Reviews (page 9 of 15)
Honey - 4/5 Find My Baby - 4/5 Porcelain - 4.5/5 Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? - 4/5 South Side - 3.5/5 Rushing - 3/5 Bodyrock - 3.5/5 Natural Blues - 4.5/5 Machete - 3/5 7 - 3/5 Run On - 3.5/5 Down Slow - 3/5 If Things Were Perfect - 2.5/5 Everloving - 3/5 Inside - 3/5 Guitar Flute & String - 3/5 The Sky is Broken - 2/5 My Weakness - 3/5 The first few tracks of this album carries the rest of it. The blues samples in the front half could definitely made a better concept but after Machete it trails off to be a bit more of ambient. There really isn’t a genre through line so the genre flip didn’t catch me completely off guard. Great sampling and production but due to the overuse of some of these songs it feels a bit too corporate and too muzak-y. Overall: 3.5/5 Favorites: Porcelain, Natural Blues
Not my favorite listen, but can really appreciate the sheer volume and range on this one. Some of the sampling was pretty cool tho and though I didn’t particularly love any one track there was still a decent amount I liked. Get a 1-star bump for having a song that’s on the FIFA soundtrack. Fav Track: Porcelain
You wouldn’t download a car- type music
Vibe, but I’d much rather listen to Massive Attack
Nostalgic for a few of these. Still ends up repetitive
9 hipster pelati su 10 considerano questo album il migliore album elettronico degli anni novanta. te lo consiglieranno appena prima di ordinare un avocado toast su just eat per colanzo, e poco dopo aver fissato per farsi tatuare "vegano 4ever" in stampatello sul collo. la verità è che è un bel sottofondo per quando fai smart-working in un caffè scandinavo, e che qualche canzone ti fa persino alzare gli occhi dallo schermo del tuo macbook pro, smuovendo in te un certo trasporto emotivo (shazami il brano). poi bevi un sorso del tuo macha con latte di mandorla, e te ne dimentichi per sempre. 1 hipster pelato su 10 ti direbbe: è un album con qualche banger diluito da una serie di filler (anche belli eh, ma filler nonetheless).
Mellow background
6/10
Not my type of music, but there were some songs that sounded very pleasant.
• very house music-ish, experimental, which I really like • it almost feels like his music was slightly ahead of its time while simultaneously keeping that late 90s vibe • overall very interesting album with a slight eery vibe, which I kind of enjoy though • all tracks are very different from each other yet still similar which I find interesting in a good way
101223 10:53 3.5
Quite enjoyed this one. Pretty smooth and easy listening throughout.
Ok
good music to listen to while on autopilot for work or something. it reminded me of another band who i am seeming to forget now. i think it was fatboy slim? anyway -- they were good!
Try to convince me with those repetitive sentences, hell no
I thought I’d never listened to a Moby song before and so I was surprised to come across a few songs I had heard countless times in my life before without knowing that this was Moby. It’s also these songs that did not do much for me (especially Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?). These songs have lost almost all their magic due to being overplayed. As a result I especially liked the songs I hadn’t known before like Honey, South Side, Body Rock, … I like the rhythm, the amazing samples and the variety while keeping a consistent sound pattern throughout the entire album. The first half of the album is pretty good but then there is a notable change after the first eight songs. It’s like these later songs are for the time after the party or the come down (Everloving, Inside…) it’s also a notable fall off from the exciting start of this record.
I like this, and any song in isolation (especially off the first half of the record) would be a great time on its own. As a whole album, I find it gets a bit stale.
It wasn't all tinkly tinkly like I thought it would be. There were some tough grooves in there.
I only listened to about half of this album. It is very long. I enjoyed what i listened to but I didn’t enjoy Moby’s vocals.
Good sample choices throughout
Not bad for a techno album. Actually enjoyed this even though money has a shit voice.
Could been great if it was half the time
electronica from nyc Favorite track: honey other picks: porcelain, run on, flower
The first half of the album is pretty much wall to wall groovy tunes. They can be a little formulaic but they're pretty good at worst. Then the second half hits and it feels like I'm listening to bad, incomplete videogame OSTs. Now I understand where the haters are coming from.
This album is way too long. Some fun songs. The gimmick of using soul and blues samples gets a bit stale after the 5th time though. This is fine.
1999 is probably the year I paid the most attention to music. Maybe it's when I first got a radio in my room. Anyway, this album cover is very nostalgic. I hated Moby at the time, I think, although I assume that was based on very little -- probably the cultural conversation I was exposed to ("Moby is a vegan loser!!") or, apparently, the fact that my mom liked this album (thus, it was inherently uncool). But it's 90s electro/triphop, so I should like it! Well, I actually don't like it that much. Maybe I only like Euro-electro. I don't hate it, but the sampling of gospel & other older tracks annoys me in the same way that covers often annoy me. Highlights: 'Porcelain' (it's giving Pure Moods), 'Southside' (the single has Gwen Stefani on it! I like that version better but they're honestly pretty similar), 'Inside' (feels like it's about to ramp up to something good -- unfortunately it does not, but at least there's no singing) Lowlight: 'Natural Blues' (I take back everything I said before, this song is the real reason why I hated Moby. I hate it so much. I do not want a "blues lyrics-meets-electronic pastiche"!!! I also hated this music video, it's so schmaltzy. And it was on The Box (my beloved) ALL THE TIME. Ugh, Moby.)
I loved this on its original release. There are some great tunes though I think it now sounds somewhat dated.
I remember this interview I listened to once, about a guy who’s big claim to fame was that he once lent a cd to Moby that had all the original old African American slave songs that he samples on it. He was angry that he didn’t get more credit.
First impressions: album art goes hard, first song a banger. First half is so good but all edm has to have absolute rotten stinkers, second half is not that great Lots of the songs have repetitive non instrument sounds but they don’t annoy me and are good unlike most edm that does that. Probably a 3/5 for me, started so much better but turned bad. First two songs are so good. Deserves to be in a 2000s family movie <3 The third song should be on a YouTube video that’s of relaxing backgrounds or the different animation clips (the ones you show me) Body rock is soo 2000s baggy clothes skateboarding music When do you think the bad turn starts cause I’ve hit my first I don’t like this song (Machete) - Yep bad from there
Sound of the early 00s. There was no way you could get away from hearing Moby. This album was used everywhere, though I never heard it as a whole. It was alright. I can see where it was commercially viable and why it became so popular. It sits in the same pool as Nickelback and Coldplay for me. Music for the masses. It's not bad. But not sometime I'll reach for again.
Gillar! Nog bara hört Porcelain innan. Lite svagare andra halva, men ändå mysigt som helhet!
good
Not as good as I remember. A couple of good tracks but the rest left me wondering why I liked this album so much.
I didn't think I was going to like this and I was surprised how many songs I knew. Would definitely listen again.
I like Porcelain. The rest of the album varies. Some good some mid. 3.50/5
Very easy listening. I enjoyed it well enough, but never felt particularly challenged or interested.
I´ve listened to the album too much. Nice sweet melodies, and good soundtexture.
You can get stomped by Obie. Still pretty good.
Fine
I love a lot of what the album does, but I do not love this album. Moby clearly has an ear for what works and there is no denying it did well. But for me, it's like one long yet mildly pleasant television advert.
Okay, so long instrumental electronic albums have been bumps in this road for me since I began this project, but every once in a while one of them works for me. Sometimes something is dynamic and catchy enough to override my prejudice. I think the blues and roots music samples were what did the trick. That shit is pretty cool. Still, it overstays its welcome by at least ten minutes and can sound dated.
Actually listened to this recently, not my style usually but some good inspirational tunes
We've heard this everywhere, which makes it "good" in a sense, and I do appreciate it for what it is, and I love Moby for just doing what he likes, but it's just so... Lacking. I love a fun album, and this ain't it.
