Embrace
Embrace

THE REVIEW

What was Ian Mackaye doing before playing with Fugazi but after disbanding Minor Threat, yet before founding Egg Hunt and after being part of Teen Idols? I mean, after dissolving Minor Threat for the second time but before stealing two members from Rites Of Spring to make them play in Foo-Gazzy?
But it’s obvious, he snatched three musicians from Faith (his brother's band) and formed Embrace.

...With which he recorded a wonderful album!

We are far from the rabid bursts of adrenaline of Minor Threat; the rhythms are slowed down, and the focus is more on the melody. We don't have the unpredictable time changes and the ultra-professional rhythm section of Fugazi, but the songs (with their ups and downs, to be honest) are engaging, the music is interesting, and the lyrics make you reflect on the ills of our society, as often happens in the works of our ex-Minor Threat.
Want a few titles? "Money" has a memorable chorus worthy of the Clash, "No More Pain" twists my guts with pain, "Dance Of Days" has an irresistible rhythm and melody; the best of the best is "Building", which starts restrained, sending shivers down the spine before exploding in the last chorus (!!!I'M A FAAILUURE!!!). All great, but what stands out the most is Mackaye's performance, never so emotional and histrionic; a Jim Morrison of punk, all caught up in his existential issues. Don’t like his voice? Forget about Embrace, whose main attraction is precisely the raw yet emotional sound emanating from the larynx (or pharynx?) of our beloved straight-edge (just kidding, just kidding, Ian hates this term as much as the word emocore).
Moreover... no, wait! Someone needs to explain this emocore thing to me. Emocore (for friends, Emo) stands for Emotional Hardcore: why are Rites Of Spring and the billions of groups that copied them (or copied Fugazi) called Emo? Why not other hardcore bands like Black Flag or Hüsker Dü? Maybe Zen Arcade and Damaged are less emotional/anti?

Well, Embrace certainly are, and in this sense, it's appropriate to call them Emo.

If you like Fugazi (AND YOU SHOULD), you'll probably like Embrace; if you don't know Embrace but don’t like Fugazi, that’s your business; if you don’t like Embrace, listen to Fugazi anyway!!

NOTE: These Embrace have nothing to do with the homonymous Britpop group that recorded boring and uninventive albums (in my opinion, clearly) like "The Good Will Out" and "Out Of Nothing"