Fridae

Ms Scary has always been fascinated by Moby - after all, he's bald, he's vegan, he's supposedly celibate, and he's named after a mythical white whale. However, Ms Scary hasn't always enjoyed Moby's brand of "innovative" music - despite the praise heaped upon the pop maverick's genre-splicing sounds as epitomised by the Grammy-winning Play (1999) and 18 (2002).

Thankfully, the latest release from the man who is occasionally known as Little Idiot offers an accessible palate of guitar-driven pop, 80s New Wave electro and euphoric ambient sounds - all bearing the musical manipulation that have become Moby's trademark.

Featuring 14 tracks (and one hidden track) all written and produced by the great-great-grand-nephew of Herman Melville (author of Moby Dick), Hotel marks a departure for Moby by being his first album to feature his nondescript vocals (read: droning) predominantly and remain sample-free.

Guest-starring vocalist Laura Brown on selected tracks, Hotel encompasses guitar pop ("Beautiful" and "Spiders"); brooding ballads ("Love Should" and the chill-out cover of New Order's "Temptation"); euphoric electro-disco ("Lift Me Up" and "Very" which one critic described as "Moroder-esque gay disco chug"); and introspective instrumentals ("Hotel Intro" and "Homeward Angel").

In Ms Scary's opinion, the aptly titled Hotel is indeed a well-crafted and well-rounded album in which listeners can leave behind their musical baggage, lose themselves and spend an hour or so in captivating yet intimate sound surrounds.

Scary's Selected Spins: "Beautiful," "Lift Me Up," "Where You End," "Temptation," "Spider," "Dream About Me" and "Love Should."