The Human League were one of the seminal groups of the 80s, producing a string of electro-pop classics that ensured them a place in chart history. They were so much of their time, however, that a new album from the Sheffield trio feels not just strange but more than a little pointless too. The music that once seemed futuristic now sounds tinny and hollow, many of the tracks are playground chants rather than songs and, to be perfectly blunt, Phil Oakey still can't sing properly. Secrets isn't a total embarrassment, but neither is it an album likely to be remembered for any length of time.
