It wasn’t until 1995 or so that I picked up with Moby, having discovered “Go,” a track he’d released a few years prior that sampled the strings from Twin Peaks‘ “Laura Palmer’s Theme.” Everything Is Wrong was Moby’s current disc at the time, featuring the fantastic “Feeling So Real” and “Everytime You Touch Me.” Listening back to those tracks now, it all seems a tad frenetic, but those were the times.
After taking a detour from the dancefloor with 1996’s Animal Rights, a punk rock/ambient record notable for his cover of Mission of Burma’s “That’s When I Reached For My Revolver,” Moby returned two years later with Play. Somehow I’d gotten my hands on a pre-release sampler (either through my friend Matt, or at Tower Records), and couldn’t stop playing it. Creatively sampling the field recordings of Alan Lomax, Moby had created a pop masterpiece, fusing found folk and gospel vocals with electronic instrumentation. The first album to have all of its tracks licensed for commercial use (inventively introducing Moby to a massive audience), Play sold over 2 million copies here in the U.S., and over 10 million worldwide.
Following such success is often hard to do, and 18 was something of a letdown. Moby had already played musical matchmaker with gospel-song samples, and though new tracks like “In This World” and “In My Heart” were skillfully executed, the idea was no longer fresh. Fans and critics responded in kind, which may be the reason why Moby eschewed samples entirely for 2005’s Hotel.
After a 2006 greatest-hits collection that boasted one new track (“New York, New York,” featuring the fabulous Deborah Harry), Moby has issued his eighth studio album, Last Night. The concept, in the artist’s own words:
“Last Night is basically a love letter to dance music in New York City. What I love about the New York approach to dance music is the eclecticism and the open mindedness on the part of the musicians, the DJs, and the people in the bars and clubs. In making Last Night, I essentially tried to take a long 8-hour night out in New York City and condense it into a 65-minute long album.“
The less said about first single, “Alice,” the better, but “Disco Lies,” Moby’s second at-bat, is a scorcher. With vocals by Shayna Steele, this lover’s lament laid atop driving synths has earned InfiniteRepeat™ status on my iPod. Hear here:
I’d originally planned to share the “Disco Lies” video here, but that was before I watched it. Moby has done the track a major disservice by departing from its lover-done-wrong lyrics, and instead choosing a pro-vegan storyline that traces an attack on a fast-food chicken shack. Let yourself be dazzled by the “Disco Lies” audio above before clicking through to the controversial clip.
Not sure about placing your order for Last Night? Download Moby’s album mash-up mix, a free quasi-combo platter, first.
And if you love “Disco Lies” as much as I do, don’t miss the dancefloor mixes.