I gave this a solid listen in the morning, attempting to dissect the story or the purpose of the album. That was ok. Then I heard it later on in the afternoon, walking through a crowded city on my earbuds. Today there's a beautiful blue sky and a ton of tourists. The album put a pep to my step, it felt like I was featured in my own movie, or the protagonist of a of a lengthy well produced series. The magic didn't finish at a particular track, it finished when I stopped appreciating the rest of the world with my eyes. It feels to me like this effort is great for a multisensorial experience, providing an enhancing audio track to the 'event' of our choosing. I find that really special, but also difficult to listen to on its own. 3.1/5
Great throwback. Love his style just seemed like the same sort thing every song
Hadn't listened to this in a long time but really enjoyed the back half of the 'complete' recordings with stuff I hadn't heard before. South Side and Bodyrock remain favorites. 3/5
Repetitive sampling but it’s done in a pretty creative way. I was mildly enjoying this throughout, so it gets a mild 3 from me.
Wow…so many songs. So many. A good edit would create a great album. There are many that create a whole world, very cinematic, and several that seem like distractions and unnecessary.
Fine, I guess. Starts off strong and has some bright moments, but quickly gets repetitive and dull.
This was just meh for me. Not bad, but not memorable either.
Ohhhhhh man...... seeing this album cover takes me back. Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven. This album is THE sound of commercial music in the early 2000s, and for that alone deserves a place in this list. The songs for this record were everywhere- the radio, MTV, commercials, movies..... and yet at the same time I remember the critical response being fairly positive. It's a pleasant listen, if a bit long. Its ability to transport me back to the year 2000 is a special trick for which it earns THREE STARS
Play is a classic and highly influential electronica (house, ambient, techno, club) album that bounces between genres. As evidenced by its worldwide popularity (platinum in 26 countries), Moby tapped into something that resonated with people when it was released. Play is a fun in a nostalgic sense, but it is also an album that I haven’t felt compelled to put on for many years now. The album is too damn long, but there are some good tunes with catchy hooks that famously (infamously?) caught the attention of commercial licensers. This bothers many people, but the commercialization brought attention to Play and likely saved Moby’s music career. My favorite part of this record was Moby’s mixing of samples from different genres and eras. Again, with todays cultural sensibilities, this bothers some people. It is hard to deny that this is a good, if not great album. It was certainly worth at least one more listen before I die.
Ok Dean! Troy & Abed would be proud. Some nice beats!
This was probably my favorite house album we've had so far, still a little too repetitive for me though
Album amb sons bastant originals i diferents entre si.
Liked it way more than I expected: catchy samples and tight production make it easy listening.
3.5 Stars
Honestly pretty good for dance/electronica (not my usual listens) but hard to listen to a whole album of it.
Kind of all over the place for me. Sometimes catchy, sometimes corny and dated, sometimes meh. This album hasn’t aged as well as some of the other electronic/dancy albums on this list. Just barely a 3.
Ha ha, list. I mean, at least this one has some songs that are decent, including some more ambient tracks. And it’s all catchy stuff. A three, how about that?
This was alright. Had some recognizable bits for some reason. Better than the electric beat drop-y club electronica that wears on me. But I know the list will keep trying.
The whole album was fine to me, nothing incredible. Except for Porcelain, that song deserves 5 stars on its own
the more melodic tracks are quite nice and everything else is really bad and unlistenable. so, perfect 3/5
Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? is the obvious standout. Maybe it would be a stretch to call the remaining album a collection of Blues Loops, but that's what it feels like, and I don't even The Blues(tm). 2.5/5
It’s good and you can see why people like it. However I do feel it’s a tiny bit for bald guys who wear checkered shirts and play Nintendo 64 games and fix PC’s. Nothing wrong with that genre of man, but I feel I can’t relate
I feel like i keep mentioning Brian Eno, but theres a lot of big nods to him in Moby, especially in songs like porcelain. The album is bissful and lovely to listen to.
Catchy tunes with great layering of various instruments and beats that i’d rock to at a club..
No idea how to review this now. There's the degree of borrowing involved in the making of it (he even borrowed CDs of the Lomax recordings in the first place, and never returned them). There's the fact that most of the album was so oversaturated through adverts and radio play. That it sounds so much of its time. I can't even really hear what I'm listening to. Giving it a neutral 3 and moving on.
was expecting this to sound better. had remembered it as better. but i guess it’s true now like it was in 2002—“it’s over, nobody listens to techno.”
Elektronista downbeattia, menee vähän sinne taustamusiikki kategoriaan. Isoin hitti Porcelain tällä levyllä, mutta koko levy ei kummiskaan sen tyylistä. Enimmäkseen aika chilliä. Perus normi ok. Parhaat: Porcelain, Inside, Machete
The darker sounding atmospheric ones here were pretty cool, some of those I knew as singles. His sparse piano parts were particularly nice. But whenever he tried to do a more upbeat track it felt like someone doing a really bad impression of fatboy slim. As such as an album it didn't really hold my attention so much. Cut out the naff ones and have a shorter album moby. I'm surprised record labels don't force that to happen more often.
It’s called electronic music but it’s way more layered the that. Nice listen.
Solid 90’s nostalgia album
A few things: 1. I didn't realize how many tracks of Moby's I knew from other places 2. South Side is WAY better with Gwen Stefani doing backing vocals vs the album version 3. I apparently don't hate Moby Not necessarily what I'd listen to on a regular basis, it is definitely a solid choice for some background music. Very mellow, no bombastic pop songs.
Pretty iconic album when I can recognize the album art but have no idea who the artist is. Clearly I’ve seen this around on some playlists. Definitely some really good tracks on here and some really well written tunes. I’m always happy to hear more diverse tunes from electronic artists that aren’t just 4 to the floor or the same beat repeated over and over again. Each sone here is very unique and adds to the overall experience. I feel like most electronic musicians should use this record as inspiration.
Kinda pioneering album and certainly one of the first electronic acts to his mainstream. Moby had been around for years and was relatively famous for those in the know, but didn't break out until this. "Porcelain" is a classic jam and so 90's. "Southside" is one of the best tongue-in-cheek "sell out songs" and banger with Gwen Stefani. Sorry Eminem but now everybody listens to techno so let's go...
This was interesting, the songs were catchy but to repetitive
This could’ve been 5 songs instead of 18. They all sound the same. Still pretty cool though.
I am not a fan at all of sampled music that has repetitive lyrics and just a cool beat behind it. Most all of these songs really hit on my nerves. However, South Side is so good it almost makes me a Moby fan. Almost but not quite
I only really know Moby from being the butt of many early 2000s jokes, but this really isn't that bad. Some of it is kind of like elevator music, but some of it is good.
A strong 3, a weak 4. The songs with the soul samples will live on as classics. The other tracks on this album feel of their time.
I remember listening to this a lot when it came out. Always enjoyed it, but on a revisit maybe it was a little slower than I remembered. Not bad, great background.
sin mas
Oh, this album goes in the ADHD Get Shit Done bucket, not the Active Listening bucket. Time to clean the kitchen, motherfuckers! wait, what in the ridiculous car commercial hell is this? Okay. It's well made, but I have no place for it in my library. It doesn't really work as a focus aid, and I didn't enjoy the hour I sunk into it. (At one point I wandered off to feed the cats and Moby got drowned out by a chorus of meows... an improvement.) For a well made album I'll never listen to again? Three stars.
Ikke rigtigt min stil men behageligt nok. Jeg kan ikke lide Mobys brysthår ☹️
Electonic and repetative but a vibe.
Some fun classic tunes here. Was never a big fan of his aesthetics. Annoyed I can’t easily find the actual original album on iTunes (they just have the “complete” version that’s 2 hours long?!) so struggling through Spotify ads.
rad
produção primorosa que se encontra em harmonia com os samples de blues, porém após "Machete", ápice do álbum, tudo torna-se vazio e sem propósito. entretanto, as faixas em que Moby vocaliza trazem um refresco de identidade para a obra. é bom, mas se fosse um EP faria mais sentido. 3/5
I have a lot to say about this one, but I can't be bothered right now. It's pretty good.
