He’s been in the business for almost 20 years, but it’s been a decade since Moby became absolutely massive with the wonderful Play ”“ since which he has spent most of his time in the musical wilderness. It’s anyone’s guess where it all went wrong, but Wait For Me shows there might be life in the old dog yet. This, his ninth album, was apparently inspired by one of his heroes, David Lynch. He saw a speech by the king of mad film and television in which he eschewed the virtues of creating art for one’s self, without the restriction of worrying about what others will think of it. This comes as no surprise from the mouth of the maverick behind the likes of Eraserhead and Twin Peaks, but it’s not what you expect to turn the head of Mr TV Ads himself. So what has the new non-commercial Moby created?Well, in truth, something of a return to form. Recorded at home with friends (not 'rock stars') adding guest vocals, and with a friend mixing (even if that friend happens to be Ken Thomas from Sigur Ros), Wait For Me is obviously a personal record. It’s a rediscovery of what Moby does best, but while it has some truly fine moments it doesn't move him forward.You can certainly see the Lynch fetish in the instrumentals that litter the disc (more than half the tracks). There’s an epic soundtrack feel throughout, with beats ranging from mid tempo to non-existent ”“ this isn’t one for the dance floor. The single 'Shot In The Back Of The Head' stands out a little, 'Scream Pilots' builds suggestively towards the panoramic before being cut down in its prime, while 'A Seated Night' is a pleasant enough atmospheric choral piece. But 'Isolate' is the only instrumental to really shine, closing the album with majestic strings.The real find of the album has to be vocalist Amelia Zirin-Brown (better known as New York cabaret loon Lady Rizo), who sings recent single 'Pale Horses' beautifully and is perfectly suited to Moby’s style. Early on there are some tunes that are Play-era good: 'Study War' is a bit Moby by numbers, preacher sample and all, but it works, while 'Walk With Me' is slow, strong and hymn like. Late on, 'Wait For Me really' shines with lovely overdubbed female vocals and a striking single violin. Sadly, the rest is pretty uninspiring.Overall Wait For Me is melodic, mournful and dark, with plenty of religious overtones and signs of promise. It just never really gets going, although it’s certainly on the right track. Let’s just hope he can build on it, instead of buggering off on a tangent. 68%Moby on Myspace