Album Review: Moby – Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt
2 min read
Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt is the fifteenth studio album by the prolific Moby. In fact, since 2016 the American musician has released four albums addressing his political view. In in These Systems Are Failing (2016) and More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse (2017) Moby addressed his thoughts about USA internal and external political tensions. Now, Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt is a melancholic album focusing on the darkness and obscurity of the past and present.
A mid-tempo electronic track, Mere Anarchy, opens the album. This song features sinister synth lines combined to Moby’s quite vocals about the apocalypse. Although Like a Motherless Child sounds more energetic and upbeat thanks to the hook sung by Raquel Rodriguez and the drum loop, there is still a melancholic feeling in it to be attributed to Moby’s spoken vocals and the gloomy synth streams. Following, Falling Rain and Light is a moody and somehow relaxed track in which Moby’s voice is over distorted and sounds like a heartbroken robot.
All the songs feel the same over and over and sometimes it’s not even easy to follow them in their entirety. In Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt Moby’s whispered and sentimental vocals are inaudible at times, making the comprehension even more difficult for the audience. The importance given to the instrumental part is not justified by its greatness, given its arguably lack of personality. However some music elements do evoke some emotions, as in The Waste of Suns and Like A Motherless: the problem is that the constant repetition and their simplicity do not play in their favour. Despite the intriguing female vocals by Raquel Rodriguez scattered throughout the entire album, Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt feels interminable.
