The argument against him:
• Nearly everything since Play.
• The fact that we had to hear Play shilling everything from Levi's to Bailey's Irish Cream to FIFA 2001.
• His New York cafe Teany doesn't take credit cards.

The defense:
• His condemnation of Eminem's rough treatment of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at the 2002 VMAs.
• His devotion to the noble pursuit of blogging.
• This awesome free mix of tracks from his April 1st album Last Night.

The summation:
I'm not just saying this because I'm reviewing the album and have listened to it so many times it's officially interwoven into my short-term memory. This is a super-fun return-to-form record that attempts to recreate the experience of a woozy night out dancing in New York (sadly, it's largely a New York of yesteryear; thanks to crackdowns on clubs, wide-eyed revelers have fewer spots to twirl around a dance floor with random dudes from New Jersey).

Moby has produced a few stunning disco diva anthems ("The Stars," "Everyday It's 1989"), a handful of downtempo chill-outs (the title track, which features Kudu's Sylvia Gordon) and played around with MCs ("I Love to Move In Here," with rhymes from the Cold Crush Brothers' Grandmaster Caz). You can get a taste of some of the hot stuff here on that free download — listen before ye judge!

[Photo: Getty]