Embrace (American band Embrace album)

Production and release

Embrace was compiled from the only two studio sessions the band recorded. The first eleven tracks were laid down in November 1985, while the other three were done in February 1986. All of the songs were recorded by the same lineup at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, with Don Zientara as audio engineer.

The album was released in September 1987 on Dischord Records, in LP format.

Critical reception

Though not "as gripping or inventive" as that of Fugazi's, the music in the record, "as a vehicle for [Ian MacKaye's] righteous, cutting lyrics and strong voice", is "more than fine", according to reviewer Ned Raggett, who has described it as having production values that switched around from the "usual domination via guitar" with an emphasis on Ivor Hanson's drums, while has compared the work of guitarist Michael Hampton with John McGeoch's early work with post-punk bands Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Trouser Press, for its part, was of the view that:

"If not equal to Minor Threat's one-of-a-kind sonic excellence, Embrace['s instrumentals] are strong and muscular, an effective backdrop for MacKaye ... The confrontational lyricist [that delivers] an impressive [vocal] performance ... transforming an okay mid-tempo punk LP into a great one."

For Mark Jenkins, co-author with Mark Andersen of the book Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital:

"Embrace featured some of Ian MacKaye's most vivid and direct (and frequently angry) sermons against greed, delusion and self-destruction, backed by tight, tuneful and slightly psychedelic punk."

Jenkins also pointed out that:

"Not all the lyrics are MacKaye's ... bassist Chris Bald, who named the band, had a major role in shaping its sensibility."

Reissues

In 1992, Embrace was reissued on CD and Compact Cassette, featuring alternate cover art.

In 2002, the original album was remastered by Chad Clark at Silver Sonya Recording and Mastering in Arlington, Virginia, for its re-release on CD, featuring, as bonus tracks, previously unreleased alternate versions of "Money" and "Dance of Days" taken from band's second recording session. This edition was reissued in 2008 on red vinyl, although without the additional cuts.

Also in 2002, the song "Money" was featured on the 3-CD compilation box set 20 Years of Dischord.

In 2009, the album was remastered again, this time at Chicago Mastering Service in Chicago, Illinois, for a reissue in its original vinyl disc format and cover art.

1987 LP release

All tracks written by Embrace.

2002 remastered CD reissue

All tracks written by Embrace.