All Visible Objects
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''All Visible Objects'' is the seventeenth studio album by American musician and singer-songwriter Moby, released on May 15, 2020 on Little Idiot and Mute Records. The album includes the singles "Power Is Taken", "Too Much Change", "My Only Love", "Morningside", "Rise Up in Love", "Forever", “Tecie" and “Refuge”.


Background

In March 2019, Moby released his previous album, '' Long Ambients 2'', which continued the format of a collection of long-form ambient tracks that he had produced for the first, '' Long Ambients 1: Calm. Sleep.'' He then stepped away from music to promote '' Then It Fell Apart'', his second autobiography that focuses on his life and career between 1999 and 2009. The book attracted criticism from
Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
, after Moby insinuated the pair had dated, which she denied and called him "creepy". After a series of appearances to promote the book, Moby cancelled the remaining dates and from June 2019, largely avoided the public eye. Moby announced ''All Visible Objects'' on his blog on January 14, 2020. It also revealed its initial release date of March 6 and the front cover. On the same day the first single and video, "Power is Taken", featuring
Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...
drummer D. H. Peligro and rapper
Boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...
, was released. Moby announced that profits generated from the album will be given to charity, with each track raising funds for a different non-profit,
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...
, or human rights cause. These are: Brighter Green,
Mercy for Animals Mercy For Animals (MFA) is an international nonprofit animal protection organization founded in 1999 by Milo Runkle. MFA's mission is to "prevent cruelty to farmed animals and promote compassionate food choices and policies." MFA has conducted mo ...
,
Rainforest Action Network Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is an environmental organization based in San Francisco, California, United States. The organization was founded by Randy "Hurricane" Hayes and Mike Roselle in 1985, and first gained national prominence with a gr ...
,
Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...
, the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
, Animal Equality, the
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a non-profit research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., which promotes a plant-based diet, preventive medicine, and alternatives to animal research, and encourages ...
,
The Humane League The Humane League (THL) is an international nonprofit organization that works to end the abuse of animals raised for food through institutional and individual change, including online advertising, Meatless Monday campaigns, and corporate outreac ...
, the
International Anti-Poaching Foundation The International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) is a not-for-profit, non-profit organisation registered in Australia, predominantly operating on the African continent. The group initially created a structured military-like approach to conserv ...
,
The Good Food Institute The Good Food Institute (GFI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes plant- and cell-based alternatives to animal products, particularly meat, dairy, and eggs. It was created in 2016 by the nonprofit organization Mercy For Anima ...
, and the Indivisible Project. In a press statement posted on his website, Moby summarised the eleven charities in a paragraph that also contained the title of the dedicated track within the text.


Reception

''All Visible Objects'' received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the album has a score of 62 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". "Power Is Taken" has been compared to Moby's electronic dance music sound from the 1990s, away from the downtempo style of '' Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt'' (2018), but "filled with a bold call to political action". Thomas H. Green of ''
The Arts Desk ''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of traditio ...
'' commented, "Moby’s last three albums, including two as The Void Pacific Choir, have all been bedded down in his rage and sadness at what his country – and the world – is undergoing. ''All Visible Objects'' seems to be a conscious attempt to move away from that and explore new territory – in this case a behemoth, stadium sized sonic update on what he did in the late-Nineties – but it proves to be a misstep. However, given he's handing all the proceeds of the album to various charities, we can only wish it every bit of luck." Rachel Aroesti in her review for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' stated, "Certainly, ''All Visible Objects'', Moby’s 17th album, doesn’t feel like a punt for musical relevance. The first half dances between feverish house, dazed electronica, rave, techno and dub, the second comprises ambient and slightly po-faced pieces built from piano figures and synth washes. The overriding impression of both modes is nostalgia, not least for the uplifting, utopian properties of dance music." Ryan Middleton of ''Magnetic Magazine'' added, "Moby finds himself surging around his various influences on this album. It is strongly linked to his love of ambient music and orchestral arrangements, but also finds time to rage against the status quo. There are moments of beauty and moments to dance. It isn’t a traditional dancefloor record, but there has never been anything traditional about Moby’s music." ''
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
s Jahan Embley wrote, "Overall though, you feel Moby, with 16 studio albums behind him, could and should do better."


Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Moby, except "My Only Love" by
Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...
and "Refuge" by Moby and Linton Kwesi Johnson.


Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Music * Moby – instruments, vocals on "Forever" and "One Last Time" * Apollo Jane – vocals on "Morningside", "One Last Time", "Rise Up in Love", "Too Much Change", and "Tecie" * Mindy Jones – vocals on "My Only Love" *
Linton Kwesi Johnson Linton Kwesi Johnson (born 24 August 1952), also known as LKJ, is a Jamaica-born, British-based dub poet and activist. In 2002 he became the second living poet, and the only black one, to be published in the Penguin Modern Classics series. His p ...
– vocals on "Refuge" (taken from "Two Sides of Silence" from '' Bass Culture'' (1980)) * D. H. Peligro – vocals on "Power Is Taken" *
Boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...
– vocals on "Power Is Taken" Production * Moby – production, mixing, cover art * Jonathan Nesvadba – studio management * Chris Kahn – mixing assistant at EastWest Studios * Joe Lambert – mastering * Mike Jones – cover layout


Charts


References

Lov# {{authority control 2020 albums Moby albums Mute Records albums