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Play

Moby

1999 recording. Genres: Electronic \ Techno ~
Click for Album description from Plex
Play
Following a notorious flirtation with alternative rock, Moby returned to the electronic dance mainstream on the 1997 album I Like to Score. With 1999's Play, he made yet another leap back toward the electronica base that had passed him by during the mid-'90s. The first two tracks, "Honey" and "Find My Baby," weave short blues or gospel vocal samples around rather disinterested breakbeat techno. This version of blues-meets-electronica is undoubtedly intriguing to the all-important NPR crowd, but it is more than just a bit gimmicky to any techno fans who know their Carl Craig from Carl Cox. Fortunately, Moby redeems himself in a big way over the rest of the album with a spate of tracks that return him to the evocative, melancholy techno that's been a specialty since his early days. The tinkly piano line and warped string samples on "Porcelain" frame a meaningful, devastatingly understated vocal from the man himself, while "South Side" is just another pop song by someone who shouldn't be singing -- that is, until the transcendent chorus redeems everything. Surprisingly, many of Moby's vocal tracks are highlights; he has an unerring sense of how to frame his fragile vocals with sympathetic productions. Occasionally, the similarities to contemporary dance superstars like Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers are just a bit too close for comfort, as on the stale big-beat anthem "Bodyrock." Still, Moby shows himself back in the groove after a long hiatus, balancing his sublime early sound with the breakbeat techno evolution of the '90s. ~ John Bush
Cover of 'Play' - Moby
1. Honey [3m 29s]2. Find My Baby [3m 59s]3. Porcelain [4m 01s]4. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? [4m 24s]5. South Side [3m 49s]6. Rushing [3m 00s]7. Bodyrock [3m 36s]8. Natural Blues [4m 13s]9. Machete [3m 37s]10. 7 [1m 02s]11. Run On [3m 45s]12. Down Slow [1m 34s]13. If Things Were Perfect [4m 18s]14. Everloving [3m 25s]15. Inside [4m 48s]16. Guitar Flute & String [2m 09s]17. The Sky Is Broken [4m 18s]18. My Weakness [3m 38s]Total duration: 1h 3m 13s