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unless i'm goin nuts i can't see any embrace threads at all.
before coldplay they were pretty much considered the great white hope. they had that northern-accent-working-class thing goin on too for added '4 real' appeal, but having warmed up (2nd to last on the bill) for bowie at glastonbury 2000, it all seemed to hit the skids.
no mention of them for a long time since. the 3rd album was a let down, but they still have a massive fanbase, and a little digging into the archives of the music press, depite the odd kicking (for reasons unspecified) actually reveals 9/10 albums, 'best gig of the year' reviews etc all over the place. they *looked* like they were going to be massive. one of the most extreme reactions to any gig ever seen was for them @ sheffield leadmill in 1997, wherein danny n had to keep pleading with people to, basically stop screaming during the quiet bits. their track 'blind' off the first e.p. is one of the great 'holy shit what's that ?' guitar tracks of the 90's, the perfecto remixes get a hammering at my house, they were a fck sight better than history judged them and now ?

http://www.nme.com/news/107116.htm

well i for one am expecting good things and the big career revival. good on em. listen without prejudice people !

― piscesboy, Monday, 22 December 2003 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

the only embrace i'd consider listening to is ian mackaye's pre fugazi band

― leigh (leigh), Monday, 22 December 2003 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.ilxor.com/searchresults.php?board=2&q=embrace&mode=threads

I'd actually forgotten about them 'till this popped up, I must admit. I didn't like them much - the singer was really flat, even worse than bbby gllsp, which is an achievement of sorts, I suppose.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 22 December 2003 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember the first time I saw an ad for an embrace album in a magazine. I was thinking, "Why would Ian MacKaye put that group back together?"

It was only later I found out how bad this version of embrace was (later calling them a "faceless britpop outfit" on this very board).

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 22 December 2003 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

They were terrible, almost as bad as Coldplay.

― C-Man (C-Man), Monday, 22 December 2003 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

They were largely terrible, although "Hooligan" really impressed me.

― person#0 (person#0), Monday, 22 December 2003 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

the music has aged really badly. i was a big fan around the time of their album, now i can't imagine ever bothering to listen to it again. the singer's voice really is as bad as everyone said.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 22 December 2003 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

i liked get back to what you know, still think it's sort of ok

― pete s, Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Uergh.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 01:05 (twenty-one years ago)

There are bugger-all threads cos they'd completely stopped mattering by the time ILM got going. I still stand by that dozen or so songs that are great, but unless the new material is totally mind-blowing then I've had more than enough.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 01:14 (twenty-one years ago)

oh god, this lot. my brother has an album by them - "Drawn from Memory". it's very poor - a flat vocalist singing boring songs. they made a lot of unfeasibly bold claims about their own greatness. if they'd been modest, they mightn't have become a figure of fun so quickly. or maybe that confidence was what got them some success in the first place. who knows or cares?

"but unless the new material is totally mind-blowing then I've had more than enough..."

New material?!!!! Good God, they can't still be making records! who on earth would pay money to hear such a thing?

actually, i once did, so i can't complain really. i liked "come back to what you know" so i bought the single in a second-hand shop. i think i still have it.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 01:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll make you a CD, kilian. If you like...

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 01:36 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

Working with Youth is a fucking good idea.

― Absolutely not Sick Nouthall because I'm sworn to secrecy (Nick Southall), Monday, 19 April 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

The band drink in the bar of a hotel I sometimes have to stay in. I ain't an embrace fan, but overhearing the line "We've got most of the album written, but Danny has to write the big hit single" made me shudder.

― ___ (___), Monday, 19 April 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Knowing the guys as I do I'd imagine that was said in jest. And even if it wasn't, wouldn't it be fine for a hip hop or pop or dance act to say something similar?

― Absolutely not Sick Nouthall even though you may think so (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 07:46 (twenty-one years ago)

bands have no damn idea which of their own songs would be a hit and which wouldn't anyway

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 07:50 (twenty-one years ago)

This is laregly true, Jim.

― Still not Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:02 (twenty-one years ago)

ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ahahahahah ha haa haaha... embrace... ha hahahaha.a..

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:13 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~bpantano/GIFS/laughing.gif

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:15 (twenty-one years ago)

You're the headbanging one, eh Doomie?

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Nice to see you nicked that jpeg off Jon Williams too.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:21 (twenty-one years ago)

oh stop it the pair of you.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:22 (twenty-one years ago)

He only does it cuz he luvvs me.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that might count as entering UNSAFE SPACE

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh dear.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:25 (twenty-one years ago)

embrace make me laugh!

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyway, terrible though Embrace were, they at least had some comedy value WHICH IS MORE THAN CAN BE SAiD FOR RIALTO, EH?????/

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:26 (twenty-one years ago)

argh mind-meld x-post!!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:26 (twenty-one years ago)

The Libertines make me

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:26 (twenty-one years ago)

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:27 (twenty-one years ago)

you good good people - listen to me!

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~bpantano/GIFS/laughing.gif

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Precisely how old are you? Aren't you like 34?

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:29 (twenty-one years ago)

nope, way younger than that!

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:29 (twenty-one years ago)

32?

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:30 (twenty-one years ago)

younger.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:32 (twenty-one years ago)

But you're older than, say, 13?

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:33 (twenty-one years ago)

anyways, i thought that this was supposed to be about embrace? come back to what you know, nick. ha haa.a..

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Awful tune. Always hated it.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:37 (twenty-one years ago)

i have always loved embrace's big sweeping ballads, just because the singer so patently isn't up to the job of matching the melodies, and this vulnerability is very touching to me.

