An album review.
Danceteria, named after the iconic NYC night club Soft Cell frequented, is a pill-happy, ecstasy-addled recall of memories from the sparkling and bumping city of New York. Achingly nostalgic, Marc Almond and Dave Ball re-explore the 1982 version of The Big Apple through this retelling of love, drugs, and movement. Danceteria is a love ballad addressed to the perverse, seedy side of New York City we don’t often see painted in a positively glamorous light quite like Marc describes.
Around this time last year, just as the making of Danceteria had wrapped up, David Ball — the second half of Soft Cell — passed away peacefully in his sleep, according to his family. He and Marc Almond met in 1977, both men attending Leeds Beckett University, formerly known as Leeds Polytechnic at the time they went, to study art. Soft Cell was formed the same year. In 1981, Soft Cell released the single Tainted Love — y’know, the song that goes *dink-dink* — and became a worldwide sensation. Over the next 4 years, they would release two more albums following their first, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, before disbanding for an indefinite amount time. In 2000, a whole 18 years later, Soft Cell reunited for another run, and have been working together (inconsistently) ever since.
The album kicks off with a moody, pounding, semi-instrumental track titled ‘Elusive’, that calls back to the iconic, fiery hellscape of the 1983 song ‘Martin’ on Soft Cell’s second album, The Art of Falling Apart. When it hits the two minute mark of the song, a meticulously chopped up sample plays:
“There's an old saying, ‘Life is what happens while you're making plans.’ In other words, you can sit there and plan all you like, it doesn't matter. You don't know what history is going to, uh, embrace and discard. While we were going through our thing in the '80s we didn't sit there and go, ‘Oh, this is going to be remembered.’”
a quote from Anita Sarko in the 2015 SOUND&SILENCE interview by Svetlana Samoshina, setting the reminiscent, wistful tone of the album. While listening to the intro track, it tells you exactly how the album will play out with Dave Ball’s familiarly dark synthesizers and the crying saxophones transporting you back into the year 1982 when Soft Cell really got to enjoy themselves in New York — partying all night long. Welcome to the Danceteria.
Broadly, the album plays almost like a story — while not as linear as a concept album would be. Danceteria listens like quick glimpses into different scenes that Marc and Dave lived through during their sleazy exploration of New York City. The album has two very distinct moods as you go through it: One, brooding, almost gothic in its drama, and two, sweet, nearly lovesick in its rose-colored glasses perspective.
Of course, the title track was an absolute standout on the album for me. If I’m being one hundred percent honest, I would say it’s the best song off the album — especially considering it was the first released single. Danceteria perfectly describes Marc’s vision with the album. Coming in at hot number two, is the 11th track, “Losing Yourself”. The song is spacey and slightly somber. Losing Yourself is a great blend of Soft Cell’s original sound from their beginning era in the ‘80s with a feel of modernism. Lastly on my list of striking tunes is The Space Inside. This song is classically danceable, reminding me much of something Ultravox could’ve written. It makes you want to move your body. Just listening to the song, I can imagine the low lights, the colorful club lasers, a drink in hand, and a friend by my side dancing along with me.
This album, considering its sentimental tone, is made for the original fans. The goal, I don’t think — while of course always is a hope — was to draw in a new audience. Danceteria was made as a closing, end credits title card to the Soft Cell project, a reflection and a farewell. And so to Soft Cell, I say “thank you” and “goodnight”.