"PORCELAIN" MOBY (1999)

For the next 30 days, I’ll be taking the #AprilAcrossAmerica challenge, picking one song a day as I make my way across the country and across genres at the same time.

Day 4: Fairfield County, CT

My early experience with Moby’s music consisted of devouring “techno” CD compilations and attending the occasional rave. These middle-of-the-night dance parties were fueled by Moby’s electronic vision. They were fun times. But it wasn’t until Moby released Play that I appreciated not just how his music made me move, but how it made me feel. From the first moment I heard Play, I just thought it was one the finest, fullest albums ever recorded, from top to bottom – rewriting elements of soul, funk, gospel and classical, just to name a few of the genres. “Porcelain” is one of the standouts from this breakthrough album.

This is the one track I always want to hear first. Delicate. Gorgeous. Soulful. Not rave Moby. This was a totally different side we hadn’t heard before. And it almost didn’t make it onto the album. Moby’s manager had to convince him this song was more than just “average”. Moby reluctantly agreed to include it. Thank God. Unlike many of the other tracks on Play, “Porcelain” relies mainly on its original synth compositions, not samples. There are still samples, but it’s Moby’s angelic keyboard wanderings and symphony-like chords that steal the show every single time.

“IN MY DREAMS I'M DYING ALL THE TIME. THEN I WAKE IT'S KALEIDOSCOPIC MIND. I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU. I NEVER MEANT TO LIE.”

"NEW DAWN FADES" MOBY (1994)

This month, I’m looking back at movies and tv shows to rediscover songs that graced the screen. The scenes and the music are inseparable. They’re engrained in our heads and our hearts. And they’re proof that the best music we have doesn’t exist in isolation. It attaches itself to a moment or an experience. #SceneSongs

Movie: Heat

Heat is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s not just a crime thriller. It’s the story of how hate and respect can indeed co-exist. It’s a reminder that we might have a lot more in common with our enemies than we might dare think. And few movies capture the dark, ominous and isolating veneer of L.A. as powerfully and as beautifully as Heat. Michael Mann needed an equally ominous soundscape, which he found in Moby’s cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades”. It’s the musical background for an unforgettable chase scene. When Pacino catches up to De Niro, he doesn’t take him in for questioning. He takes him to coffee.

While Joy Division’s original felt like it played out inside a dark cellar, Moby’s version sprawls across the L.A. cityscape. There’s an expansiveness felt in the performance and the production. The guitar riff soars up while the bass notes descend down. Can anybody be on the same level as Ian Curtis? Maybe not. But Moby certainly fared well in getting inside Curtis’ skin and into his shoes for a few epic, haunting minutes. I can’t think of a better track to rear its head as Heat neared its climax.

“WE'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING AND MORE. THE STRAIN IS TOO MUCH, CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE.”

"PORCELAIN" MOBY (1999)

Electronic albums play a huge role in my fascination with music. For me, synthesizers and drum machines aren’t better or worse than live drums and guitars. They’re just different. They make music much more imaginative for me. I think Nick Rhodes’ synth parts on those early Duran Duran albums were some of my first loves. Shimmery one moment, jarring the next. Rhodes’ keyboard flourishes changed the complexion of every song. This month, I’m featuring my Top 15 electronic albums along with one featured track.

Album: Play (1999)

My early experience with Moby’s music consisted of devouring “techno” CD compilations and attending the occasional rave. These middle-of-the-night dance parties were fueled by Moby’s electronic vision. They were fun times. But it wasn’t until Moby released Play that I appreciated not just how his music made me move, but how it made me feel. From the first moment I heard Play, I just thought it was one the finest, fullest albums ever recorded, from top to bottom – rewriting elements of soul, funk, gospel and classical, just to name a few of the genres. “Porcelain” is one of the standouts from this breakthrough album.

This is the one track I always want to hear first. Delicate. Gorgeous. Soulful. Not rave Moby. This was a totally different side we hadn’t heard before. And it almost didn’t make it onto the album. Moby’s manager had to convince him this song was more than just “average”. Moby reluctantly agreed to include it. Thank God. Unlike many of the other tracks on Play, “Porcelain” relies mainly on its original synth compositions, not samples. There are still samples, but it’s Moby’s angelic keyboard wanderings and symphony-like chords that steal the show every single time.

“In my dreams I'm dying all the time. Then I wake it's kaleidoscopic mind. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to lie.”

"NEW DAWN FADES" MOBY (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Heat

Heat is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s not just a crime thriller. It’s the story of how hate and respect can indeed co-exist. It’s a reminder that we might have a lot more in common with our enemies than we might dare think. And few movies capture the dark, ominous and isolating veneer of L.A. as powerfully and as beautifully as Heat. Michael Mann needed an equally ominous soundscape, which he found in Moby’s cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades”.

