Musical Thesis: Moby “All Visible Objects”

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At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the very last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews are not about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.  

One of these days 
Gonna rise up singin‘, yeah 
One of these days 
Gonna rise up in love 

Back in 2020, I named Moby’s All Visible Objects my Album of the Year. After some time away from the album, I returned to it, hoping to discover something new about myself and the record.  

The chaos and drama of 2020 feels both present and like an object growing fainter in the rearview mirror. As we settled into the reality of a COVID Christmas, my thoughts turned to what we had collectively experienced over the last 12 months.  

In my estimation, my country had missed a genuine opportunity to lead the world on issues such as community health, shared sacrifice, national pride, and collective effort. Instead, we ended the year more divided than ever before. I ended 2020 feeling less pride for my country and desperately searching for a fresh start elsewhere.  

Elsewhere would never materialize, but art (as it always does) showed me I wasn’t alone. All Visible Objects is a reflection of the time and place of its creation. Its somber and reflective nature was a mirror into my soul. I experienced heartache and devastation for what had been lost. In these arrangements, my grief could find a home.  

But this album is something more. It is also a call to action. The moral failings of those in power delivered us a year of enormous loss, but this album served as a reminder that we are not powerless against them. If only we could rise up in love, then we might speak truth to power. In this album’s second thesis, the reality of our power replaced the helplessness of my grief. In this realization, I felt a little less alone and a little surer.  

Years from now, I am sure I will return to this album. In that span of time, I am sure I will be flabbergasted by the speed of change and how little changes at the same time. As I reflect on this album, I hope to find new inspiration and reminders that my feelings are valid and that I possess great power.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan