For a guy who began his career as a pioneer in the UK rave scene, Moby’s never seemed like a particularly fun guy. From including lengthy essays on the Holocaust Museum and veganism in the liner notes of his album Play, to beefing with Aphex Twin in the ‘90s, he’s sort of assumed the role as electronic music’s answer to Morrissey. This can be annoying at times, but at a moment when most liberal-minded people have substantial reason to be angry, Moby’s finicky rage can easily be harnessed to create very meaningful art.
A case in point is More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse, the album he surprise-released last week, and more specifically, the new video for album track “In This Cold Place.” In it, we see a man progress from childhood to old age while sitting in front of a TV, watching cartoons that reflect the various evils of the world, from totalitarian regimes to racism to, yes, the meat-industrial complex. Childhood favorites like the Care Bears, Mario, and Tom & Jerry are spoofed here, impeccably rendered by illustrator Steve Cutts, who teamed up with Moby last year for the Felix The Cat-esque “Are You Lost in the World Like Me?” music video.
In a press release, Cutts explained that the “‘Saturday morning toon’ format seemed an apt way of depicting the circus of modern society, with the film focusing on our consumerism, greed, corruption and ultimately our self destructiveness.” His video is not only a comment on Trump (who appears as a transformer that self-destructs when it tries to tell the truth), but also on the way that cartoons often “sugar coat” capitalist realities for children, making this an extremely layered critique.
Moby’s More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse is, like last year’s These Systems Are Failing, available for free download on his website.