― stevie (stevie), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I love 'em when they're loud and vainglorious. And when they do lovely shiny summery pop tunes.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:41 (twenty-one years ago)

My favourite Embrace moment was when they did The Good Will Out at Glasto 98, with that horrible faux-Hey Jude 'nah nah nah' chorus at the end. I saw it on telly after the festival, and before that end bit kicked in, singer bloke shouted "sing it!" and held is mic out to the audience. And no one sang. He'd been waiting for that moment all his life, and fell flat on his face. Arf!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Schadenfreude is most unbecoming on you, Matt.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 09:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sure matt will be relieved, that that made you not want to be coming on him, now.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 09:18 (twenty-one years ago)

???

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 09:22 (twenty-one years ago)

come back to what you know.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 10:09 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

I'd revive this to mention that their new single has been written by Chris Martin, but nobody cares. The label (almost) made them do it.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 11:23 (twenty-one years ago)

no! what?!!

― piscesboy, Wednesday, 16 June 2004 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

It's a tune he wrote a while ago and gave to Embrace cos he thought it was more them than Coldplay. I've heard a evrsion of Martin doing it solo w/piano which is... dull. I'm reliably informed that Embrace's version has "hair on its knackers". Fourth album out on 13th September.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 13:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Chris Martin fancies himself as the British Linda Perry.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

He does, doesn't he? Jamelia, Embrace, Ash, The Streets...

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

It could be good. I don't know which Ash song he wrote, but the album's not bad, Dry Your Eyes is top.. as for Jamelia, well the song is terrible, and doubly so because it's her next single (instead of the brilliant "Taxi") . Linda Perry has done some quite good stuff (well, considering how bad 4 Non Blonds were..), and as such that's probably a more charitable comparison than he deserves.. but anyway I'm looking forward to it even if I only have the first Embrace album...

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 13:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Pick up Drawn From Memory if you see it cheap, and email me for a list of b-sides I'd suggest downloading if yr interested.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)

EMBRACE UK IS THE PREFERRED NAME THANKS

― 0r4l R0b3rt5 (ex machina), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

The singles off Drawn From Memory (Hooligan, You're Not Alone) are what made me lose interest! That Playing God feature of yours does indicate that perhaps there are treasures from later on, though.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"Embrace UK" sound like a UKIP slogan, Oral, plus Ian mackaye didn't have a problem with it, so neither should you.

Ed, there are definitely plenty of burried gems from later on.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

The album is, frankly, utterly surprising. I was expecting very little after the last one (two great songs bookending a load of lacklustre ones, rushed and ignored by the label whilst recording it), and I've been knocked off my feet. it is VERY strong and I'm pretty confident it will do incredibly well. The two things that keep jumping up as comparison points are The Bends Urban Hymns (neither of which I particularly like, and indeed the latter I very much dislike, but you know what I mean), or maybe A Northern Soul, but much more positive, much bigger tunes, much more uplifting, and while it doesn't really sound like either it certainly has that feeling of utterly contemporary enormousness. The Chris Martin tune is a red-herring, and probably the weakest song on the record, but even so fits very nicely, and I've become rather fond of it in a condescending way (haha). Plus there's a b-side on the single called "Too Many Times" which is like Timbaland producing The Verve, insanalist ryhthms and huge, evil guitars. The album (and TMT) is produced by Youth, and he's done a magnificent job - it sounds incredible, huge and detailed and alive and spontaneous.

Just thought you'd like to know. Except most of you wont because they're (still) the most maligned and misunderstood band in the country with the most fucked-up relationship with the press ever.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 08:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I heard their new single on the internet the other day and was surprised at how bad it was even compared to a song like 'Hooligan'.

Probably the only Britpop band to use bagpipes on their first single.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 10:03 (twenty-one years ago)

To be fair, Hooligan wasn't very good (sorry Nick), but I Wouldn't Wanna Happen To You was very good indeed.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 10:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Bagpipes?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 11:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick clearly needs some company in Embrace appreciation here. I like them. I never really understood all the extreme hatred directed their way. Although I do tend to favour the big ballads, they can rock out when necessary. My personal favourite track (b-side to something) is You've Only Got To Stop To Get Better. Great use of brass. Fave ballad probably If You Feel Like A Sinner, but I'll probably change my mind...

I like the new single, and I'm jealous of your access to the album pre-release (my journo connections here don't extend to Independiente sadly). I hope it's as good as you say, Nick.

I tried to get into that secret gig #10 page but no luck. Oh well.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Monday, 2 August 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

Just to reiterate... The new album really is very good indeed. I am very, very pleasantly surprised. I'm still listening to it pretty much every day; the onyl thing I've listened to nearly this much this year is the BP album. It will surprise a lot of people, and, I think, do very very well.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 23 August 2004 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

Out today. Not that ILM cares, but LOTS of other people will. Piscesboy, Mr Bolton, etcetera - head out and buy it.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 13 September 2004 08:33 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah i might actually. even danny mac says
he doesn't like the last lp. i like the single,
for an indie tune like.

― piscesboy, Monday, 13 September 2004 09:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Glad to see this thread back - only to show pride in the fact that the big first single they were struggling to write was finally written by someone else.

― ___ (___), Monday, 13 September 2004 10:20 (twenty-one years ago)

There are a few gems on the album, actually. "Spell It Out" and "Keeping" are, er, keepers, for me.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 13 September 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Interview here - http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1225

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 13 September 2004 11:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I've just been told that the album's already gone gold, meaning it's shifted 100,000 since yesterday morning.

