The Human League | Dare [Compact Disc] CD

When flipping through the annals of new-wave history, one can easily enough overlook the entry marked “Human League”. But the truth of the matter is, this Phil Oakey-helmed synth-pop outfit was crucial to the movement, and Dare!, its third release, is an absolute linchpin. Thanks to its breakthrough single “Don’t You Want Me”, the record almost single-handedly made it safe to like new wave, and an MTV video gave it a fashionable face that was impossible to ignore. The sound was theatrical and awash with kitschy keyboards, but felt new and refreshing back in 1982. The League would never climb to such hooky aesthetic heights again; Dare! ranks as its greatest achievement–and it still sounds new and refreshing today. –Tom Lanham