Record #136: Split Enz' 'History Never Repeats: The Best of Split Enz''
I don’t make a habit of listening to greatest hits collections for this project, but considering my limited exposure to Spit Enz, I thought History Never Repeats would be a pretty good place to start. As New Zealand’s primary new wave export, the endlessly theatrical Split Enz were active throughout the late ’70s and early ’80s, and they had a couple of semi-memorable pop hits—most notably “I Got You.” This record is full of fast-moving, keyboard-saturated pop numbers with extraordinarily catchy vocal hooks over a tastefully modest, thumping rhythm section. Split Enz mostly compose bopping, feel-good, saccharine arrangements with weird guitar flourishes and fewer dark elements than most of their new wave contemporaries. A lot of these numbers are catchy and absurdly dance-worthy, though there are a handful of duds. I certainly don’t consider Split Enz especially innovative within the early-’80s new wave movement, but if you’re looking for a good collection of pop tunes from the era, I recommend this one.
