THE HUMAN LEAGUE play the Guvernment September 18. See listing Rating: NN
Legend has it Philip Oakey originally hated the Human League’s biggest hit, Don’t You Want Me, and it was only put on the album and released as a single because the label insisted. Listening to the pioneering synth-pop band’s ninth studio album, you can’t help but wish there were still some major label hard-asses willing to strong-arm the band into putting their best foot forward instead of letting Oakey indulge his misplaced art-rock pretensions.
The lack of memorable choruses and melodies is made all the more frustrating by the surprisingly decent production. While Credo occasionally falters into dated computer-pop nostalgia, much of it successfully marries modern dance music elements with their classic sound. But when those beats are buried under monotone chanting of cheeseball lyrics, no amount of creative synthesizer-tweaking is going to save it.
Top track: Electric Shock
