MOBY
Last Night
(Mute Records)
Herald Rating: * * *
Verdict: Moby attempts a return to his roots but gets lost on the way.
Imagine a night of bar-hopping in the city. With each new venue comes a different soundtrack - disco, house, hip hop, electronica. The music continually changes.
That is the premise of Moby's new concept album Last Night, which sees the DJ head in a similar direction to his Play glory days, but ultimately gets lost on the way.
Though the concept is clearly communicated, the final product is disjointed, jumping from uplifting party tracks (Disco Lies) to boring background music (Degenerates).
The slow-building opener Ooh Yeah is an abrasive start to the record, with irritating hamster vocals. But as the song builds, it draws listeners in with its silly, infectious disco beat.
An ode to Moby's party-loving lifestyle of the past 25 years, the record draws on the vintage sounds of years gone by. The hip-house of I Love to Move in Here and bellowing vocals of Everyday It's 1989 induce early 90s flashbacks and visions of C+C Music Factory.
It's during these songs, Moby reminds us he's still up for some fun and hasn't lost his sense of humour, something that was noticeably absent from his previous two albums.
But Moby isn't ready to cut loose entirely and there is still an abundance of atmospheric drone on the album that stops it from being a true dance record.