While Joy Division’s original felt like it played out inside a dark cellar, Moby’s version sprawls across the L.A. cityscape. There’s an expansiveness felt in the performance and the production. The guitar riff soars up while the bass notes descend down. Can anybody be on the same level as Ian Curtis? Maybe not. But Moby certainly fared well in getting inside Curtis’ skin and into his shoes for a few epic, haunting minutes. I can’t think of a better track to rear its head as Heat neared its climax.

“We'll give you everything and more. The strain is too much, can't take much more.”

"GO" MOBY (1991)

Each day in November, I’m revisiting a song from the 90’s — a decade that was a sorta coming of age for me. In that span, I experienced high school, college and my time as a young single guy in New York City. It was a decade of ups and downs, and the music never stopped playing during that span. It was always there with me. #30DaysOf90sSongs

The funny thing about music is that it will often get you to do things you thought you’d never do. The first time I really discovered this truth was probably in college. In my freshman year, I went to a Mighty Mighty Bosstones show at Boston’s The Middle East. Despite weighing maybe a buck twenty-five dripping wet at the time, something in that ska-drenched room told me to rush into the mosh pit. Not once, not twice, but several times. I came out of that mosh pit unscathed and utterly liberated. Fast forward to sophomore year, and I was ready for my next unexpected experience, led by Moby’s “Go”.

The legendary techno track was literally begging me to go. Where? To the rave. I was so hooked by this track and its peers that I went for it. My friends were somewhat impressed that I was able to scrounge up some threads worthy of a rave night. And so I boarded a yellow school bus that picked us up in Cleveland Circle on a Saturday night. It drove us off into the night to an abandoned health club on the outskirts of Boston. The glass-encased racquetball courts became chill rooms, and the gymnasium was our giant dance floor. I skipped on the recreational supplements, but I let the music carry me away. The night was headlined by Moby’s “Go” and several other tracks that I surrendered my heart until dawn. Like the mosh pit at the Middle East, I was once again liberated by this driving, unrelenting Moby classic.

"NATURAL BLUES" MOBY (1999)

For the second half of September, I’m putting my Mental Jukebox into a time machine, featuring the best songs on the best albums from the very best years of music. #70sThrough90sBestAlbum

With the Play album, Moby left the rave, but he didn’t leave electronica. He gave it a new skin, making it a desirable thing for listeners who wouldn’t necessarily spend their weekend nights at a techno club. Moby also found a way to make rhythm and blues accessible for a wider audience. In 1999, I couldn’t stop playing this album. But Track 8, in particular, was especially irresistable: “Natural Blues”.

The soul of the song is the sample from Vera Hall’s “Trouble So Hard”. But the heart is Moby’s synth and drumbeat orchestration. While some may think of the use of samples in music as lazy, Moby’s inclusion was anything but. “Natural Blues” was the result of sifting through countless folk and gospel field recordings. Hall’s haunting melody was recorded in 1937, but Moby’s track had this powerful way of resurrecting her voice and showing the world this hidden gem of a melody. Hall’s version was distraught and raw. Moby’s was gutsy and angst-ridden.

“Oh Lordy, Lord, trouble so hard. Oh Lordy, Lord, trouble so hard. Don't nobody know my troubles but God.”

"NEW DAWN FADES" MOBY (1994)

Exceptional soundtracks can make good movies great. They can also take on a life of their own, becoming a greater highlight than their respective films. In this series, I’m selecting some of my favorite soundtrack songs. While quite a few are well-known recordings, I’m also including a few that have flown under the radar over the years.

Heat is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s not just a crime thriller. It’s the story of how hate and respect can co-exist. It’s a reminder that we might have a lot more in common with our enemies than we think. And few movies capture the dark, ominous and isolating side of L.A. as powerfully and as beautifully as Heat. Michael Mann needed an equally ominous soundscape, which he found in Moby’s cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades”.

While Joy Division’s original felt like it played out inside a dark cellar, Moby’s version sprawls across the L.A. cityscape. There’s an expansiveness felt in the performance and the production. The guitar riff soars up while the bass notes climb down. I can’t think of a better track to rear its head as Heat neared its climax.

“We'll share a drink and step outside. An angry voice and one who cried. We'll give you everything and more. The strain is too much, can't take much more.”

"PORCELAIN" MOBY (1999)

This is one of the great ones from Moby’s breakthrough album. From the first moment I heard Play, I just thought it was one the finest, fullest albums ever recorded, from top to bottom. But “Porcelain” is the one track I always want to hear first. Delicate. Gorgeous. Soulful. Not rave Moby. This was a totally different side we hadn’t heard before. And it almost didn’t make it onto the album. Moby’s manager had to convince him this song was more than just “average”. Moby reluctantly agreed to include it. Thank God.

“In my dreams I'm dying all the time. Then I wake it's kaleidoscopic mind. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to lie.”