Ambient (album)
| Ambient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 17, 1993 | |||
| Genre | Ambient techno[1] | |||
| Length | 51:49 | |||
| Label | Instinct | |||
| Producer | Moby | |||
| Moby chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [2] |
| NME | 6/10[3] |
| Q | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [5] |
| Select | 4/5[6] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10[7] |
Ambient is the second studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released in August 1993 by record label Instinct.
Composition
 | This section possibly contains original research. (September 2011) |
The album is composed of electronic ambient pieces, similar to Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works releases. Like the Aphex Twin releases, the work is mainly instrumental (although there are samples of the sound of a choir vocalizing on "Tongues", and a woman saying 'bad days' in the background of "Bad Days"). Many of the tracks are beat-driven, except "J Breas" and "Piano and String", which both use pianos and synthesizers. "Bad Days" uses a 'sweeping' synth effect, and "Sound" is a high pitched loop playing and fading out and in. "80" uses synths mimicking an acoustic guitar.
The album has an experimental, moody style. Many of the tracks (including "Bad Days" and "Lean on Me") are dark and unearthly. There are also some more uplifting numbers, like "Heaven", "Tongues" and "Dog", which are more beat driven, dancable numbers. The track "Myopia" uses a bubbling synth-bass style. "House of Blue Leaves" and "My Beautiful Blue Sky" are more experimental beat songs ("House of Blue Leaves" is a simple beat and some keyboards, and "My Beautiful Blue Sky" is a tribal rhythm, synths, and a piano).
Track listing
All tracks are written by Moby
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Beautiful Blue Sky" | 5:19 |
| 2. | "Heaven" | 8:16 |
| 3. | "Tongues" | 5:37 |
| 4. | "J Breas" | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Myopia" | 4:46 |
| 6. | "House of Blue Leaves" | 6:20 |
| 7. | "Bad Days" | 2:27 |
| 8. | "Piano & String" | 1:35 |
| 9. | "Sound" | 1:11 |
| 10. | "Dog" | 7:35 |
| 11. | "80" | 2:05 |
| 12. | "Lean on Me" | 3:51 |
| Total length: | 51:49 | |
Personnel
Credits for Ambient adapted from album liner notes.[8]
- Moby – production, writing
- Bob Ward – digital editing
- Artwork and design
- Jill Greenberg – photography
- Wendi Horowitz – design
References
- ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Ambient – Moby". AllMusic. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Moby: Ambient". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "Moby: Ambient". NME: 32. October 30, 1993.
- ^ "Moby: Ambient". Q (166): 137. July 2000.
- ^ Berger, Arion (2004). "Moby". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 548–49. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Howe, Rupert (December 1993). "Moby: Ambient". Select (42): 87–88.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Ambient (liner notes). Moby. Instinct Records. 1993. EX 253.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
External links
- Ambient at Discogs (list of releases)
- Ambient at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