It was pleasant but ai wasn’t blown away
Surprisingly less obnoxious than I thought it was going to be. I liked some songs. Only real complaint is the length. Maybe save some of the songs to add in as filler on a later album when you need more songs. Just too much all at once if you are not specifically trying to tell a story through the music.
It's cool, but it all reminds of credits music from mid 2000s movies. All the songs are well done and upbeat and catchy. Well layered, well mixed. I'd just rather listen to the real thing, aka the songs that were sampled to make all this music. This doesn't feel like it has any of the soul or feeling that the original songs possessed in their creation. It's great background music. Like in a commercial or walking around a mall. I like being at work listening to it because I don't really need to be paying attention to it at all to get the enjoyment out of it.
Pretty good. Loads of memorable songs. The whole album is very cohesive in style. I probably wouldn't seek it out.
Everything interesting about this album might have been destroyed by commercials and overplay. Still not half bad, but very hard to feel excited about.
𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 is an iconic late-’90s electronic album, but for me it lands more in the “decent” category than truly great. The mix of downtempo beats, gospel samples, and ambient textures is pleasant enough, yet it often feels more like background music than something I’d actively return to. Its cultural saturation — everywhere in ads, films, and TV at the time — gave tracks like 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘚𝘰 𝘉𝘢𝘥? a life of their own, but that ubiquity can make the album feel more like a product of its era than a timeless classic.
I liked this more than I expected. Too long though, 6/10.
Pitchfork said “ In short, it's fun and functional, yet disposable: Play is the condom of rock.”At least it’s not a used condom, but it’s safe!
I really kind of wanted to hate and dismiss this, since I knew it wasn't going to be as good as at least three or four Warren Zevon albums that inexplicably did NOT make this list of 1001. In the end, though, I have to give it grudging respect. WAY too long, but generally entertaining, especially when listened to with the videos.
Hey, it's Play, my favorite Moby album. I do legitimately like this album, but I've never been the world's biggest Moby guy. I'm not even very well versed in the electronic music landscape, but I know there are way more interesting artists in it than Moby. Sorry Moby. Honey rules though.
Nearly every contemporary of Moby’s gets more play from me, both because their music is better and because Moby himself rubs me the wrong way.
Maybe 6.5/10. This was pretty interesting. All of the songs were layers on top of an original loop it introduces at the beginning (probably hence the name of the album). Sadly it felt less like an expansion of the original loop and much more like an overly-repetitive chorus.
I have a "post review right after listening" rule, so it took me 10 times through to decide whether I still like this or not. I don't think I do. I still really respect what he did here by incorporating samples of old blues tracks into modern electronic stuff, but it doesn't hit.
A nice album but probably more 'Background music' vibes for me. I'd definitely listen to it again, and I think I'd heard a few of the songs before 'Porcelain' and one other one, that I now can't remember.
A 90s classic.
Some fun songs on here like “Find My Baby” but not something I’d go back to.
Some of this is pretty good. 3.5
It was great to hear Michael Franti in his element & not just as a guest featuring role. Quintessential socially-conscious hip-hop.
Are all of the songs just repeating the same 4-8 lines…..? Yes. Yes they are. Also why is this album so LONG..?? It gets 3 stars because 2 felt too low but genuinely what is this
Enjoyable. Surprisingly the lesser known songs in the second half of the album were the ones I enjoyed the most.
When I was a kid I liked some track from the album and these that I liked are good but honestly not sure how I feel about now listening to it again. I think I have a lot of mixed feelings. Like I see that there's same approach to each composition has some old gospel or old song and it builds around it a new track which isn't bad house music is basically made this way but I feel the sameness here a little too much for my taste. Tracks that I liked: Honey, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, Machete 3/5
We had a special needs section of our junior school and we named those kids "Moby's". It was in the 80's and we were all far more cruel than now, but that's what I think about now.
I have always been interested in listening to Moby after the "not Moby" episode of how I met your mother The songs were chill, vibe was OK, nothing groundbreaking
There's some serious tracks on this one. I'd call it "ambient" music. Just leave it on in the background while you work
this is such a tricky album to rate.. it’s an absolute rollercoaster of “this slaps” and “i can’t take this”. i wanted to rage rate it but i’ll give it a 3… songs i’ve enjoyed: honey porcelain why does my heart feel so bad (really love this one) rushing bodyrock everloving inside my weakness natural blues is obviously amazing too. still a 3 star album for me.. too many songs, too long and too repetitive in ways that have annoyed me so much at times. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Meh. Some classics, but not really my cup of tea.
I was surprised that I knew the first song. But then I became progressively uninterested in the songs that followed.
Almost every track is a half a minute of music in a song that lasts four minutes. Then the same, without a beat, with a beat, with a beat and some synth strings, without a beat but with strings etc. No real progression. There's a reason it all worked in adverts - those snippets are pretty good. An hour of it is way too much. It's ok if you don't want to listen to music, just to cover the silence and thoughts in your head. I guess that's why it sold so many copies. South side is good though, but then Machete comes along and is like a weak Prodigy copy.
Patiko, raminantis pasiklausymas.
Listens: 1.5 Standout Tracks: Natural Blues, Inside My thoughts are all over the place on this album: First, it's over 2 hours long, at least the version on YouTube Music, and there is no non-deluxe-whatever version available consisting of the original some ~18-20 songs. So there's that whole struggle of listening to this Moby for 2+ hours. Second, turn-of-the-century electronica is a weird hodgepodge of sounds and genres, and this album has many of them: techno, breakbeat, house, trance, downtempo, ambience, just to name a few. Some style work better. The tracks where it's not just a breakbeat loop - where there's actually some "meat on the bone"; a clear path from beginning to middle to end of song, some lyrics, interesting instrumentation (digital or otherwise), etc. - aren't actually too bad. I quite liked a few of the tracks on this album. There is enough variance across the tracks that you're not stuck with just break beat or just techno or just ... If you hit shuffle on the album you're going to get a lot of variety. That's good in my book. Maybe not entirely cohesive or flowing, but it beats 2 hours of a singe genre. I thought this was better than Fatboy Slim's You've Come A Long Way Baby (1998), which is also on the List, and different from, but as good as The Prodigy's Fat Of The Land (1997), again, on the List.
Never actually listened to the entire album before this. It was good.
Cool album with a lot of cool sounds. I tried to listen with fresh ears and I heard a lot to really like. Don't feel I can grade higher though as it did slightly drag for me - each time I listened I found myself checking how long left.
It was alright, nothing crazy for me. A few good tracks, but a bit overly long for me. So nothing great but not awful either. I think 3 since it’s listenable.
skroz neloše, iako nije moj đir
A little too cute for its own good. I tried getting into this when it was first released and always immediately forgot what it sounded like. Not awful but lacking substance.
Not a half bad electronic album. Not super annoying or repetitive in ways that electronic music tends to be. 3/5
Not listened to this in years. I was big into Moby at the time and purchased the album before it exploded and became the soundtrack to everything. Unfortunately overexposure is to the detriment of the songs as it diminishes their emotional impact as you just think of the shit its been used to flog or crap tv moments soundtracked. Shame.
Moby's music is way too mid for the ego he has
And the streak of 4s and 5s ends... This was a cool sound for a bit, but it went on for WAAYYYY too long to really hold my attention, unfortunately. Solid 6/10.
After the first two songs, my thought was that this was basically fatboy slim but significantly worse. Thankfully it got a little better after that, with a lot of variety (maybe too much variety?) Porcelain was great but none of the rest of the album sounded close to it. I probably need a second listen but I didn’t really like it enough to warrant one honestly. But I really liked some parts of it a lot??? But I had to skip a lot of it after some songs droned on annoyingly and repeatingly for too long.
Moby’s a good producer but this album is middling at best. Most of the tracks are repetitive with the most interesting parts being the African American hymnal samples. Also, the optics of a white dude profiting from sampled Black music aren’t great. Earlier Moby is much better.
This is an album full of songs you have heard bits of somewhere before. Video games, adverts, etc. Thing is, you really don't need to hear any of them in full; nothing else is added. I don't mind it though. It's quite reminiscent of a time. Bodyrock y'all. Game of Fifa 99 anyone?
Great album! Reminded me of my youth. I remember this being one of those first cds my friends had growing up. Glad I could listen to this again. Will play it again down the road.
I have a much deeper appreciation for music this sample heavy than I did when I first listened. My bad Moby
too much
Um músico sensível em meio à frieza do cenário da música eletrônica. Sua capacidade de construir belas linhas melódicas, especialmente usando o piano, impressiona. Pesa contra, a inconsistência, ou talvez até discrepância, entre os temas e climas do disco, que levam a perda de unidade. Outro ponto é que sua música soa como feita para propósitos diferentes de se "ouvir música". Parecem orientadas para temas de filmes e até peças publicitárias, mas mantém uma beleza ímpar.
I hadn't really listened to any of this artist's work. I enjoyed this album, I could even see myself buying. it.
Tired. It's impossible to review many of these albums without the historical moment that they were part of. And if you were of an appropriate demographic and in a place that had a culture significantly interconnected with globalisation, when this album came out, it was near inescapable… and certainly carries personal connotations as a result.
A few tracks I liked but overall no
An inescapable album in the ‘99 and early 2000s, it produced no less than 8 singles many of which ended up on adverts. I was briefly taken in but I ultimately found this a little lacking and still do. Along with Fatboy Slim the mix of soulful ambience and vocal hook wore thin quickly and I haven’t gone back to this in well over 2 decades. The first half in particular is decent but overall it’s too long and interest falls away over the back half. I can hear its influence though in some of the music that I love like **Bicep** and **Odesza**, both of whom have produced albums recently whose roots can be traced back to this but I find them more interesting and with greater depth.
The brightest spots on this album are the ones where Moby layers samples of folk singers over electronica, setting the their vocals against new chords and arrangements. The tracks where *Moby* is singing are far less successful (especially the ones where he does some spoken word shtick). What's left is a grab bag of EDM, hip hop and downtempo tracks of varying quality.
So long, good ambient stuff in the later half, but kinda feel like I stopped paying attention
Meh
meh
Some truly great tracks in the first 15mins … but quickly peters out.
Very well diversified. I like how the album changed pace at the end and took on a slower tempo with some neat instrumentals. Good workflow jam
De los primeros que escuche de electronica
This album isn’t bad by any means, but to me it just didn’t sound like anything remarkable. It has its moments, but they’re far and few. I felt like I listened through it without having any strong feelings about any of it. It kind of just passed through.
Moby Dick???
Enjoyed it 3/5
goeie nummers, maar niet om na elkaar te spelen
A few good tracks that I will listen to in the future but a lot of dull tracks as well.
Enjoyable, certainly, but not amazing. I knew a good lot of the tracks from when it was in the charts, but I preferred "In My Weakness", which was completely new to me.
Под настроение
Decent listen. Not my thing.
This was absolutely everywhere as I was finishing university. You couldn’t escape his shiny head. The music is ok, not my kind of thing but reminds me of a good time in my life
3.5, I liked it
a dad impressing his children but actually doing good
Moby seems to never have progressed from the writing lesson: repetition, repetition, repetition. I did enjoy the use of the old Lomax recordings if I was a stoner, and I am not or a meditator and I am not I would listen to this album.
See guys, this list isn't just 90s British electronica! We've got 90s American electronica too! Here we have Moby's 1999 album Play. It's definitely one of the more iconic electronic albums on this list if I do say so myself. I'd definitely keep it on my 1001 albums list. You want to know a big part of that? It's got the quality to back it up. This album is quite good. Of course, I'm still not huge on electronic music myself, but I can tell that this is a solid work of the genre. Let's start by addressing one of my common complaints with the genre, that being repetition. This album's a little repetitive, but not too much. It's more so in the songs themselves rather than the album at large. The album's songs have variety and I like that. Compare the opener "Honey" to the closer "My Weakness" and you get two different sides of this album. I like that. Good job. The songs themselves are good. The samples are neat. "Porcelain" is a classic for a reason. There's some good energy and some good vibes. You like to see it. The album's a bit long, but not to an egregious level unlike some other albums I know. This isn't my favorite thing, I'll admit it. If I liked electronic music more than I do, I could see myself giving this a much higher score. As is, I respect this album quite a bit and could see myself revisiting a bit more in the future, but I'm also not in love with it or anything. Still, a classic of the genre that I'm glad I listened to. High 3/5.
I feel conflicted about this album. On one hand, I’ll admit Moby is talented. He has a curious mind, he clearly knows his way around music history, and he’s tried his hand at many different styles (including tech-house and slow contemplative ambient music). On the other hand – and this was my biggest gripe with Moby back when he was all the rage – I’m kind of annoyed that so many people (including music critics) seem to think that he’s some kind of pioneering genius. Electro, trip-hop and abstract hip-hop DJs had been doing the shit he’s doing for years before Play was even released, some of them with more talent and inventivity (like DJ Shadow). Moby didn’t really invent anything ; he captured ideas that were already present in the wild and repackaged them (beautifully) for a larger audience. His biggest accomplishment in my opinion is getting the art of sampling out of the basement, helping it become acceptable for radio stations. "Play" is a beautifully crafted album, I won’t deny that. It’s full of haunting melodies, with a few loops that can really get stuck in your head. But it is ultimately not as original as it seems. To no fault of its own, it has also been so overused that it’s hard to hear it in a neutral way... Overall, it hasn’t aged very well in my opinion. It feels a bit flat and superficial now.
Background music of the highest order. I don’t remember if this was cool in 2000, but today it sounds like “cool music” from the 2000s. There are definitely some good songs but overall it’s pretty banal and I’m not sure if I even listened to the whole thing.
Good
Album y artista que no conocía, al contrario que dos de las canciones del disco que son clásicos atemporales. Encantado de conocer mas canciones de Moby, una sorpresa.
Jotain hyviä afro-amerikkasampleihin perustuvia buugibiisejä seassa, mutta kokonaisuutena liian pitkä. 3/5
good fun new music to have on while working
I was lowkey chillin with all the songs UNTIL i got to “The Sky is Broken”. What a freaky ass song. I don’t need a guy whispering in my ear while I drive! But the lyrics are a bit repetitive, however the beats make up for it. I do like this album. Okay as I have continued, it’s only gone downhill. It’s just too boring lowkey. Not enough variation in the beats. Only 4/4, most songs are around 120ish bpm with some exceptions. But I guess that’s what you get with electronica music?
I don’t know what I thought this album was gonna sound like but I don’t think it was this It’s got some jams on it but also some duds I need to listen to the full bsides to really get what he doing Honey was fire tho
I would’ve given it a four if it was properly edited.
3/5
Pa ima tu par dosta legendarnih stvari, ne mogu reći da mi je među najboljim albumima vremena ali za solidnu tricu je svakako. 3/5/ 6.5/10
Good listen but nothing fantastic. Reminds me of High School and The Borne movies. Like the faster songs better than the slow ones
Soundtrack of early adulthood
I've been getting more into electronic music recently so I figured it was about time I listen to this, it being the best selling album of the genre and all, but I found it pretty underwhelming compared to the other stuff I've listened to. I'm glad I checked it out though. Favorite track: Machete
One hour of the most amazing amateur bmx montage video music you’ll ever hear in your life. Perhaps unfair. There are a few absolute bangers that I haven’t heard in forever. Even as a kid I remember this album being everywhere. Always on sale too. There’s just this indescribable turn of the century commercial sheen to the entire thing that makes me question the quality of these songs. Again, maybe unfair. Maybe Moby is just a victim of his own success - however fleeting it was.
Pretty decent with a couple of great tracks
Remember when Moby said he dated Natalie Portman when she was 18 and her response was basically… “Moby was some creepy guy who hung around me when I was a teenager”. Also remember when Moby put out a documentary all about what a hardcore party animal he was and how much he got frickin LAID and my response to it was “You’re still a huge dork Moby”. Of course you don’t remember that because it was a personal memory of mine. Anyway Moby can still get stomped by Obie and this album is fine. Except Southside… that song is terrible. And the beat for Run On doesn’t quite line up with the vocals and that is irritating
not what i would usually listen to but kind of cool actually. very Bourne Identity of course which is the only Moby thing i've ever heard before this
This was certainly more pleasant to listen than some other electronic-focused albums with focus on some Choir sounds and instrumental pieces. Highlights of the album were Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, Natural Blue, Guitar & Flute String and My Weakness. Overall, going to give this a 3/5 as it had a lot of songs on it and quite the listening time for a genre which isn't a typical fit but had some gems that I would certainly listen to again but in isolation.
Decent album although I don't think it aged particularly well. An easy intro intro electro music and the heavy use of looped vocal samples in the first half of the album feels a bit repetitive and takes away from its overall substance. 2.5/5 Highlight - Porcelain
Liked the music, but track after track became a bit monotonous.
Somewhat a slow start but gaining fast. Mix of really good songs and some less interesting
Álbum de electrónica con distintas variedad en los samples, aunque algunas canciones me parecen muy interesantes siendo que se tienden a repetir ciertas tendencias a lo largo del album, a pesar de todo muy disfrutable.
The hits are the obvious highlights. Some other good stuff and overall it's a pleasant listen, but feels more like something to have on whilst you're doing something else, rather than something you'd actively sit and listen to.
Didn't have time
3.25
It was fine, it seemed revolutionary at the time but maybe it was so succesful that now it seems a bit meh. Enjoyed it for the nostalgia trip mainly
This is an old album at this point. Plenty of hits and still good music, but the electroic genre has moved so far since 1999. An enjoyable trip down memory lane, but not something I would come back to again.
I like it.
sounds like something my dad would play in the car those last tracks were kind of atmospheric tho
Horrendous voice samples, but liked it. Kinda triphop or something. I would never revisit but there was some good stuff. 3
+love the samples and their cultural significance +catchy -too repetitive for me
I am absolutely stumped, some songs were great some were not my jam. It was really good to study to because there’s not really lyrics you have to listen but also I wouldn’t want to listen to this in my free time. This is an enigma of an album for me so I think I have to go 3 but it could go either way depending on what I’m doing while listening.
A promising first eight or so tracks. The best known songs are front loaded and carry the album as they are very good to excellent. The album ultimately runs out of steam. The last seven tracks are quite dull and lack the impact of the preceding tracks. Three stars. Would I listen again to this album again? No, not as an album. Yes, for selected tracks. Would I buy this album? I did, at the time. I still have it. I don't play it often. 1 "Honey" - The main vocal loop and its repetitive nature loop detracts. The song doesn't go anywhere. It's catchy though. Very good. - 3 Stars. 2 "Find My Baby" - The bass comes in well, and then the keyboards. The repetitive vocal loop is a little more interesting that the first track. - 4 Stars. 3 "Porcelain" - This is dreamy. - 4 Stars. 4 "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" - The male, bluesy, vocal line gets your attention. - 4 Stars. 5 "South Side" - I'm finding the percussion loops and beats a little to similar across these tracks. I actually like Moby's voice on this track, similar to Neil Tennant. - 3 Stars. 6 "Rushing" - 3 Stars. 7 "Bodyrock" - The opening hits like a good rock song but the song then drifts a little and loses its initial impact. - 4 Stars. 8 "Natural Blues" - Again the initial impact is high at the start of the song but the remainder of the song has some variety to it. Excellent. 5 Stars. 9 "Machete" - 3 Stars. 10 "7" - 3 Stars. 11 "Run On" - 3 Stars. 12 "Down Slow" - 2 Stars. 13 "If Things Were Perfect" - This is quite drab. - 2 Stars. 14 "Everloving" - Pretty. - 3 Stars. 15 "Inside" - An ambient loop that takes 2 minutes to do something, when the piano comes in, and then drifts off into nothing. 2 Stars. 16 "Guitar Flute & String" - 2 Stars. 17 "The Sky Is Broken" - 2 Stars. 18 "My Weakness" - 2 Stars. Total - 54 Average - 3.00
better than I expected
3 good songs
This album was on non-stop air play at the time. And then it seemed it disappeared. It has definitely aged, but it is still an enjoyable listen that brings back memories.
It's hard to explain this album in 2025 terms. This was inescapable in the early 2000s - every song seemed to be in every commercial. Looking back some of these are great (Porcelain, Honey, Natural Blues) but others (South Side, Bodyrock) feel remarkably dated. And then the second half of the album takes a right turn away from the blues samples into some moody electronica. Very strange experience overall.
Moby is like jam band Fatboy Slim. He meanders a lot more. This album is great, but the second half of the album really fell off (after Natural Blues). Favorite songs: Bodyrock, Natural Blues, South Side, Run On, Honey, Porcelain Least favorite songs: Find My Baby, If Things Were Perfect 3/5
This album was huge and all pervasive when it came out. Hasn’t aged well for me though. Some great tracks but tends to be a lot more repetitive than I remember. The big tracks have been overplayed too!
Some absolute bangers on this one. It suffers from being way too long. But it is certainly important in its genre.
Some bangers. Made for sync. Perfect background stuff. But in a wallpaper way
Surprisingly good, I was expecting something dull and boring, and also too long but it's actually very pleasant.
A blend of eclectic sounds and unmistakable Moby sampling—this album feels like an audio journey of 1999…. Even when the lyrics veer toward repetition, there’s something unexpected and captivating layered in. “Porcelain” remains beautiful, even if it was overplayed at the time—it’s a pleasure to revisit now and then. And “Southside”? That track was practically very group anthem - definite moment in time. I think the instrumental tracks still hold up like,“The Sky Is Broken” is a standout—achingly beautiful.
The singles were amazing the rest is not up to that level
Lo escuché solo conociendo Porcelain y agradeciendo encontrar algo conocido en este album con 18 canciones. Agradable de escuchar mientras hacia otras cosas. Nada llamó mi atención.
It wasn’t as awful as I feared it would be
A lot of cool stuff here I just didn't connect with it. Probably more like a 3.5
Allen did actually listen and we both agree it’s three stars.
Made me want to buy an Audi
vibing while filling the Lidl shelves at work
It's chill. It's inoffensive. Nothing good or bad to really say about it.
Too long but good throughout
Good. Very listenable. Pseudo-ambient
This album is pretty solid man. I feel like it hasn't aged the best; sampling is just so far ahead these days so that's not entirely this album's fault. The bigger songs like Natural Blues, South Side, Porcelain, and Bodyrock are all great iconic songs. Probably not something I'd go back to personally besides Natural Blues but there is fun to be had on this album. 3/5
Really like the more downtempo tracks on here but the whole blues/beats thing just feels like a gimmick.
Okay. Etwas zu lang. Ich denke, man muss es mehrmals hören um es wirklich beurteilen zu können.
Not usually my kind of music but so many tracks and samples that have been the background of TV and movies for these last 20+ years. Good chill out album
Electronica that was perfectly suited for the moment of release, with one foot I the future and one foot in the past. I felt like too many tracks relied on repetitive loops for my liking, and the last few songs just closed the album on a whimper. Still, a very impactful album on pop culture, and I had several “oh that song” moments while listening.
little too much techno for me
It sounds like an album full of music to be used as samples or remixes Best Song: Flowers Rating: 6/10 Stars: 3/5
Moby once told me that if your hands smell like garlic, wash them with dishsoap and a spoon. It works. This is a mostly good album. At least 2-5 songs too long. But I guess if you are making an electronic album, something about it has to be too long This review is too long
Was already torn by a white hipster sampling so much black music, especially a slave song... but it did introduce lot of people to those tunes and it works very well. However, it really only works for a few songs. After a while, no matter how meticulous the production or how nice the builds, the constant looping becomes tiring and an hour long album feels worn out and a little heartless. Not terrible at all, but won't be rushing back.
Un deuxième album que je connaissais et que j’ai aimé à l’époque mais délaissé depuis (il n’est même plus dans mon iTunes !?). Je vais le réécouter aujourd’hui, mais c’est plus mon genre que les trois albums précédents, disons.
