During the time when Moby was a cause celebre in the world of electro music I was mostly ignorant of his musical talents. This probably had a lot to do with my being 12 at the time of albums like Play being released. When I finally discovered what I had been missing I quickly gobbled up Play and 18, his two major successes and later the fantastically original Hotel.
Clued up on Moby's later works and eager for more I was excited to hear tell of a new Moby studio album. My positive view of Moby had up till recently been relatively quelled because of his music's tendency to occasionally come across as wish washy and middle of the road. Upon hearing the upbeat, driven and sometimes chaotic stylings of 'Last Night' this all changed. This is partially because I have only recently started to appreciate dance electro, being a rocker at heart. But the main reason for this turnaround is the simple positivity behind the songs combined with a slightly chaotic vibe. Moby tried to describe the album by saying he was trying to put a night out in New York into musical form. I can only guess that New York clubs are upbeat, hectic and judging by the quality of the album, pretty damn good.
We know that many of Moby's greatest sounds have had an ethereal vibe similar to 'Porcelain' and with a few exceptions haven't exactly been dance-floor fillers, which is not to say that they aren't wonderful songs, just not of the "get on up and dance" type. He effectively fills this hole in his CV with songs like "Everyday it's 1989", a fast-paced keyboard driven song that seems to pay homage to the big sounding 80s/90s club culture as well as "I'm in Love" where Moby's mastery of layering simple beats and vocals to bring something complex and meaningful to life.
While the two tracks I have mentioned are definitely the best on the album that's not to say that the others are rubbish. In fact there's a great deal of continuity, beats with instant pull reel you in whilst the depth of feeling in many of the songs pulls you deeper like much of Moby's classic music. There is a little variation and even some appearance from Moby's more traditional symphonic ambient sound on "Degenerates" a well placed chill out section on the album which contrastingly to the beginning of the album is darkly moving. The last track "Last night" is another example of the slower side of the album, a good fadeout with some bluesy aspects that is well worth a listen.
A bit of pub/bar-room trivia for you all: Grandmaster Caz, famous for weighing in on hip-hop bombshell 'rappers delight' and not to be confused with Grandmaster Flash, makes a vocal contribution on "I love to move in here".
Put simply: If you're a fan of Moby, buy this record. If you're a fan of free and easy Dance music, buy this record. , buy this record. If you like to loose it on the dance-floor … buy this record. There are one or two weak links but as a whole it's an easy album to love and easily deserves a place up there with the best of Moby.
Best Track: "Every Day it's 1989" Worst Track: "I Love to Move in Here"
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After three albums that seemed to find Moby in some sort of creative stasis,Last Nightsees ... more
the once-restless DJ/producer changing the record and returning to one of his first loves: the heaving dancefloors of his native New York. Soulful, uplifting pia...
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After three albums that seemed to find Moby in some sort of creative stasis, Last Night ... more
sees the once-restless DJ/producer changing the record and returning to one of his first loves: the heaving dancefloors of his native New York. Soulful, uplifting p...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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