Moby : Alice

I met news of Moby's upcoming return with relative indifference until yesterday. I received a three-song sampler of his new album, Last Night, to be released late March by Mute Records, some time before the New Year, but casually tossed it aside. I haven't been very interested in anything I've heard from him since Play, but Run On, Find My Baby and more than a few other tracks from that album still cycle in and out of my workout playlists.

Yesterday's DJ brouhaha, as well as his video release for Alice, got me thinking about DJs we love and hate, so I picked the sampler up. The sampler contains the songs Alice, The Stars and Everyday Is 1989. Alice, as you may know by now, is a collaboration between ol' chrome dome and UK-based MCs Aynzil and the 419 Squad. It's got a big ol' fat bassline and is decidedly Moby with his floating, altered and layered vocals, but the MCs add a lot to this track, breaking up Moby's repetitious formula with some strong and grimey flow.

Neither The Stars nor Everyday Is 1989 see a vocal role from Moby, but The Stars follows Moby's ethereal cheering, chanting, repetitious formula again. It's interesting for a bit, but too long. Moby's formula works well when it doesn't work your nerves. This song runs on a bit and enters that realm. Everyday Is 1989 is a solid piano-backed track with a soulful gospel songstress providing the repeating chorus line. It's catchy and not too long.

Moby - Alice (YSI)

Two out of the three songs on this sampler are a welcome return to form for Moby in my opinion. Moby states the album is influenced and a reaction to his more frequent DJing and the NYC dance scene. It's more electronic and dance oriented he says. Grandmaster Caz's, one of the writers of Rappers Delight, appearance on I Love To Move In Here has been the most talked about guest appearance.

Moby - Last Night Album Sampler

Alice video directed by Andreas Nilsson. Nilsson has also directed videos for other Mute artists like The Knife, Mando Diao and Jose Gonzalez.



--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed