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A few times a year, I come across an album that completely captures me. I get so hooked on it, and end up playing it on repeat, all day long. This summer, that album is Moby’s Resound NYC.
To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about Moby much lately, except for that one How I Met Your Mother episode where they meet a bald guy on New Year’s Eve and mistake him for Moby. Other than that, his music didn’t really grab my attention much. I mean, sure, I knew some of his banger songs, but that was about it.
But then, someone recommended this new album to me, and after the first minute, I knew that I’ll love it. Resound NYC doesn’t bring in any new songs, but instead it’s Moby’s older tracks from 1994 to 2010 in new orchestral arrangements. These versions are all absolute bangers. They’re both familiar but also refreshingly new.
Those songs were all influenced by his life in New York City, hence the title: Resound NYC. In a series of short videos on YouTube, Moby shares the stories behind each track. He talks about what life was like in NYC during those times, what he was going through personally, and how each song came to be. How he was living in decimated neighborhoods that were hit hard by the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s, and even how we was living in an abandoned factory…? It’s super interesting, inspiring and emotional.
There’s also the album Reprise from 2021, which also consists of new versions of his older songs, but Resound NYC is just… a whole new level. Interestingly enough, both albums feature the track “Extreme Ways”, and listening to both, you immediately notice how Resound NYC is much more vibrant and cinematic.
Even though Resound NYC made me listen to the original versions again, I just like the Resound NYC versions much more. And maybe that’s by design. Why would he want to make something worse? He transformed it from the music he wanted to release 25 years ago, to the music he wanted to release in 2023.
A few times a year, I come across an album that completely captures me. I get so hooked on it, and end up playing it on repeat, all day long. This summer, that album is Moby’s Resound NYC.
To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about Moby much lately, except for that one How I Met Your Mother episode where they meet a bald guy on New Year’s Eve and mistake him for Moby. Other than that, his music didn’t really grab my attention much. I mean, sure, I knew some of his banger songs, but that was about it.
But then, someone recommended this new album to me, and after the first minute, I knew that I’ll love it. Resound NYC doesn’t bring in any new songs, but instead it’s Moby’s older tracks from 1994 to 2010 in new orchestral arrangements. These versions are all absolute bangers. They’re both familiar but also refreshingly new.
Those songs were all influenced by his life in New York City, hence the title: Resound NYC. In a series of short videos on YouTube, Moby shares the stories behind each track. He talks about what life was like in NYC during those times, what he was going through personally, and how each song came to be. How he was living in decimated neighborhoods that were hit hard by the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s, and even how we was living in an abandoned factory…? It’s super interesting, inspiring and emotional.
There’s also the album Reprise from 2021, which also consists of new versions of his older songs, but Resound NYC is just… a whole new level. Interestingly enough, both albums feature the track “Extreme Ways”, and listening to both, you immediately notice how Resound NYC is much more vibrant and cinematic.
Even though Resound NYC made me listen to the original versions again, I just like the Resound NYC versions much more. And maybe that’s by design. Why would he want to make something worse? He transformed it from the music he wanted to release 25 years ago, to the music he wanted to release in 2023.
