The 1982 Listening Post - Secret Affair - Business As Usual

 Secret Affair - Business As Usual

January 29 1982 LISTENING POST DISCOVERY

Secret Affair

Business As Usual

Genre: New Mod Wave Pop

4.5 out of 5

Highlights:

Do You Know?

I Could Be You

Somewhere In the City

Three Wise Monkeys

One Voice in the Darkness

I know I’m in the minority but something about Secret Affair’s melding of Mod Revival and New Wave while also sounding a bit like XTC without the grand artistic vision sits well with me.

This is their last attempt at relevancy until 2012 but I had a joyful blast with this one. 

No, “Lost in the Night (Mack the Knife)” isn’t a cover. It’s just an infectious dance rock bop. 

Was “I Could Be You” a single? It should have been. It’s early 80s dance hall retro 60s energy and I am here for it. And then close out Side One with “Somewhere in the City”, a song which is begging for a video of open fire hydrants, right? I want to watch kids jump rope on a hot day and draw hopscotch on the asphalt while adults sweat and jump into the street to dance. 

Side Two is a harbinger of what groups like Wham! will be bringing to the table. 

I loved this record. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/business-as-usual/400344157