And I still don't understand why ___ is hung up about "the big single" - if Embrace didn't have scruffy hair and guitars then no one would be bothered at all about them saying things like "we need to write a big single", or, indeed, having a single written for them by someone else. Whinging about that kind of thing is bizarrely rockist for ILM, surely?

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 08:39 (twenty-one years ago)

i suppose the thinking being that indie types complain about pop stars being manufactured and talentless so much that there must be some gloating now that one of "their lot" succumbs to the same "sin".

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 08:58 (twenty-one years ago)

i think gold denotes the number of copies ordered in by the shops, rather than bought by the punters (chart position the other way around, and frequently contradicts the other accordingly - ie. an artist with a lower chart position might go gold before someone in a higher position).

but still, it's pretty impressive at this stage in their career to go gold this early. that's not to say i actually *like* their music though.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:04 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe embrace are the david james of brit rock?

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:06 (twenty-one years ago)

embrace=neil shipperley

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The thing is that Embrace were never meant to be an indie band - they were always about selling loads of records and being everywhere. All the big choruses, handclaps, la-la-las and ba-ba-bas; they're all pop accoutrements. That's why real indie snobs fucking hate them, because they're not snide and indie enough. And lapsed indie kids who are now pop/dance kids can't like them because of the residual hangover.

I was gonna say Micky Hazard.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:09 (twenty-one years ago)

And yeah, the 100,000 is shipped rather than sold thus far, but Weller is only 100 copies ahead in the midweeks (or was an hour ago when I got the text).

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:10 (twenty-one years ago)

they are indie though, like the thrills, like weller, because the 'talent gap' is in operation. meaning? 'they can't sing? doesn't matter! they *want* to sing.' chris martin can write a tune though.

― Dead Man, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Britney Spears can't sing!

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:19 (twenty-one years ago)

perhaps, but she plays to her strengths, ie you might not *notice* with her. on the original 'good good people' you *really* noticed!!

― Dead Man, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, but the original AYGGP was a demo! I fully accept Embrace's weaknesses - I've told them about it to their face often enough - but they've made a really, really fucking good album this time out, and I'm eager for them not to be hamstrung by received wisdom and value judgements based on past failings.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:27 (twenty-one years ago)

embrace suck. 'proper' music ain't it? ain't it? sheesh. they are the poor man's ocean colour scene. which is alright. i guess. but i preferred small faces to humble pie. i guess they are like the indie jamelia or britney cause they got a songwriter in to get them the big hit. that's the most interesting thing about embrace in like? seven years?

(evoke fury of fanboy nick - see below)

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:30 (twenty-one years ago)

haha i was waiting for doomie to show up!

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, Doomie, that'd be why your boss came crawling to them for an interview and agreed to pull the negative album review when Danny told him to fuck off.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:35 (twenty-one years ago)

oh. that's 'embrace' story. right. ok...

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:41 (twenty-one years ago)

my favourite embrace phase is their desperate travis sound-u-like one.

c'mon. single written by chris martin. of course that is going to do well. the true test is the album. which is pretty bloody bad.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Doomie, don't you like the Libertines? Do the words 'leg to stand on' mean anything to you?

― Dead Man, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:48 (twenty-one years ago)

if the embrace album goes top ten, i will purchase it and apologise to nick.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Doomie, it's shipped 100,000 already. It's number two in the midweeks. They have never sounded anything like Travis or OCS. wtf are you talking about?

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

shipped not sold.

if that is the case i'll wait a few weeks and pick my copy up at fopp for three quid.

omg wtf this is embrace!

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:20 (twenty-one years ago)

This is just the type of kneejerk scenester badge-owning dead-soldier-coat-wearing BOLLOCKS that I'd expect from you, Doomie.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

And I appreciate that it's mostly aimed at pissing me off because I'm much more handsome than you, but there you go.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

huh?

i've seen those teeth man. (shudder)

i just can't understand embrace. its like asking for the appeal in kula shaker or cast and beyond the comedic value i can't find nothing. nada. i gots nothing. truly mystified. i get why the single sold. single charts are weak as fuck and the fan base bought the single in droves plus added radio value being that it was written by chris martin. but the album? that's the test.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:33 (twenty-one years ago)

omg wtf this is embrace! again i am mystified as to why i'm still chatting about them. maybe they have *some* sort of appeal?

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Well that's fair enough. Obviously I don't agree, but we're clearly very different people, so there you go. What aggravates me is your constant snideness and nastiness, and the apparent joy you derive from being snide and nasty about them. What's the fucking point? You don't like them, they don't move you, that's fine, now stop bitching about it. You're not going to change my mind or anybody else's, especially seeing as any argument you put forth is based on entirely erroneous pejorative comparisons. "poor man's ocean colour scene"? They had a top 20 single with a kazzoo solo and a hook composed of a weird burbling sample, wtf are you talking about? The last track on the new album ends like Fennesz, wtf are you talking about? "some sort of appeal"? Evidently much more than The Earlies (who I like but who've sold, what, 7 records?).

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Also I've never even had any fillings, wtf are you slagging my teeth off for you fucking moron?

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:41 (twenty-one years ago)

yr teeth are as brown as yr musical tastes, you ego-manical moron.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:43 (twenty-one years ago)

You're a fucking child, Doomie.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

ah huh.

o.k. wasted five minutes of my life i'll never get back on this.

c'ya.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Bye then!

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 11:47 (twenty-one years ago)

The first time I admitted on ILM that I liked Embrace I feared I would be banned or mocked forever or something. At least I know Nick has always got my back...

(Still haven't heard the new album though, and will reserve judgement. I thought the last one was crap.)

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

It is good, really. And I can say this because I am a pop-dance kid and I have nice teeth.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 12:55 (twenty-one years ago)

(The last one is crap, apart from the first and last song, and maybe the title track if they'd waxed more guitars on it.)

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, NME gave it 1/10 today, so it must be fucking wicked!

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 09:10 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/top40/albums.shtml

it would appear to be at no.1, unless this is a midweek chart or not-the-official-chart or something, in which case i have spoken too soon.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Sunday, 19 September 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

It is indeed at number one, shifting 55,000+ copies over the counter and 125,000 in pre-sales. Meaning Doomie now has to go and buy it and apologise to me. Nice to think that the title track of the current number 1 album climaxes with two minutes of white noise.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Sunday, 19 September 2004 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I loved their 1st two albums, was kinda cool about their third, and haven't got round to listening to "Out of Nothing" yet (despite all the great things Nick has been writing about it.) Kinda surprised that it's selling so well considering albums 2 & 3 didn't seem to do as well as album 1 (Nick, do you know how many copies each of their albums have sold in the UK?). Got tickets to see them in Dundee in November too so the album better be good.

― Neil FC (Neil FC), Sunday, 19 September 2004 21:23 (twenty-one years ago)

First album sold 500,000, third sold 60,000 and the second album I'm not sure about, but I'd guess 100,000 to 200,000. So the new one has already done as well as the last one has done all-in-all, and it's only been out a week.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 06:25 (twenty-one years ago)

How did their album get to be number one? Do they have a really good street team, or something?

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Monday, 20 September 2004 11:23 (twenty-one years ago)

It got to be number one because 55,000 people bought it, James. People bought it because they want to listen to it. A rapturously received set at V to 20,000 people probably did them some good, the Coldplay link too, also the positive reviews everywhere except NME and the fact that they've actually got a substantial fanbase built up over three previous albums and a reputation for being ace live might all have something to do with it. Why is that so hard to accept?

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 11:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't care.

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 20 September 2004 11:49 (twenty-one years ago)

That's nice to know, Richard.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 11:57 (twenty-one years ago)

It's quite a lot less overwrought than I expected. But this sort of stuff is still being done a lot better by the crazy Scandinavians. Still.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Which Scandinavians?

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Alcazar!

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick, there are heaps of artists in that region who do this sort of DATED (well, to some people) guitar pop-rock extremely well. A lot of them have a bit more country or more pop in their roots, but even if Embrace and their ilk have been deeply unfashionable in the UK for years, that sort of music is still popular in Europe. Don't make turn into Geir Hongro on you (hah!)

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Bollocks to country, I like teh NOIZE and the ENORMOUS CHORUSES and the GUITARS.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

when is a new Doves single out? they are the only band of this ilk i think are any cop

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Doves have got the sonics right, but their songs are rubbish. I've not heard owt about a new record by them, but I guess they must be due one soon.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I distinctly recall reviewing both Embrace's "The Good Will Out" and Gomez's first album in the same week for a music magazine once.

I heaped praise on Embrace's debut spouting something like the album was a grand opus likely to endure, whereas "Bring It On" ... "but only in moderation"... and was ..."heritage-listed in 1973" and that... "the Lynyrd Skynyrd revial wasn't funny first time 'round!".

Funny how things turn out innit?!

― herbalizer12 (herbalizer12), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I would say, on reflection, there's just so many melancholic, symphony-led brit bands wanting to take the mantle over from The Verve.

Personally, they say more to me than Coldplay. Why is it that they received worldwide critical kudos, when others of their ilk, had seriously made better efforts?

I think if you collated the best tracks from Embrace's first two albums, you'd certainly hace a classic on your hands.

Danny's voice is best suited on the grandiose ballads, but, his voice can come across a little too stylistically weepy in places. They deserve mass stadium, symphony'led ballad-rock hegemony like The Verve and Verve before them.

Incidentally, wasn't their third LP a greatest hits album of sorts: put out hurriedly by their record company?

Just remember, Starsailor have a lot to answer too, also!

Aloft candles at the ready then....

― herbalizer12 (herbalizer12), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The third LP was a proper studio album, but Hut released a singles compilation after dropping the band at the start of 2002. The band had wanted to do a b-sides collection, but knew the writing was on the wall when the label started putting the singles comp together.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

i can't figure out how Doves songs could be rubbish if Embrace's aren't. Are they even significantly different?

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think Doves have got the hooks, choruses or melodies that Embrace have, basically. I think they're a sonically interetsing good band but I don't want to listen to thir songs often at all. I've not got the musicological nous to explain precisely why this is, maybe Embrace do some weird thing with suspended major fourth division c-sharp chordal harmonies or something, I don't know. But that's like saying "I don't get why Missy Elliott is better than J-Lo; are they even significantly different?", surely Stevem? Which is the kind of sentiement that ILM would shoot down like a dead duck

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:49 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm talking about the songs, not the people, so it's not the same. the difference between Missy and J-Lo seems much more apparent in terms of how they present and deliver their message, as well as the message itself often being quite different (J Lo says "I love you baby", Missy says "You love me, now I'm going to eat you from the inside out like the king size Twinky i want you to be"). 'Satellites' could be an Embrace ballad, i just think Doves not only sound better but find their songs more interesting too, more 'soul' in Williams voice, more general mystique even, possibly. I am well aware this sounds a bit odd considering the bands we're talking about and how relatively bland they would otherwise seem.

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 12:55 (twenty-one years ago)

"Satellites" actually IS an Embrace ballad anyway - it's the title of the last track on their third album, which came out about a year before the Doves track.

I'm talking about the songs too, with regards the Missy/J-Lo thing; is it not just as judgemental to dismiss Missy & J-Lo as indistinguishable due to them both being women doing hip-hop/pop/r'n'b hybrids? (And isn't J-Lo's message just as juch "you love me" as Missy's, although without the Twinky bit?)

Soul and mystique are very nebulous concepts when talking about a band as well, as is blandness. There's a certain facet to the ILM mindset that cannot deal with popular guitar music except from a straight ahead rockist direction, that is unless it actually likes it in the first place, whereas it will twist all sorts of tropes and memes around until it can justify liking anything vaguelly derived from pop or hip hop, and I'm finding this automatic and knee-jerk inverse rockism quite irritating lately.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:03 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, i'm sorry.

now i went out to buy the record and realised that i accidently bought the keane one because i couldn't tell the difference.

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:11 (twenty-one years ago)

How on earth do you tell the difference between the Libertines and a bad Clash tribute act in a pub then?! Are your faculties and mechanisms that fucked?!

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

less piano on the embrace for a start

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

(i assume)

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

how on earth can you obsess about embrace without seeing that they are proto-keane?

ps. yeah i have time for doves and not embrace. weird.
pps. '100,000 embrace fans can be wrong'

bye!

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Much less piano and MUCH MORE guitar, indeed.

And I do see that Keane wouldn't exist without Embrace, of course, likewise Northern Uproar wouldn't exist without Oasis, etcetera etcetera ad infinitum. You really are quite dull mentally, aren't you Paul?

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

well i guess i'm saying i think Doves are better but it's difficult to articulate why when the bands are, for me, hard to distinguish from each other in many ways (brothers, big overblown sound, soothingly-timbred misery, occasional jolly number (Save Me vs There Goes The Fear)...too bad no-one took the intro to 'The Sulphur Man' and turned it into a monstah Space Cowboyesque holiday smash-hit yet

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

doves just seem to have something that propel it out of blandness. if someone else did their songs they would sound like simple minds. yeah, if you can think of what doves have steven i would like to hear. maybe more of that manchester sense of history about them?

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:27 (twenty-one years ago)

jesus, nick, but maybe it has to do with actually trying to think about embrace that sort of dulls my mind...

anyways. i buy os mutantes records! i'm not the 'right' person to dicuss embrace's fabulousness (?)... ha.

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I have Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Fela Kuti and bhangra and dancehall compilations and all sorts in my record collection, Paul, don't you dare pull that reactionary shit on me you fucking idiot coward.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:35 (twenty-one years ago)

what shit?

err. calm down. i feel like i'm in an over-emotional episode of THE OC with an over-wrought EMBRACE fan.

dude. i don't like embrace. errr ... sorry? (again?)

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

my record collection.

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:38 (twenty-one years ago)

we should all band together in the spirit of unity to put out a split single between embrace and the montgolfier brothers.

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

please remind me why i go anywhere near my keyboard when i've had this much red wine?

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't care whether you don't like them or not, what I care about is your constant and completely unnecessary snide bitching about them, the fact that you repeatedly come on here to gloat and bully and make fun for no apparent reason other than the fact that you are a snivvling little cunt who doens't like one band that some other people do. Do you see other people constantly dropping in to threads about bands they don't like to be snide and supercilious? No, because the vast majority of people who use ILM are a lot more fucking mature than you, you pathetic streak of piss.

PS. RJG is just as snide but in a funnier way, and I like Jim a lot even though we've had spats.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

woah.

i do have the 'all you good good people' single somewhere in a box in canada.

hope this helps!

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Very nice. Here, have a biscuit.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:44 (twenty-one years ago)

it's my record collection.

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I still have no idea what on earth you mean, Richard, but then again I rarely do.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

this is surreal.

i'm being bullied by an embrace fan.

they are still boring and proto-keane, though.

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Whatever you think, Paul. You keep in your box like a good puppy, eh?

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG WTF EMBRACE?

bye!

i just came by to apologise for England.

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Embrace had that problem for years of seeming so keen on trying to emulate/simulate Oasis but without the same strength of dynamic - despite a few tracks from the first album (inc debut single) pretty much matching them sonically for a seismic and resonating indie voib. i could never stand the voice tho, regardless of whether it was 'technically better' than Liam's. Doves came around a bit later by which point Oasis weren't as much of an obstacle/target for British guitar bands to chase or try and copy. Doves ethos became clearer on repeated listens to 'Lost Souls' and seeing them live with the Wigan Casino footage, big ships setting sail etc., black and white videos...presenting themselves as enthusiastic wrt to acknowledging history and heritage of a more general Northern industrial and social chronology ('look we are part of this big worthy meme'), the music a reflection of this. It felt and sounded suitably big, respectful, reverent (use and frequency of instrumentals another factor...aligning themselves with post-rock as much as stadium indie (willing stubborn-ness vs compromise of integrity?) and the dance music history another useful card, all in all giving them some sort of authority - which combined with no pretensions or gimmicks image-wise made them 'boring' but genuine - the obvious strong musicianship the back-up). other than all that, can't really argue that Doves have better songs than Embrace as i'm not sure they really do (but i prefer them regardless). still not sure about Elbow...

