Moby - "Destroyed"

Rating - 32%

Moby is basically a victim of his own success at this point.

As someone who hit rock-bottom and almost gave up music entirely, he exploded onto the scene out of nowhere with the breakthrough smash Play. While previously having a hit in the underground dance scene with the song "Go," and trying a punk-rock tinged album with 1997's Animal Rights, he went a different route and decided he could put his music into commercials to achieve what every artist needs, a paycheck.

Play was perfect for the time. There were samples from blues and gospel, used in a way hip-hop wasn't even doing back in 1999. There were energetic break-beats. It also had somber songs that dug through your ear-drums, directly into your heart. And hey, it didn't hurt having Gwen Stefani featured on what became the biggest single off the album just as she was about to explode as a solo artist.

But Moby hasn't even attempted a crack at making another Play, instead veering mainly into ambient style of music that really caters to no one at this point. Except maybe Moby himself. But after all, isn't that what music is really about? Expressing yourself how you see fit?

All that said, the fact remains that his new album Destroyed is just, well, pretty damn boring. It's certainly not the kind of down-tempo electronic music that I'm into. It just basically plods along, from one track to the next. Nothing all that creative, nothing all that exciting. It isn't even all that beautiful. Many of the songs here actually sound like ambient versions of "Go."

I like most of Moby's albums, I'm even very fond of the critically destroyed Hotel, but this just leaves you feeling like you sat through a 60-minute detention in high school. One where you're finally glad to get out of.

There are a few tracks that break the mold, they are linked below. But don't expect them to be truly indicative of the entire product.

Must Listens:
- The Low Hum
- Rockets
- Lay Down in Darkness
- The Right Thing
- After