RECORD COLLECTIONS / ALEX

I got into this record after making several mix cds for various parties (5 buddies + 80s music + whatever girls we could convince to drop in before they went out to a club) in high school. After getting beyond the album's single "Don't You Want Me," I realized that The Human League, and the whole new wave movement was much more than the 3 minute radio hits we tend to remember now. Most people view new wave as being "punk with synths," but the arrangements on "Dare!" were not only ahead of their time, they expanded the definition of music by experimenting with tones and other traditionally amusical sounds. The two most "radio friendly" tracks, "Don't You Want Me" and "Love Action" feature heavily syncopated and opposing rhythm synth lines, with layer upon layer of leads above them. "Dare" also relied entirely on a Linn drum for the percussion, a sound that has since become synonymous with 80s pop. On the more experimental side "Seconds" is an epic (and I do not use that word lightly), relentlessly driving song about the assassination of JFK. Lacking a memorable melody, it's a great example of synth tones taking centre stage. For all of it's technical attributes, this record is undeniably danceable. It perfectly captures the evolution of The Human League from a punk/avante garde/electronic band into a commercial pop band. And while some purists may prefer Heaven 17, "Dare!" more than made it's mark on pop music, and my Friday nights in 2001.