Ambient (album)

Ambient is the second studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released in August 1993 by record label Instinct.

Ambient
Studio album by Moby
Released	August 17, 1993 (1993-08-17)
Genre	Ambient techno[1]
Length	51:49
Label	Instinct
Producer	Moby
Moby chronology
Early Underground (1993) Ambient (1993) Move (1993)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	[2]
Music Week	[3]
NME	6/10[4]
Q	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Select	4/5[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10[8]
Tom Hull – on the Web	B+[9]

Composition

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, danceable 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
Total length:		51:49

All tracks are written by Moby

Personnel

Credits for Ambient adapted from album liner notes.^[10]

• Moby – production, writing
• Bob Ward – digital editing

Artwork and design

• Jill Greenberg – photography
• Wendi Horowitz – design

References

1. Raggett, Ned. "Ambient – Moby". AllMusic. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
2. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Moby: Ambient". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
3. Beevers, Andy (October 23, 1993). "Market Preview: Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 12. Retrieved February 1, 2023 – via World Radio History.
4. "Moby: Ambient". NME: 32. October 30, 1993.
5. "Moby: Ambient". Q (166): 137. July 2000.
6. 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.
7. Howe, Rupert (December 1993). "Moby: Ambient". Select (42): 87–88.
8. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
9. Hull, Tom. "Grade List: Moby". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
10. 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)