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)

wow.

thanks steven.

that sums up my own feelings about doves rather nicely.

(put on the last broadcast during this 'debate' and am really enjoying it ...)

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Doves can be as inconsistent as all their contemporaries tho - 'caught by the river' is a particular yawner.

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

we should all band together in the spirit of unity to put out a split single between embrace and the montgolfier brothers.

Nooooooooooo. The vinyl equivalent of a black hole, sucking the life out of every other record in it's orbit.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Embrace never put out anything as awful as "The Man Who Told Everything". Though, to be fair, they never put out anything as good as "Ain't No Love", did they. Still, their average is miles better.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

i like TMWTE precisely because it is the most miserable song ever.

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Elbow are Pulp + Talk Talk.

The thing about Embrace is they never had any real truck with the "new Oasis" comparisons, and in fact were really hamstrung by them. The intention, as told to me pretty explicitly the other week, was to be "My Bloody valentine with strings", i.e. a combination of raw noise and heartfelt sentiment. I don't think they actually sound much like Oasis at all and never did; I don't even like Oasis much beyond a few songs.

The things about Embrace that I love are pretty much threefold - firstly the songs, secondly the sense of community that the band encourage in their fans, the way they interract with them and feed off them (the secret gigs being a prime example), coupled with the media's rather bi-polar approach to the band it's created a very real sense of us-against-them which has fired the band, especially for this new album. And the third thing is their creativity - they've never stood still, always moved forwards, always had their sights set on the next record they're making, trying to develop their sound and not just by throwing in all the production glitches they can (which is what I felt Doves did too much on their last album), and they've never been recognised for doing that by anybody but their fanbase really. The second and third albums, and a lot of the b-sides from the beginning through to now, contain an awful lot of musical ideas that you wouldn't expect from a "four square indie band", ideas that bands like Oasis simply never had, and it's throughly irritating hearing them being criticised for being boring and dull and conservative when they're not. Also, they ROCK hard when they bother, and they are absolutely fucking great live - the atmosphere at their gigs is amazing when they take off, which is much more often than not in the dozen or so times I've seen them.

But of course this is all totally subjective, and to everyone else apart from the people who buy the records and go to the gigs and like the band, received wisdom and second hand cliché is all that matters.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

apart from the 'get out of bed/blue skies ahead' lines which are strangely PMA in a song so wretched.

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

i think i like the first doves more than the second. that was pretty cool though that new order included the m62 song on their 'back to mine'.

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

this:

-- Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (sickmouth...) (webmail), September 20th, 2004 10:35 AM. (Nick Southall) (later)

is some funny shit!

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

M62 Song is beautiful but apparently owes too much to another track (credited on the album notes but can't recall what right now).

― teh pow! (blueski), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:11 (twenty-one years ago)

err.

i guess.

but the thread is still about embrace. and the struggles to make them interesting. which is interesting and keep me coming back!

tis a king crimson cover.

i dig doves emergence as well -- seemed so natural and less planned.

and i heard that they are planning to get chris nagle out of reclusive retirement to do their third. that would be cool.

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Elbow are Pulp + Talk Talk.

If only.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

i would have to agree.
i even bought the second elbow album.
it was so dreary.

― doomie x, Monday, 20 September 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I bought Doves 'Lost Sides' for £2 from a car boot sale yesterday. There's a cracking track called 'Hit The Ground Running' (a W.Zevon cover i think) that is by a million miles the best thing they've ever done.

Agreeing with Nick, I think Doves are not great at hooks, choruses and melodies, and over employ various devices like 6/8 time (gah!)and twiddly minor-key arpeggios to suggest atmosphere. I do think they have *something* worthwhile though.

I have never heard Embrace.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 20 September 2004 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

For the four people on ILM who care, the new album is called This New Day and is out on April 4th. Single Nature's Law preceeds it on March 20th.

Tracklisting =

01. No Use Crying
02. Nature's Law
03. You Will Hit The Target Every Time
04. Sainted
05. I Can't Come Down
06. Celebrate
07. Exploding Machines
08. Even Smaller Stones
09. The End Is Near
10. This New Day

I've heard it, and it's a big, aggressive rock beast, heaviest thing they've done but still very tuneful.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 10:05 (nineteen years ago)

leaden

― Merryweather (scarlet), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 10:40 (nineteen years ago)

Hurrah! A miserable git!

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 10:56 (nineteen years ago)

Let's just turn this into a thread about the better "Embrace"!! You know, the one that ORIGINALY thought of the name, who deserve to be known a million times more than this one!

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 12:21 (nineteen years ago)

And now, how about the headbanging girls...

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 12:25 (nineteen years ago)

For the four people on ILM who care, the new album is called This New Day and is out on April 4th. Single Nature's Law preceeds it on March 20th.

Thanks Nick!

Drawn From Memory is such a good album that many people have never heard, though it's not for everyone.

― BeeOK (boo radley), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 23:18 (nineteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

Album brought forward to March 27th.

It is by far their best. http://sickmouthy.blogspot.com

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Monday, 13 February 2006 14:00 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Embrace are going to #1 this weekend. Not album chart. Singles chart. They are outselling Ne*Yo and Pink, amongst others.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 17:30 (nineteen years ago)

England is a very different country to America.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 17:32 (nineteen years ago)

Fucking nuts, isn't it?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 18:32 (nineteen years ago)

I am leaving the country.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 18:34 (nineteen years ago)

Ne*Yo?