Didn't do anything for me. 3/5
Unique and eclectic. Some tracks on here were definitely ahead of their time, “Porcelain” and “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad” come to mind. Was probably pretty groundbreaking when it came out but listening to it know it’s hard to differentiate amongst your run of the mill electronic album. Also, it’s too long, towards the end it felt like an acid trip that I was just riding out. Not unlistenable because there are some legitimately good electronic tracks on here, but I wouldn’t choose to listen to the whole thing again.
368/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
I know Moby a little bit, but mostly from his social persona. Nice to put a sound to the name. And I like the sound, kind of a viby, hiphop-y soft rock? Unfortunately, most of the songs were very repetitive, and that threw me off. Stand out songs: Honey Natural Blues
Album is too long. The songs are too long. I could see this being a 4 but I was ready for it to end.
Ja, Moby heeft wat cheesy-achtigs. Maar goed, dit is wel prima big beat voor dat tijdperk. Was vergeten hoeveel hitsingles hierop staan, best krankzinnig eigenlijk. "Run On" eigenlijk nog het leukst om eens weer te horen. De niet-singles zijn een beetje een rommelig allegaartje van verschillende stijlen die toen populair waren.
Love me some Moby
This was fun. Had heard some of his material before.
think ppl are Playing tricks with my mind when they say this is the greatest electronic album of all time. 3.5/5
Caught this album in a good mood. Walking around Watford listening to this was a positive experience. I can imagine finding this album repetitive and annoying on another day.
I used to have a friend that was really into Moby and then at some point they announced they were sick of people in a certain industry even though we both worked in that industry and then basically broke ties and would never hang out again. They still do that same job but act like they’re above it. Does this say something about moby? Anyway the tracks that I’ve heard are worn out and the tracks that I haven’t are just OK.
This creates very similar vibes to David Gary's White Ladder. It's a tad long, but the songs are varied enough for it not to get too stale. I probably wouldn't listen to any of these tracks on their own but it's really good ambient music to have on in the background while working
Good album but too long and quite formulaic.
As a beat afficionado I always thought Moby was ok and nothing more. That verdict still stands. He plucked some low hanging fruits mixing old blues over simple beats. Genious move as it turned out. It’s moody, I like that, but it’s just too easy listening, nothing really exitcites.
Didn't expect so many hits were made by Moby, and on a single album. This album is a fusion of blues, gospel and other genres with electronica. The music isn't complex or profound, but the is guy good at creating catchy melodies and grooves. Basic chord progressions, harmony, rhythms and scales are his bread and butter, but he just does it so well at times. He's also pretty good at arranging songs, creating dynamics and switching a lot of different instruments around. The vocal parts are also interesting on pretty much every song. Having said that, the songs are still basic most of the time and don't provide anything special to the listener except the same good old ideas. Would give it 3.5 if I could.
I got the CD version of this at home, just like everyone else on the planet. It's never really one I put on though. There's a number of hits I remember and I like, such as Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad and Honey. Honestly, pretty much every track here is pleasant to listen to. The overall album just has a bit too much of a soda commercial vibe though. The songs are all varied but they get a bit stale by virtue of repeating the same looking sample the entire time. It's nice what Moby created here in terms of soundscapes and catchy songs with just a single sample, but I don't like it quite enough.
This is fun! It definitely isn't my every day kind of music, but this is definitely one of my favorite albums so far in this project. I do enjoy the repetitive nature of the music. Okay, but now about half way through, I'm ready to move on. Me on the last note of the album: thank goodness!
Kinda an odd mix of mostly passive listening with a few awkwardly placed active listening tracks like Southside (which was, itself, oddly different than the single version I'm familiar with). Furthermore, even the passive listening is a bit odd in its energy variances - like I'm unsure what mood Moby wanted to put me in here. Odd. It really is the best word for it. I think I'd like the individual tracks more on their own than I did the album in its entirety. So, with that in mind, I'll try to walk away feeling neutral.
it lowkey isnt that good but it is interesting and ill take that over any mediocre easy listening album
I remember getting a Moby album with a duck on the cover from the library when I was a teenager. I don't know if I ever listened too much to it, but I am eager to start this daily album journey with some vibes. This is the album where it's the blue cover with a man in a white shirt mid jump. It's a bald man, but I don't just want to assume that's Moby. I listened to the album about 2.5 times around writing this. I really like Honey and South Side. They are familiar in a way that I know I've heard the songs before, but to be quite honest I don't know if they're from here or were sampled in here. Either way nice tracks. It's likely something I'll listen to again over the next couple days. 7, while a short song, was very nice, too. I like the ambiance it creates and while it does leave me wanting more I find its segue into Run On very cool. I love songs that blend together seamlessly. A good listen while I work on credentialing notes today. I got an HPV and pneumonia shot yesterday, among about 9 different blood panels, so my right shoulder is mad at me. During my 15 minute break in the morning I laid down on the floor of the bedroom where I am currently working in (at a foldable desk with my SIL's chair) and let some of the more ambient songs in the middle lull me. I could see myself falling asleep to this song. I am immensely hungry and want a snack, but will likely get through one more work note before I get anything to eat. If Lina left that fettuccine alfredo in the fridge I'm claiming it. Some cold, chemical, carbonated caffeine would also go down nice tomorrow. Maybe what I'll do is keep a list of the songs and give a little note. Not a score or anything, but something that'll help me internalize the music. Honey - upbeat. My favorite song of the album so far. Samples Bessie Jones “Sometimes.” Find my Baby - Samples “Joe Lee’s Rock” by Boy Blue. Bluesy. Time to digitalize the harmonica unless that’s just someone singing yeah. Porcelain - boogy beat strings while my son tosses his bath toys around and the piano dances in. In my dreams I am also dying all the time, but that’s only when I stop smoking. South Side - I know I skipped a song but I was getting my son dressed and I didn’t have many strong feelings about it. But I really like South Side. Once again it’s a song I feel I’ve heard before, but am… surprised isn’t the right word. More intrigued that it was maybe a Moby song all along.
Some great songs, but also a lot of filler.
Probably in the 3.5 range. I liked this but not enough to give it a 4
It’s the definition of fine
I got free tickets to see Moby play on this tour in my neighborhood at the time and only saw the last 30 minutes. It was far out.
This would be a much better album if it was cut down to 10-12 songs. Handful of bangers though, definitely worth a listen uninterrupted all the way to '7'.
OK - very good high notes, a bit tedious at times.
Glad I finally took the time to listen to this, as I know it’s highly regarded, but it didn’t do much for me. Still giving it 3-5 stars, though.
It's a bit of a surprise to me, I can stand this quite well. I genuinely like 'Everloving', I can stand 'Why does my heart feel so bad?'. It's an interesting nowadays take on blues and gospel. Once again, just like The Prodigy, the best known songs are my least favourite.
Good album. South Side is my favorite track on it.
interesting, kinda weird but not in a way i vibe with much would listen to again, maybe while not megadepressed
Didn't know what to expect but okayyy! Might get tired of this eventually. 2 songs done, has some interesting ideas but they really just repeat themselves without leading to something more interesting? "Porcelain"'s nice. Real nice. Reminds me of a certain track. Can't put my finger on which one. It's "Holding On" by Tirzah! Not that similar but yeah. "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" is an interesting case, as it repeats the same pattern from the first two tracks but manages to keep my interest. "South Side" starts very interesting. Reminiscent of some tracks from the second side of Talking Heads' "Remain In Light". Sitting pretty at third place for now. next track is nice. "Natural Blues" is interesting but I don't think I will ever have an interest in hearing it again, although the same can be said about this album as a whole. Machete is cool. Some LCD Soundsystem before it, and kinda less douch-y. Like "Run On". These tracks are really just happening without leaving a single mark on me. I feel like this second half could really benefit from some re-listens. It's much more subtle and tranquil. Almost like ambient music. Really nice actually. Really like "The Sky Is Broken". This last track is really pretty. Overall, I do think the album is a tad too long (even if, at the same time, it doesn't necessarily feel like it lasts one entire hour). Some tracks could have been shorter. Some could have been cut. It was still an interesting experience. Got some worthwhile songs out of it. My main grip with the album is its repetitiveness. It feels like the same formula is applied time after time, with some not that stellar results. From the very first song, my interest was peaked and then lost. Some great elements are brought up, without any actual interesting developments. Again, the second half definitely left a better mark. The slower, more subtle songs might actually be the record's best. Might revisit it just for them. Overall, worth the experience. At first listen, it's a 6/10.
