Moby - Animal Rights (2022 Expanded Edition) (2022)

The two guitar-based, pseudo-hardcore punk songs on EVERYTHING IS WRONG whetted Moby's appetite for destruction enough to yield ANIMAL RIGHTS, an album that is chock-full of guitars. Although ANIMAL RIGHTS is book-ended by two melancholy acoustic guitar and violin duets ("Now I Let it Go" and "Love Song for My Mother"), the rest of the record contains the kind of raucous and loud music Moby made with the obscure punk band the Vatican Commandos. Fans of Moby's ambient work might not find this record as appealing as those who favor Moby's aggressive side. However, it might be hard for anyone to resist the hard soloing on songs like the Prince-meets-Minor Threat thrash-fest "Come on Baby" or the slam-fests that are "Someone to Love," "Heavy Flow," and "You." "Soft" and "Say it's All Mine" bring the pace down for a few moments to allow those slam-dancing in their bedrooms to rest for a moment. "Face it" could almost pass for a Black Sabbath cover. The excellent "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" is a Mission of Burma cover.