Pitchfork

Up until now, I always gave Moby the benefit of the doubt. He seems like a well-meaning guy, and he's not entirely to blame for the rampant cross-marketing of his Play and 18 albums. Furthermore, his covers of seminal "hits" like Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" and Mission of Burma's "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" were straight, reverent versions that also pointed listeners toward the original artist, introducing those bands to a wider audience.

It's difficult to nail down all of the things that make New Order's "Temptation" a classic, but I'm certain that Moby's version possesses none of them. He starts by slowing the tempo to all but a dead stop, and adds a rudimentary drum machine pattern and a female vocalist whose flat, toneless delivery must be the result of depression, boredom, or Quaaludes (were you looking for inspiration, Mr. Hall, or are you trying to distance yourself by not singing?). Then shut your eyes tight, grip whatever's in front of you, and prepare for an ocean of saccharine faux-string synthesizers for the hammering obviousness of the chorus.

But the worst part of this cover is that it isolates the weakest element of the original: the lyrics. I'd picture this as a soundtrack to crocheting, sipping hot tea, or dropping the kids of at soccer practice-- but really, this is the sound of nothingness.