I don’t think that I have listened to this full album before. I have heard the singles. It was a nice listen. Seems like a good album to put on as background noise. Overall I liked it but not a favorite.
prefer avalanches
solid tape, i see you white man
Unique original sound, tracks are too long and repetitive
Didn’t give this a full listen. It’s 2 hours that’s too much for one album imo. Used to listen to a lot of the songs in high school on here. Great stuff Moby, maybe a little more concise and I’d be all about it. But overall great, could be incredible for all I know just not listening to that much electronic blues Moby music.
I forgot Gwen wasn’t originally on South Side! I love that song — it’s so dumb. Even better and dumber with her. Overall, this was so weak today, compared to how massive it was when it came out. I can see this being really baffling for people who weren’t around at the time. Very “her?”.
Mhh
My memory of the first play of this was that it was innovative and different - stands the test of time with some great songs still
Hét album dat je associeert met Moby. Maar wat een langdradig verhaal zeg. De eerste helft van het album was lekker, en ik kon niet anders dan concluderen dat het 'Fatboy Slim was met soul'. Dat humane en emotionele heeft Moby goed weten te verpakken in de elektronische beats, iets wat ik wel miste bij tijds- en genregenoot Fatboy Slim. De songs sloten ook goed op elkaar aan door het overkoepelende bluesy thema. Sowieso wel uniek hoe hij samples benaderd, en uit welk tijdsframe hij die trekt. Maar de tweede helft gaat het nergens meer heen en ben ik het 'verhaal' een beetje kwijt. Het duurt een minuut of 20 te lang voor muziek met herhaaldelijke loops. De atmosfeer redt de nummers in die laatste fase nog wel een beetje. Uiteindelijk gekomen voor de classics, en dat zijn ook de enige songs die achteraf gezien echt overeind blijven. Toch een 7 omdat de eerste fase (t/m song 8) echt wel sterk was. 7/10 Highlights: Porcelain Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? Natural Blues
Moby is één van de weinige electronische 90's artiesten waarvan de muziek tot op de dag van vandaag nog wel vet is. Dat zit 'm deels in de nostalgie van de bangers, maar ook wel in de kwaliteit. Machete is zo'n track die ik niet kende maar ook nu best wel dik vind. Verder leunt de plaat natuurlijk op de grote hits en waan je jezelf in Natural Blues even Jason Bourne. Toch leuk. 7/10 Porcelain Natural Blues Machete
Honestly better than it has any right to be. That Heavyweight episode about how he refused to return those Lomax tapes he borrowed is one of the great podcasts imo.
so fun! not all tracks are great and gets a bit repetitive, but pretty solid album. its like, really good background music
I had this album in high school, and the same holds today as I felt then. I love the first half of the album, it flows, it moves and makes me feel emotions and the experiences in the music. The sounds are so big that you feel like you are floating in some beautiful world while dancing alone but in a beautiful group of people at the same time. But the second half just drags. It is not just the rhythms but the lyrics too. The Sky is Broken is just so bad and so long. In the second half some sounds still feel big and beautiful, but then just completely empty but not in a good way. I get the same feeling in My Weakness, it wants to be deep and meaningful but it kind of ends up no where. Its like he thought he was creating something impactful but it just felt unfinished. First half solid high marks and second half not great....so I will end up in the middle.
Enjoyed this. Definitely going back
It's good and experimental, but I started feeling like I was listening to a movie soundtrack instead of a normal album. Speaking of movies, the album is the length of one. I think it would have been better if it had been shorter.
7/10 First time listening to the whole album, although so many of these songs have permeated popular culture that it doesn't exactly feel new to me. It's a pretty consistent album, although maybe it does fall into a bit of a repetitive formula. Nonetheless, it's a good listen - I like Moby more than I'd previously thought. Listens: 3
I loved some of this, I liked some of this, and I didn’t care about some of this. A very solid 3 for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Songs are a bit repetitive, but kind of unique for its time. South Side is still a banger.
Pretty decent music, especially for an easy listening day
Like a time capsule within a time capsule, not only for the extensive use of blues samples but also because this album feels totally tied to 2000. The first half of the album feels stronger to me than the second which gets looser and more ambient and the theme of using blues samples is abandoned. The grooves on the big singles elevate this well beyond the ordinary though. A happy piece of nostalgia through over-licensing has made it feel like sitting through a loop of perfume commercials.
Moby may have done more to promote the work of Alan Lomax to the general public than Pete Seeger; too bad they're all on X when they hear it. I'm somewhat seduced by its propulsive catchiness and then I listen to a couple of real songs and think nah, this is well-marketed trash.
thoroughly enjoyed, fun listening experience but felt like a task to listen to whole album
I remember these tunes being everywhere at the time - soundtracks, adverts, trailers... What I remember is lots of songs based on samples of black singers of blues, gospel and soul over these very basic drum and synth tracks. I was always a bit suspicious of the morality of this - giving your basic simple computer-created song "soul" through these samples. But there was a bit more variety than I remembered. Overall, it's fine. A little bit boring and annoying. But perfectly fine to put in the background whilst you clean the kitchen, which is what I was doing.
Expected to like this a bit more. Think there’s a fair bit of good on there but not much great, and some tepid stuff mixed in.
This album sounds ancient now, I have been transported back to 1999. When an album defines an era of music you've gotta give it some credit for it's influence. There's so good songs on it, but it's way too long. Probably won't listen again.
There's a few good tunes. It defined it's genre but doesn't do a lot in the latter songs for me to keep me coming back. Bit repetitive.
Very good... but not my thing.
Soul and gospel hooks and samples are doing A LOT of heavy lifting here for Moby. Compare “Southside” and “natural blues” for example. The former is Moby laid bare, which isn’t bad. But the latter embraces so much of what this album brings to the table, other people’s magic moments. Ultimately not a bad thing for human race to have, but not something that needs to be revered outside of its original context.