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 18:35 (nineteen years ago)

Even I'm not mad keen on the single. It's a grower, but there are at least 8 MUCH better songs on the album.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 18:38 (nineteen years ago)

god did *i* start this?

fck. embrace were a different proposition when they weren't around.

― piscesboy, Tuesday, 21 March 2006 19:42 (nineteen years ago)

ahh some classic moments on this thread

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 22:44 (nineteen years ago)

ha ha, classic in the 'embarassing' sense.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 22:58 (nineteen years ago)

There's a little, no, a large part of me, that would be very very happy if Embrace got a #1 single and Coldplay never did.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 23:04 (nineteen years ago)

Damn right.

I actually think they'll slip to three or four come Sunday, but it'd be nice.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

Gravity slipped 5-7 from the middies, so yeah.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 23:08 (nineteen years ago)

even the MacKaye Embrace isn't that great.

― senseiDancer (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 23:36 (nineteen years ago)

And so iTunes has malfunctioned causing entire swathes of Embrace singles sales to be lost, and thus handing the #1 spot to Ne*Yo. CONSPIRACY.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:25 (nineteen years ago)

It's going to be interesting. Apparently I get thanked in the album sleeve, which is nice.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:31 (nineteen years ago)

And so iTunes has malfunctioned causing entire swathes of Embrace singles sales to be lost, and thus handing the #1 spot to Ne*Yo. CONSPIRACY.

Have we ascertained The Lex's whereabouts when this malfunctioning happened?

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:37 (nineteen years ago)

He probably owns one of their cds.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Saturday, 25 March 2006 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

Number 2 is still pretty good going for a band that was sunk 2 years ago. And that every cunt on ILX hates!

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Sunday, 26 March 2006 17:23 (nineteen years ago)

So I sought this("Nature's Law") out yesterday, hoping that this left-field massive from the lumbering has-beens-if-they-ever-were was as good as Stereophonics' "Dakota" was. On first listen I thought, Pointless. Big and absolutely lacking a hook. I should probably just delete this now. (And I NEVER delete.)

Today it randomly shuffles up, and I absolutely fall into it, like a chasm I couldn't have missed if I'd just taken my eyes off the sky. Weird. Not that I am ready to defend its classic-ness yet, but perhaps it's not rubbish.

― Mitya (mitya), Sunday, 26 March 2006 19:54 (nineteen years ago)

sick's righteous anger always seems a put-on.

i don't much like embrace. even the bluetones are probably better.

― keyth (keyth), Sunday, 26 March 2006 21:02 (nineteen years ago)

They've been chosen to do the official World Cup song. This should be interesting.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 05:40 (nineteen years ago)

"All You Goal Goal People"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 05:41 (nineteen years ago)

nothing is interesting!

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 05:52 (nineteen years ago)

But they will sing a song to make your neighbors to the south smile and bob their head as they watch football. Why must you be so full of hate, RJG?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 05:55 (nineteen years ago)

Someone joked on their forum that tickets for the sold-out Barrowlands gig they're doing soon are going on eBay for £1 each now.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 05:59 (nineteen years ago)

Congratulations Southall! You got thanked in the liner notes of a crappy band and wrote the liner notes to a crappy B-side compilation by the crappy band! Now leave us alone.

― PB, Tuesday, 28 March 2006 10:53 (nineteen years ago)

the football song may well be the worst song ever recorded!

i thought they'd split up ages ago. why have they not.

also, HA HA HA NE-YO GOT THE NUMBER ONE :D

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 10:59 (nineteen years ago)

I heard their single on the Mark Radcliffe show and it was pretty good. I liked the intro - nice atmosphere.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 11:06 (nineteen years ago)

It's like David and Goliath, only this time David won!

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 11:22 (nineteen years ago)

Peopple are absolute fucking cunts.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 11:55 (nineteen years ago)

fuck em, nick.

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 11:59 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, you're right, Sean. But everytime some anonymous idiot like PB or some gloating child like Lex has a dig it fucking hurts. It's childish and pathetic, especially seeing as all the criticisms that get trotted out are exactly the sdame ones that have been used for 9 years and none of them actually make any sense next to the vast majority of the music.

I got thanked in the credits of my favourite band's favourite album and asked to write liner notes for their b-sides, which I love; I'm fucking PROUD of that.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 12:05 (nineteen years ago)

A remake of "Hooligan", maybe? It could do wonders for sales of kazoos...

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

x-post Nick - there's no reason why you shouldn't be.

Lex - your pop-kid act is as boring as it is predictable. You flounce into every guitar-band thread and say 'why does anyone like this, it's crap, buy J-Lo instead, guitars are nasty NYYAAAHH'. Jesus! Why do you bother?

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

I like how Nick starts off two and a half years ago with a sort of weary indifference to this band in their present state, and gradually becomes more defensive about them until he practically puts a bounty on the head of anyone who suggests that they aren't really very good

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 12:28 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know Embrace from Terris, really, what with being a Canadian recently imported to the UK. I know that they were more "interesting" in the past and are now essentially Coldplay-like indie. But I see nothing wrong with Coldplay-like indie, frankly, so long as it's good - and the one Embrace song I know ("Gravity") was cheesy but good.

But all that's irrelevant because yeah, Nick, it's totally fucking awesome that you've made some kind of faint mark on a band you love, and it's a testament to your writing but also to your passion. And I think that anyone who smears either of those things (regardless of what they think about the band) is daft, foolish and mean - in short, not someone I would want to have a conversation with.

