Customer Reviews

If You've Never Been

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I feel that Drawn From Memory was easily the best album of 2000, and also an all time favorite. The fact that this album is even better should mean that Embrace are destined to become a household name around the world, mentioned in the same breathe as U2 or the Beatles. Sadly, as least currently, the music world appears to be in some strange state where real quality is not valued, or at least doesn't sell very well. The excellent in every way first single "Wonder" only went to #14 in the UK charts, and the band doesn't currently even have a record deal in the U.S. Ok, enough ranting - why is this album good? Simply because it contains 10 great songs which are each uniquely enjoyable on their own and taken together provide a wonderful and cohesive listening experience for three quarters of an hour. Along the way you'll be reminded again and again of the simple beauty of life, love, and even heartache. What more can one ask for from a music cd? Getting more specific about the tracks, the second single "Make It Last" is, like "Wonder", another classic Embrace anthem complete with beautiful soft building verse and soaring chorus. The sort of title track, "If You've Never Been In Love With Anything", is an uplifting, upbeat surprise that even contains some Beach Boys-like harmonies. "Happiness Will Get You In The End" with its soft piano reminds me of "Liar's Tears", in both musical and lyrical tone. "Satellites" provides a beatiful ending to the album. The other five tracks are each very good as well. I love this album, and it makes one feel that it loves you back.

Embrace, it must be said are not everyone's cup of tea. Each new Embrace album is met with adoration by fans and dismissiveness by the UK music press, and I must confess I find it a bit baffling. Too often they are laden with a sub-Oasis tag or considered to be Brit-rock also rans, but it's the fans that know the truth - Embrace are a much, much better band than often given credit for. Embrace's music is not cryptic or high-minded or inaccessible, and in today's art/musical/cultural climate these characteristics are considered as attributes.
However, If You've Never Been's appeal lies in it's heart-rending ballads and pulse-quickening rock, and it connects almost immediately. In this respect, Embrace's music is not at all unlike Coldplay's easy charm and melodicism. Take the opening song 'Over', it's a tremendously moving tune that begins with a simple, catchy, circular riff that slowly builds to a rapturous crescendo combining strings, guitars and Danny McNamara's soaring, aching vocals - truly visceral, spine tingling stuff. 'Hey What You Trying to Say' is of a similar mould - great hook, great chorus, nothing complicated but strongly felt. 'Many Will Learn' is perhaps the dark-horse in the pack, it isn't one of Embrace's more crowd pleasing or anthemic songs yet it has a subtle, unassuming beauty and poignancy to it.
To the uninitiated, If You've Never Been is a perfectly good place to start, and for existing fans, - with the likes of the warm and familiar single 'Wonder', there should be plenty here to, er, embrace.

Actually, this is the first Embrace album I really listened to. I didn't have the chance to get The Good Will Out and by that time, this came out. Let me tell you, if you appreciate epic songs, you'll love this album. They are so good, it's sick. The guitarwork is great and the tunes are pretty catchy once you listen to them more and more. Wonder, the single, is easily one of the best on it. Over takes some listening to hear all the little nuances. If You've Never Been in Love with Anything is more pop driven and is reminiscent of the Kinks. Lush and highly underrated (in the US at least) overtures from a great brother duo. This shouldn't be an import!

Yes, the songs are pretty similar in tempo... and they do all follow a similar pattern of moody verse rising to soulful chorus... but at last Embrace seem to have found their own voice. It was always a hollow accomplishment writing good songs that sounded like some one else. If you liked the first album (probably because you liked Oasis) then this may not be your cup of tea. If you've progressed to guitar music with a richer texture then this is worth a whirl. I was pleasantly surprised by the first three tracks and found myself humming the chorus hooks on the subway - always a sign of a worthy song...

Embrace seem to have decided during the course of their first two albums that grandiose slow anthems seem to be what they do best.I would agree that these have probably been their better songs-but to fill practically a whole album with almost identical songs is to be honest on the verge of becoming boring.The songs on this album when taken individually are really good-it's just that over the course of a whole album they become barely distinguishable from each other.Each song is slow tempo ballad(there are a few exceptions),each song is filled with heartbreak,each song is very heavily produced,each song has major grand style musical arrangements-big band sound,full orchestra,quiet verse-big soaring chorus,etc.On the plus side Danny McNamara sounds better then he's ever done before.Many of the chorus' are really catchy and as I said if taken individually there are plenty of really good songs on the album.The arrangements are very polished,very ambitious and they come across as a band very skilled in the studio.Some of the vocal harmonies are really glorious especially on songs like 'I Hope You're Happy Now'.On the songs when they keep the arrangements simple-like 'Many Will Learn' it works really well and comes as a refreshing change to the other sonic bombardments.The closing track is also a magnificent 6 minute plus epic of sheer beauty,which builds slowly and very beautifully to a wonderful crescnedo.Of the two faster-well you'd have to say medium paced numbers song 5,'It's Gonna Take Time' is the better.It sounds quite like "You're Not Alone" from their previous album-great brass section in the chorus.On the negative side some of the lyrics are to be frank very cheesy and syruppy-nowhere is this worse then on track 9.Some of the soppiest lyrics I've ever heard to an otherwise good song.All in all this is way better then their last album-the consistency is quite remarkable.It isn't as good as the first one though.The songs are good,it's just that the band have become far to formulaic-there are no suprises on this c.d. for fans of Embrace.