Moby [ tickets ] takes the opportunity on his sixth studio album to reminisce about the '80s and '90s New York dance-club circuit, while incorporating enough fresh electronic experiments to keep the sounds interesting.

Not since 1999's "Play" has Moby sounded so emotionally elevated and musically vibrant. With "Last Night," he showcases his fortes: cinematic atmospheres, climaxing melodies and striking vocals--usually mind-numbingly repetitious or beautifully serene. Some of the elements on "Last Night" are so closely associated with the old school club scene that they are practically cliche: accelerating drum beats, quick, bright piano chords and exaggerated symphonic highs. The nostalgia could grow tiresome, but Moby manages to keep it stimulating with his signature ambient fullness and unexpected style alterations--from techno, house, rap and disco to gospel and keyboard ballads.

"Ooh Yeah" kicks off the album with a frolicking, '70s-infused tune that could just as well be a Daft Punk and Lipps Inc collaboration. "I Love to Move in Here" might be the record's best dance track, with its tribal rhythms mashed against groovy piano chords, crowd-cheer samples, spacey dream-state vocals and raps by Grandmaster Caz.

Most of the selections pulse with an approachable--or at least tolerable--energy, usually strung along by multiple sonic layers. The unexpected turns of the music are one of the record's attributes, but sometimes the jolt is just too severe. The weakest point is "Alice," a forceful song with an incessant rap by Aynzli Jones and S.O.Simple & Smokey from 419 Squad that seems out of place among the other gliding, feel-good tunes. Another low moment comes with "257.Zero," which feels like a panic attack as a robotic female voice randomly and persistently calls out numbers over a techno-charged beat.

Having been a fixture in dance clubs since he was a teenager; Moby [ tickets ] has an acute awareness of the scene and its sounds, and "Last Night" is testament to that. Like a typical evening of nightclubbing, "Last Night" begins with anxious, high-strung energy, peaks like an invigorating dancehall experience, has a few rough moments, but eventually clings to calming atmospheric keyboards and graceful symphonies--making it feel like the ultimate climax and the sweetest comedown.