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Mar 01, 2018 Web Exclusive By Ian Rushbury

It’s just a hunch, but Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt, a concept album set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where even God has turned his back on the world, may be somewhat allegorical. That and the fact that he’s turned to W. B. Yeats’ bleak poem “The Second Coming” for inspiration, indicates that Moby is not the happiest of bunnies.

For this album, Moby has dug back into his record collection and had a long, hard listen to Portishead, Massive Attack, and Smith & Mighty—all of whom inform Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt. Oddly enough, the early ‘90s feel which permeates the record, sounds fresh as a daisy in 2018. It would have been easy for Moby to get all punk rock and bombastic about the subject matter, but instead we get lush, mid-tempo trip hop. Kudos, sir.

“The Tired and the Hurt” and “Welcome to Hard Times” are gorgeous, melodic pieces which sum up the mood of disillusionment and despair beautifully, without having to rattle swords to do it. No voices are raised. No one becomes incandescent with rage. Just quiet understatement, which is way more effective.

This is going to be the background music of every independently owned Vegan restaurant in the world before summer, but Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt deserves better than that. Fifteen albums in, Moby still delivers the goods. (www.moby.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10