OVERALL: I have been putting this off like crazy. I also just keep forgetting to go here. Anyways, the very sample heavy beginning is pretty good, however can get a little jarring and corny. It's very upbeat, ethereal, and shows off Moby's great production. Then we get to the more ambient and experimental second half. Quite literally the only song that I would probably revisit fairly often is Machete, which is still pretty weird. The second half is a lot more calmer, and while there are a lot of good stuff, it's mostly boring and not much is really going on. I would recommend skipping 7, Down Slow, If Things Were Perfect, Guitar Flute & String, The Sky Is Broken, and maybe My Weakness. Really good album for just vibes, other than that it's okay I guess. SONG AVG: 6.55222/10 PERSONAL RATING: 5/10 Honey: This sounds like a guilty pleasure song. It's pretty fun, but the sample is a bit annoying and is also the only thing that isn't instrumental. The instrumental slaps, although it is pretty simple. 7/10 Find My Baby: I'm beginning to think that this is going to be a very sample-heavy album. The sample here is more annoying, and the instrumental starts off pretty bad but gradually gets really good. The sample doesn't get better though. 6.75/10 Porcelain: I saw a video breaking down this sample, and it's pretty impressive. Absolute banger, the instrumental is perfect and the sample is used very well and fits in. The last verse has a pretty weird effect over it, but it's fine I guess. Also there are actual unsampled lyrics, and they're lyrically good, but sound weak in comparison. 9.25/10 Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?: Pretty good, very similar to Porcelain. The sample is used pretty well, and the instrumental is better than Porcelain's imo. It goes back to doing the repetitive sample thing he did in Honey and Find My Baby, but a bit better. The "He'll open doors" is kinda weird the more I hear it, but it's fine. 9/10 South Side: Incredible production and chorus, but the vocals in the verses sound like Moby was either bored or on his 90th take. The guitar rocks though. It is definitely a more safe song, also why did Gwen Stefani show up on this song. 8.25/10 Rushing: Pure instrumental with an occasional sample. Sounds really good, great build up and the sample is used very well. Since it's just instrumental, and Moby has really good instrumentals, this is obviously really good. It does feel like it's lacking something, but I don't really know what. 8.75/10 Bodyrock: I can't tell if I like this or not. I think the sample kinda sucks and doesn't really fit with the songs before it, but it works really well with the instrumental when it's the "we rock the body section. The instrumental is pretty good, nice rock usually. When the guitar does it's own weird drunk thing it kinda sucks, but it's usually really good. 8.5/10 Natural Blues: Nice. Nice sample, nice instrumental, just the most nice nice can get. I don't really know what else to say, but it's very ethereal. 9.2/10 Machete: What happened between Natural Blues and Machete. That was such a jarring transition. It goes hard, but still. Is this what a DMT trip sounds like? I really like this, and it's probably one of the most memorable songs, but that transition from Natural Blues was very weird. 9/10 7: huh. How do I even rate this? I feel like this is a bad omen for what's about to come. Pretty weird ambient stuff, not entirely sure why Moby went for this but I guess it works?????????????????????? 2.34/10 Run On: Better than 7 by a mile. More of the sample-heavy old soul remix stuff, although the verses don't sound that good. Really good chorus. I don't know what weird instrument he pitched down and annihilated at the end, but it brings the rating down a bit. 7.8/10 Down Slow: literally just 7 but a little better. Good choir vocals, and it sounds less drunk than 7. Still nothing much to rate. 2.75/10 If Things Were Perfect: ngl this kinda sucks. The instrumental is dead :(. Moby also sounds dead, that or he hasn't slept since the gilded age. The sample is the only sign of life on this entire song, that and maybe a few parts of the instrumental. 5/10 Everloving: I feel like my standards have been lowered after the last 4ish songs. Nice guitar, and the overall instrumental is super good. The only real complaints are that the guitar is basically the only thing for like an entire minute, and Moby's humming is weird. 7.28/10 Inside: how did we go from honey to this. Very calm and relaxing, although it isn't really doing a whole lot. I actually was surprised by the piano, not because it's really good (even thought it is) but because it is actually something different. Sounds good and that's kinda all I need at this point. 7.82/10 Guitar Flute & String: Seriously, how DID we get here from Honey. Apparently this is Moby's favorite on the album? It's okay I guess. Good ambient music that a teacher would play in the background. 6.35/10 The Sky Is Broken: There is not a single thing that is happening in the instrumental. I really don't wanna hear Moby tell me his poem while he's actively drifting off into a 20 year coma, which has pretty okay writing. The only notable thing in the instrumental are the strings that appear when Moby finally sleeps and the two piano keys that are on loop. Way too long. 3/10 My Weakness: You know what? This is good I think. Very cinematic strings, and the weird ass distorted vocals fit pretty well for a beautiful, yet haunting song. It's so much better than ending on The Sky Is Broken, but it's still not really too interesting. It does use a fade out outro, which I usually hate, but it works in this scenario because the album gets progressively more calmer. How the hell did we go from Honey to this. 6.25/10
I really liked this album. Normally techno isn’t my thing, but this is different. It’s not just mindless beats, there’s a lot more variety to it.
Not sure how this manages to be both very good and terribly lame at the same time. 3/5
I appreciate the minimalism in most of the tracks. They're very easy to listen to, and don't feel overly in your face. Definitely like it most when it feels like an ambient album, the more repetitive dancey parts I can definitely miss. I like the second half of the tracklist better than the first with the exception of porcelain.
Säkert fantastiskt att dansa till! Lyssna rakt igenom, not so much. Trea!
I really liked the upbeat first half. The downbeat back half (everything after "Everloving" more or less) was ok but kind of a bummer after the first half. I feel like if this had been an album and an EP the album would have gotten rated higher.
It's fine - it's just slowed house music though. There's some fun snippets, but it just feels like a really long album.
I can’t ever think about Moby, without thinking about Charles. Charles gave this album to me in 11th grade. At the time, this just totally felt like Charles music. It’s kind of weird, but kind of cool. It’s easy to listen to but also not pop. Cool drum beats and samples. This does feel like music that the world forgot and just kind of moved on. EDM became something entirely different. I really the vocal melodies and blues elements of this record though. It’s unique!
I listened to the first 18 tracks of the 2 1/2 hour long version on Apple Music which appears to correspond to the original release. You know, this was better than I expected. Some songs get a bit repetitive which is par for the course for this kind of music. It also got boring and kind of pretentious and creepy at the end. Best track: Run On I think I heard this guy was cancelled for something or other. I don't know exactly what for, so it's not affecting my rating.
Moby might be one of THE toughest challenges facing both my actual music preferences, and my admitted biases. When I was younger, I didn’t understand Aphex Twin. I thought it was just bleepy noise, that dubstep and electro house was where it’s at. Not too long ago, this list even broke through my preconceptions about how whiny the smiths were (to an extent, at least). But Moby…Moby was and has been a tough nut for me to crack. All I ever heard was wallpaper music that sat in the boring middle ground between music for ambience and actually palpable electronic music you could move to. ‘Electronica’ has been a tough moniker in general for me that I’m only really getting over my dispositions for in the past year or so. All of this to say, I have been waiting for this one, for better or for worse. Did Moby deserve the success this album brought on? Have I aged enough to ‘understand’ Moby? Does age = broader taste? Is it a ‘me’ problem? Well, it's complicated. The music on here is very fundamental. I wouldn't be mad at you if you just called them beats. And the beats take a downturn once "Southside" hits in the tracklisting. The classic 90's slowed breakbeat doesnt change, but the singing on this track isnt it. I liked the new age, surreal moments on "Porcelain" and "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" well enough, but this just wasnt it. A song like "Machete" is a good example of what I feel this album lacks: impact. There's just no punch in most of these songs. They're more vibes than songs, or somewhere stranded in the middle between a vibe and a song. "Down Slow" works better as an interlude, becuase it's jsut that - an interlude. A short, hazy beat that knows when to leave after a minute and a half. I think DJ Shadow's Endtroducing... does everything this record fails to do. Endtroducing is additive and wandering, sometimes randomly frenetic, always engaging and/or mysterious. Play is just a bit too wallpaperish, too frequently. Maybe good for a kickback, that's about all. I can't say my opinions totally changed on this album, and on Moby so far. While I understand the appeal a tiny bit more, and recognize this music has its place, I still dont know that we all lifted the right guy to such great heights during his peak. Nothing sticks.
Had to skip through the first two songs cause the repetitiveness was a sensory nightmare for me but Porcelain was a recognisable tune so it started to redeem itself. But then I remembered how much I used to hate 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?' and had to skip again. But then it got brought back again with two good songs, so I started having a change of heart. Ultimately, it was a bit of a mixed album. Half of it I got irritated by and skipped, the other half was reasonable
Good ambient music but that's about it for me.
I feel like every song is the ending of the first Bourne Identity movie. It’s a moood.
I like this. But I don't love it. I wouldn't rush to listen to the whole album again. But pretty cool. And he seems like a pretty cool person, too.
Interesting one this, I bought it on the strength of Porcelain and Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad, and I played it a lot but always skipped a few tracks. Listening for the first time in years it's still three tracks deep into the album that I love: Everloving, Guitar Flute & String and My Weakness. The samples and beats work well elsewhere but these instrumentals have so much depth and emotion. Too patchy for a 4 :(
Instantly recognisable and quite timeless too. A good listen with some definite highs, but admittedly not one with a lasting impact on me, and therefore I am unlikely to listen from front to back often. Good music, and a good album - not a great album though.
Porcelain is one of the best song ever, such a vibe! Moby is like a more mystical disco version of pitbull