Moby Last Night CD Review
New York Electronic Artist Celebrates Dance Music on New Album
Apr 2, 2008
In a semi-conceptual way, Moby attempts to capture on vinyl the excitement and fascination of New York City clubbing. Last Night bridges the arc from late 70’s retro cool of “Ooh Yeah” to modern day hip-hop influences sprinkled on “Alice”.
Moby shot to worldwide fame in 1999 with the release of Play, but Last Night goes back further to embrace sounds he experimented on Everything is Wrong from 1995 and music he grew up on in the 80’s.
Instead of collaborating with big name guests as Moby has done in the past, he decided to use up-and-coming artists to voice his tracks. While he has sung on hits in the past, Moby focuses, with great success, on the multilayered instrumentals of the cuts.
Everyday It’s 1989
Standout tracks include excellent first single, the 90’s retro “Disco Lies”, and “Everyday It’s 1989” a throwback to the good old days when radio played dance music and everybody had the same favorite song. Screeching vocals a la Black Box lay over a tinny piano and programmed strings – the best modern day 80’s song in a long time.
“Live For Tomorrow” sounds strikingly similar to “Live for Today” by Cicero (the orchestral version found on the Soundtrack to “The Crying Game”). This track with its cooled off synth could easily find a place amongst the best tracks on “Everything is Wrong” yet sounds completely modern. The strange toying of the synths towards the end sounds even better through headphones – like candy for the ears.
“Hyenas”, a French influenced lounge track has fun with muted accordions supporting the female vocals singing en francais. There’s something mysterious about this track that, like a good novel, deserves several listens to unravel the obscurity.
“The Stars” come crashing down like a damaged disco ball at a rave. Crowd chants and hard core piano over a familiar beat make you believe, for three minutes at least, that you can dance all night. “Degenerates” brings the party down slightly, to a mellower, harder edged groove. This is the point where you go to the bar for another drink before a ‘good song’ comes on.
Dancing with the Mothers of Last Night
“Mothers of the Night”, a signature Moby track, has the advantage of sounding both cheerful and melancholic at the same time - something Moby has mastered throughout his career.
Dance albums, by their very nature, should make listeners want to dance. Last Night doesn’t try too hard or include too much filler. It succeeds from the first beat of “Ooh Yeah” and while some songs contain influences of hip-hop, the dance vibe remains in tact throughout.
Moby wanted to condense a night out in New York into one album. If nights out in New York sounded this good all the time, the city that already never sleeps would become extremely sleep deprived.
To hear what a night out in Toronto can sound like, check out the new electronic album by Crystal Castles.
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