Review Summary: A recap of what he's done in the past 15 years.
Always Centered at Night started as a record label created by Moby, where he could release whatever music his heart desires without any compromises or commercial pressure. One would argue this is what he has been doing since
Wait for Me. From the synth punk of the Void Pacific Choir LPs to the low-key, ambient epics, there was always an experimental project behind his main albums. At the beginning of this decade, the man decided to cater a bit to his legacy, rearranging his most renowned tracks, alongside a string of deep cuts with the Budapest Orchestra. The resulting affairs,
Reprise and
Resound NYC featured a plethora of guests, such as Gregory Porter, Kris Kristofferson, Nicole Scherzinger, Vikingur Olafson or Damien Jurado, among others. This was a deserved victory lap in his career, one that also brought Moby back into the spotlight.
In the meantime,
Always Centered at Night was pumping out a new song every other month or so, gradually becoming the album we can hear today. Perhaps not the wisest moment to release it on
Play’s 25th anniversary, nevertheless, this LP boasts a charm of its own. It does feel more varied and relaxed than its predecessors, compiling bits of everything we’ve heard Moby compose since 2008’s
Last Night. As a result, the atmosphere is less brooding, including a fair number of dance floor ready material. The bookending cuts, “on air” and “ache for” are fine examples of the piano-led ballads he excels at. The opener shares gospel vibes, augmented by serpentwithfeet’s calm, melodic vocals, while the latter features Jose James’ lovely croon over beautiful, lounge-tinged chords and glacial synths. Amid these two, most tracks are rather vibrant. For example, “where is your love?” or “medusa” make good use of d’n’b beats and other ‘90s techno sound tricks and pads. The late artist, Benjamin Zephaniah preaches powerfully on the former, whereas “medusa” echoes mid-90s Underworld. It’s nice to hear Moby break from the post-apocalyptic electronic oblivion of the last couple of studio efforts. Meanwhile, the steady disco grooves on “wild flame”, “should sleep”, “dark days” & “fall back” maintain the momentum through silky bass lines, smooth percussion and just the right voices performing on them. Moreover, “feelings come undone”, a solid tribute to ‘90s house music, transposes you right back into that dazed era. Over the course of one hour,
Always Centered at Night checks various sonic boxes from Moby’s career. Still, nothing feels forced, the tunes’ order plays like a summary of a night long DJ set that starts slow and ends at the crack of dawn with downtempo/trip hop. Some are highlights, others fly by making less of an impact, yet they are not throwaways. Despite being released as separate singles, the LP plays very well as a whole.
