away," which is tucked away toward Destroyed's end, and here's a career-defining work.

Shinji Masuko | Woven Music
It's tempting to point to the recent tsunami in Japan as having a heavy cosmic connection with Shinji Masuko's first solo record, a full-immersion blackout of churning, oceanic drones and melodic eddies.
Out: The Chris North Dream Quartet help christen the Haven in Jamaica Plain
With the Chris North Dream Quartet, singer/guitarist Chris North Alspach retains the sincere Celt-folk vocal inflection and distinctly New England–influenced lyrics of his other, Best Music Poll–nominated band, the Points North.
Julian Lynch | Terra
Although experimentation in music nowadays is certainly in vogue, there aren't many records that will straddle the line between commercial plausibility and healthy art-for-art's-sake like Julian Lynch's Terra.
From afar, Destry bring vintage allure to Boston
When Destry's Michelle DaRosa tells me she grew up watching musicals excessively, I find myself listening to her singing voice just to see what type of musical heroine she'd be.
Kode9 and the Spaceape | Black Sun
Kode9 is the most important electronic artist of the past five years.
Young Widows seek beauty and mortality in noise
It's not much of a leap to imagine Young Widows hanging out in a funeral home.
Greg Dulli keeps his peace in the Twilight Singers
One of the most widely circulated Afghan Whigs bootlegs, from our own Paradise in May 1994, has the iconic alt-rock foursome busting out a loose and rollicking version of New Order's "Regret."
Times New Viking | Dancer Equired
Times New Viking's tour of America's legendary indie-rock labels continues with their first release for Merge after a few albums on Matador and then Siltbreeze.
The Weeknd | House of Balloons
Self-release (2011)
The Human League | Credo
This year sees the release of yet another pathetic '80s rehash, a desperate plea for attention and relevance by a has-been by-product of an earlier, synthier decade, a record whose glossy sheen can't cover up the band's sad inability to pen a tune on a par with the hits that made them charttopping behemoths in an age gone by.
Steve Earle | I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
New West Records (2011)
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Topics: CD Reviews , Music, Moby, New Music, More

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