The Human League's first album in more than six years isn't a complete success, but it's a welcome return from Sheffield's finest synth pop band.
Only a handful of songs, among them "All I Ever Wanted," "Love Me Madly?," "Never Give Your Heart," "Liar," and "Reflections," stand up against the band's finest work from the past, but these songs are wholly endearing in their marriage of modern technology and the band's romantic sound.
"Love Me Madly?" is particularly engaging, as it throttles along aggressively thanks to Phil Oakey's mad, repeated chant of the title and lyrics like "I'm getting ready for a freak-out." It's simultaneously an urgent and exhilarating grasp at the past and a gaze into the future.
Updated technology adds more dimension and bite to "Liar" as well.
The song's crunchy bass and racing electronic sounds make for punchy fun.
"Reflections" might be the standout track, its weird samples and loopy style recalling past glories like "Empire State Human." The album's Achilles' heel is its seven instrumental tracks.
Some of them are quite interesting, but they feel too much like meandering song fragments.
Secrets is a minor work against the band's masterpiece, Dare, but it's still a fine introduction into the 21st century for Oakey and company.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All I Ever WantedPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | NervousPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 02:04 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 3 | ShamelessPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 03:55 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | 122.3 BPMPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 01:39 | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| 5 | RanPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 00:49 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 6 | The SnakePhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 7 | RinginglowPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 8 | LiarPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | LamentNeil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 01:12 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 10 | ReflectionsPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 06:37 | 15 MB | 47 MB |
| 11 | BrutePhilip Oakey | The Human League | Play | 02:26 | 5 MB | 13 MB |
| 12 | Sin CityPhilip Oakey | The Human League | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 13 | ReleaseNeil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 01:58 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 14 | You'll Be SorryPhilip Oakey, Neil Sutton | The Human League | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 15 | Love Me Madly | The Human League | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 16 | Never Give Your Heart | The Human League | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 51 mins | 118 MB | |||||
| 51 mins | 351 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave Bascombe | Mixing |
| 2 | Joanne Catherall | Band |
| 3 | Paul Cox | Photography |
| 4 | Ross Cullum | Engineer, Programming, Sound Design |
| 5 | Pete Davis | Engineer, Programming, Sound Design |
| 6 | Robin Hancock | Engineer |
| 7 | The Human League | Primary Artist |
| 8 | Jimmy Johnson | Assistant |
| 9 | Mike Marsh | Mastering |
| 10 | Andrew Nicholls | Assistant |
| 11 | Philip Oakey | Band, Composer |
| 12 | Peacock | Art Direction, Design |
| 13 | Neil Sutton | Composer, Keyboards |
| 14 | Toy | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |