Moby

Most of us first heard of Moby due to the success of his 1999 album Play, the first album to ever have all of its tracks licensed for commercials and other marketing purposes. The album ended up selling very well, making Moby a bit of a household name. Yet he hasn’t been heard from on a consistent basis since 2002. Now he’s back with a new album Last Night.

Last Night sees Moby switching his style yet again. Whereas his most popular albums – Play and 18 – included loads of samples from collected field recordings and his most previous one – 2005’s Hotel – featured no samples at all, the sound on Last Night is dance-club-inspired.

The strongest tracks are those where Moby lets the dance-club feel run wild. “Everyday It’s 1989” features a beat that organically grows throughout the song, starting as simple and head-bobbing, but then moving to a more layered composition. The song pulsates and almost shrieks into your ears in the latter half.


“Disco Lies” might be the most fun track on Last Night. It has a great beat, perfect for hand claps throughout the club. And even though the lyrics in the song are pretty lame, lyrics don’t matter when one is getting down to Moby’s dance songs.

However, Last Night is not without its hiccups. There are a few tracks with misplaced raps involved that don’t agree with the solid beats Moby lays down (“Alice” and “257. Zero”). The last handful of tracks supply more relaxed vibes than the party-scene atmosphere of the first 10. “Degenerates” is the worst example; the track drones on for far too long with not many changes. And even while some of the other ambient songs aren’t bad, they just don’t belong on this album.

When Moby gets the manic-atmosphere of the club scene right, Last Night is a really solid album. Yet, in his foray into tranquility toward the album’s latter half, things slow down a bit too much. This leaves the album feeling much like a night out: Some things you’d like to remember, others you can’t wait to forget.