Read Time:2 Minute, 27 Second
In the liner notes for his new album, Last Night, Moby explains that, to him, the album “sounds like a night out in New York.” It’s the musical embodiment of all the sights and sounds and feelings that one experiences during a night out in the Big Apple.
Now, I’ll admit that I haven’t spent a ton of time hanging out in New York City, but I have at least spent a night or two painting the Big Apple red, so to speak—and it was a whole lot more exciting than Moby’s new album.
Though I usually enjoy Moby’s work, Last Night is filled with a lot of repetitive tracks that get tiresome after a minute or two. That’s not to say that there aren’t some great moments on some (even most) of the tracks. But someone apparently told Moby, “You can never get too much of a good thing,” and he took the advice to heart, choosing to take those great moments and repeat them over and over and over again—until they’re not so great anymore.
As background music for a relaxing night of drinks on the patio with your friends, Last Night isn’t a bad choice. The beats are steady—but not too frenetic—and the repetitive lyrics won’t distract you from your conversations. But as dance music, it’s just a little too sleepy—to the point that it’s almost hypnotic (but not in a good way). Even the more upbeat tracks—like the hip-hop-infused “Alice” and the dance track, “Disco Lies”—feel just a bit flat and lethargic.
With albums like this one, I like to do a road test. I pop the disc into my car’s CD player as I’m battling cross-town highway traffic to see how it makes me feel. Usually, I expect an upbeat dance album to make me feel invincible. It makes me weave in and out of traffic with ease—and, most of the time, I make it home in record time. But not so with Last Night. Instead, it made me zone out and even lay off the gas a bit—and I made my way home in a sleepy trance. And that’s not a good sign for an album that’s supposed to be the musical manifestation of a night out in the clubs of New York.
Maybe Moby’s just a bit tired. Maybe all those nights out on the town have caught up with him—and by the time he gets into the studio, he’s just a little bit lethargic. I know the feeling—and I highly recommend staying in for a couple of nights and getting caught up on sleep. With a little extra shut-eye, I’m sure Moby will be back to his old upbeat self in time to make his next album.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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