Clinging to the belief that his music is still primarily for home listening, rather than say commercial licensing or restaurant background, Moby put out his 9th studio album this year. Judging from the cover art and title, Last Night is intended to be Moby back in DJ mode, after the sleepy 2005 release Hotel (hotels are for sleeping after all). It hearkens back to the first Moby album I ever bought, the fantastic 1995 release Everything Is Wrong, which remains my favorite Moby album--Yes, it's even better than Play, his landmark 1999 release that made him a superstar (and superstar of the advertising industry).Like a lot of Moby, it's an eclectic mix of upbeat and more ethereal dance number, most with tinkly keyboards, layered synths, and processed vocals. It's also therefore a mixed bag, although mostly pretty good. Lyrically, of course, there's not much going on, such as in the upbeat opener "Ooh Yeah," which loops the title continuously over a driving beat and bass and violin synths, or "257.zero," which loops a bunch of spoken numbers over an '80s dance vibe.
The '80s are clearly on Moby's mind, explicitly on "Everyday is 1989," an old school Moby track with charging dance beat, pounding piano, and looped vocals from some anonymous dance music diva. "I Love to Move in Here" is another retro-flavored standout, hearkening back to that late '80s/early '90s period when rap and house music were briefly merged, featuring guest Grandmaster Caz. I like the little bursts of synth strings and audience noise. "Alice" has an even stronger hip-hop vibe and a harsher arrangement, although still quite danceable--think House of Pain.
Moby turns his synth chords way up on the opening of "Live for Tomorrow" while looping a soul singer--a sound familiar to any recent Moby album--but then gives it a harder beat. Space-age keyboards show up too in this surprisingly good track that comes off as "classic" Moby. Skip over moody "Hyenas" and undernourished "I'm in Love" to "Disco Lies," an enjoyable blend of early '90s dance-pop and Moby sensibility. "The Stars" is another high-energy, piano and looped vocal track that sounds like a revisited Everything is Wrong leftover.
Then the party ends. "Degenerates" lives up to its title, providing a soup mix of synths and percussion. "Sweet Apocalypse" and "Mothers of the Night" are dull, repetitive instrumentals. Vocals return on the languid title track, but not the sense of enjoyment built by the album's earlier dance tracks.
After giving this a closer listen for this review, I found I actually liked it better than when I just had it on in the background, which unfortunately is how most of Moby's music is consumed. With such attention, the joys of the various songs emerged, and were surprisingly good, especially the retro House tracks. Until the final act, which suffers from being too repetitive and bland, there's a good deal of fun to be in Moby's journey through late '80s and early to mid '90s dance music.
Best: Everyday is 1989, Live for Tomorrow, Disco Lies, I Love to Move in Here, Ooh Yeah
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