Zack: I have a very deep, spiritual connection with
the song Don’t You Want Me. The chorus of which plays whenever I walk down city
streets. I know, it’s kind of a weird thing and I’ve often wished for something
a tad more subtle (some Right Said Fred, perhaps). But, alas, my wishes have
always been in vain and so I have grown accustomed to the blaring synths. But I
never bothered to check what the origins of this accursed song were. Until now, that is. The Human League, apparently, are responsible for that incredibly
catchy song, as well as several others. It’s not hard to see why. They write
synthpop so poppy and synthy that it probably makes Owl City weep tears of
jealousy. Obviously, Don’t You Want Me is the biggest song on this album, but I
was incredibly drawn to Seconds. It was like this weird, obstructively
melancholy iceberg in the middle of a sea of upbeat pop. Apparently, it’s about
the assassination of JFK. On a second listen of Seconds, that started to make
more sense. There are mentions of parades and a loud booming before describing
his face going white. But, at first, I wasn’t paying attention to the lyrics
because I was so distracted by how somber the music was. It’s weird for me to
eschew paying close attention to lyrics, so that should capture just how
gripping the story told by the synths is. It was masterful storytelling that
didn’t even need the words. It’s funny how hit-or-miss New Wave has been on the
list. There are pretty clearly good and bad categories and no one seems to fall
in between. The Human League isn’t at the Duran Duran level (I still listen to
The Chauffeur all the time), but Seconds alone brings it damn close.
Emily: This was one of my favorite New Wave albums we've listened to thus far. Synth-heavy music can go one of two ways: dark, mopey, and weird; or fun and danceable pop. Both have their merits, but I prefer the latter, the realm in which Dare! clearly resides. I only knew Don't You Want Me before listening to the album, a wonderful earworm of song that rivals Tainted Love and Whip It for catchiness. The rest of the album lives up to the delight of that song as well. Though few songs inspire deep consideration (Seconds being an exception), it's a solid, fun synth-pop album that will have you bobbing your head and busting out some cheesy (err, sweet) '80s dance moves.
Favorite Tracks: Don't You Want Me; The Sound of the Crowd; Love Action (I Believe in Love)
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