Moby thrives on his latest album by taking a step back.

The electronica musician’s 11th studio album is a mix of varied collaborations, each different and unique enough to stand alone as individual singles. But Moby intersperses instrumentals and common threads to weave the songs together.

From guests like The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne to Damian Jurado and Cold Specks, “Innocents” is fueled by a teamwork that Moby isn’t necessarily known for. In fact, it’s the first time Moby has teamed with an outside producer: Mark “Spike” Stent, who boasts a long resume of working with countless well-known acts.

Moby often remains in the background on “Innocents,” acting more as a conductor. His vocals are so rare on the album that he, too, comes off as a guest vocalist. But make no mistake, the veteran musician’s touch permeates through each track, as the music is lush and vibrant at times and then sparse when the song calls for it.

The high point is “Perfect Life,” an uplifting, grandiose track that has Moby sharing vocal duties with Coyne. The two have been friends since The Flaming Lips and Moby toured together with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the 1990s. While Coyne and Moby’s antics in the music video have garnered attention online, the shortened version of the six-minute song doesn’t do it justice. With a repeated chorus of a choir singing “the perfect life is all we need,” the stirring song is by far the most positive of the album.

While Coyne is the biggest name to team with Moby on “Innocents,” he also shares the spotlight more than his fellow collaborators. The lesser-known guests all cash in on their chance in a broader spotlight.

Rather than saturating songs with beats and instrumentation, Moby allows his supporting cast to take the reins and excel.

Cold Specks singer Al Spx shines when she lends her robust, soulful vocals to two tracks. I saw Cold Specks open for Jim James at First Avenue earlier this year, and her talent was undeniable. But she relied too heavily on her voice in front of a crowd that wanted more than pedestrian instrumentation to back it up. That’s not a problem here, where she can focus on the vocals and allow Moby to handle the music.

Another standout is Damien Jurado, whose falsetto vocals on “Almost Home” sound a bit like a more comfortable Bon Iver. Skyler Gray shines equally bright on the somber “Don’t Love Me.”

The album’s early energy wavers a bit over the 65-minute album, as it closes on a somber note with “The Dogs,” but the music’s energy is undeniable when it peaks on “Innocents.”