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 12:41 (nineteen years ago)

That's cos all I felt about them two and a half years ago was weary indifference!

x-post - thanks, Sean.

Here's a couple of tracks off the new album for anyone who's interested.

http://s56.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3E81P3DA5IJJR1K684SY3K2S4H
http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2CD57X6N6R7ML0BM3FG4T3MB14

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 12:43 (nineteen years ago)

Hope u didnt put up This New Day (the song) Sickmouthy cos its not very good. Even Smaller Stones...mmm...

― wootoo, Tuesday, 28 March 2006 15:24 (nineteen years ago)

People on ILM making ill-informed digs at bands they don't like? Surely not. And hey - SHOCK HORROR - some of the Embrace defenders have done exactly the same thing on countless occasions.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 15:31 (nineteen years ago)

they're pretty flacid, aren't they?

― gek-opl, Tuesday, 28 March 2006 18:02 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, and mawkish and self-consciously "anthemic", but some of the stuff in here is a bit too ad hominem.

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 18:04 (nineteen years ago)

I agree screw the haters. People seem to forget that Embrace had two albums out before Coldplay debut.

Anyways I read your review Nick, nice on BTW, and now am looking forward to hearing this record. They are signed over here in the States and will be coming out one day.

― BeeOK (boo radley), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 23:20 (nineteen years ago)

I prefer Delta Goodrem.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 15:58 (nineteen years ago)

The Football Association's choice of band to record England's World Cup song has not been embraced by David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and co, according to media reports.
An unnamed source close to the squad told the Sun that England's bling-bling stars were "gutted" that clean-cut, middle-of-the-road indie band Embrace were chosen to pen their World Cup anthem, as they wanted a bad ass rapper instead.
Rather than drawing up a tactical masterplan to bring the trophy back to England for the first time since 1966, the players have apparently been spending a great deal of time in recent months deciding on the more pressing issue of who should record their tune.
And according to the insider, the consensus was for US hip hop impresario and part-time political commentator Kanye West, famed for his love of girls, god and glamour.
Imagine their dismay, then, when music consultant Chris Nathanial, who had been drafted in to choose the artist, chose to overlook Chicago b-boy Kanye and instead plumped for the somewhat more down-to-earth Huddersfield quartet.
"A leading music consultant was paid good money to make sure an artist was chosen who the players would respect and be willing to work with," the source told the newspaper.
"Kanye West got a resounding thumbs-up and moves were made to get him on board.
"The players were gutted when they found out the FA wanted to stay British and Kanye had been snubbed."
England stars Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney are all self-confessed hip-hop aficionados, while England skipper David 'Straight outta Leyton' Beckham named his two dogs after his favourite rappers Snoop and Puffy.
Ferdinand and Rooney are also currently working on a MC battle-based TV show, Hip Hop Idol.
Still, while the squad may be less-than-enamoured with Embrace, it could have been much worse.

Apparently, Rooney had been attempting to plug a rap joint recorded by the Manchester United star's cousin, James, entitled Dreams as the perfect rousing World Cup anthem, which fiancee Colleen McLoughlin thought was "brilliant". We're sure it was a masterpiece, Colleen.

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/news-channels/entertainment-channel/england-stars-gutted-over-world-cup-song-$361875.htm

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Monday, 3 April 2006 16:21 (nineteen years ago)

Kanye? As if!

V annoyingly patronising tone from the reporter.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 3 April 2006 16:40 (nineteen years ago)

Rooney's on record about a million times saying that Stereophonics are the best band in the world ever. That doesn't mean he isn't a "hip-hop aficionado", of course, but it should.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Monday, 3 April 2006 18:08 (nineteen years ago)

seven years pass...

Gosh I used to get angry.

― I can still taste the Taboo in my mouth when I hear those songs (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 20 January 2014 14:08 (eleven years ago)

Pretty surprised you called them your favourite band at one point.

Lex has not changed one bit has he?

― Kitchen Person, Monday, 20 January 2014 14:47 (eleven years ago)

As much as I (or anyone) has or had a favourite band, then yeah, it probably was them. In that I cared about and followed and was affected by their music more than anyone else. But then my relationship with them and their music has always been atypical, so there's no other artist who even comes close to being comparable.

― I can still taste the Taboo in my mouth when I hear those songs (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 20 January 2014 14:50 (eleven years ago)

Fair enough. I've never been a fan of them myself but I can see why having that relationship would make you feel like you did and express it the way you did on this thread. I Think when this thread started Mansun were probably still my favourite band (probably the last year after a good seven years of them being there) I still like those first two albums a lot but I can think of at least fifty bands I like more right now. Kind of glad I wasn't on a forum like this defending them back then, I'd probably regret a lot of what I said.

― Kitchen Person, Monday, 20 January 2014 14:59 (eleven years ago)

My housemate at uni loved Mansun.

― I can still taste the Taboo in my mouth when I hear those songs (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 20 January 2014 15:02 (eleven years ago)

Can I ask, without wishing to seem rude, how old you were in 2004?

― the Shearer of simulated snowsex etc. (Dwight Yorke), Monday, 20 January 2014 15:23 (eleven years ago)

24/25. I was in relationship hell for the first six months or so of that year, which isn't an excuse but is context.

― I can still taste the Taboo in my mouth when I hear those songs (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 20 January 2014 15:40 (eleven years ago)

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