Ambient (album)
 | This article possibly contains original research. (September 2011) |
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| 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] |
Ambient is the second studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released in August 1993 by record label Instinct.
It received a mediocre critical reception. Ambient, unlike most other Moby studio albums, has never been re-released in a special-edition or a remastered issue.
Compositions
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
| 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 |
Personnel
- Moby – main performer, producer
- Wendi Horowitz – design
- Bob Ward – digital editing
- Jill Greenberg – photography
References
- ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Ambient – Moby". AllMusic. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Moby: Ambient". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
- ^ "Moby: Ambient". NME: 32. 30 October 1993.
- ^ "Moby: Ambient". Q (166): 137. July 2000.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 548–49. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
- ^ Howe, Rupert (December 1993). "Moby: Ambient". Select (42): 87–88.