The immediate follow-up to
Anthony Moore's career pinnacle, Flying Doesn't Help,
World Service is nearly as strong though less immediately accessible. The sound of the album is quite similar to
Peter Gabriel's third and fourth solo albums, with a pronounced African and Middle Eastern feel to some songs, particularly the politically tinged title track.
Moore lacks
Gabriel's innate optimism, however, and the album's tone veers from darkly bitter (on the ironically poppy, upbeat "Broke 'n Idle") to downright bleak (the climactic "Still Nowhere to Go," which recalls some of
John Cale's late-'70s work).
World Service is a richly satisfying album with layered, complex arrangements -- along with
Moore's multi-instrumentalist skills, the album features
Ollie Halsall on guitar and one of the earliest appearances of
Alex Paterson under his nom de disque
the Orb on percussion and saxophone -- and pristine but not overly slick production, and its darker tones complement the comparatively light Flying Doesn't Help. [The CD reissue of
World Service features some alternate versions of songs -- reportedly selected by
Moore -- that differ from those in the album's original vinyl release. In 2012 the Floating World label paired this alternate edition of the album with Flying Doesn't Help in a two-disc set.] ~ Stewart Mason