Lyrical obscurity is the rule. A line on “Signs of Love” regrets words left unsaid that might have saved a romance. Moby asks the Lord to indwell him (“In My Heart”), and shrugs off burdens (“I’m Not Worried at All”). On “Sleep Alone,” he takes comfort in having companionship during difficult times (“We look back . . . Ho the ruins where we played/At least we were together/Holding hands”).
A despondent woman displays hopelessness on the murky “Harbour” (“Sink me in the ocean to sleep in a sailor’s grave”). Female rapper MC Lyte extols image over character when describing the feminine ideal (“Jam for the Ladies”).
Richard Melville Hall (aka Moby) named this disc, quite simply, for the number of tracks it contains. 18 is ethereal, eclectic and frequently cryptic. Several dreamy melodies are completely instrumental. Other songs repeat a single lyric over and over. Minor glitches aside, this unusual CD is pretty innocuous.
