Aftonbladet Puls, Friday 26 June, 1998

We sounded awful British Embrace succeeded without being able to sing completely on-key They had the guts to challenge Oasis and have a reputation for being arrogant and having big gobs. But now Embrace want to show that they are basically totally normal, friendly guys.
	Image caption: "We are better than Oasis" With cockyness and attitude you can go far. If you can also write songs, like Embrace, then it's fixed (the image above isn't the image from the article itself, webmaster's note).

-You've got to have a little attitude in the beginning to get attention, that's just the way it is, says Richard McNamara, guitarist in Embrace and one of the groups two co-writers. And he should know what a fair share of confidence - if not somewhat exaggerated amount of it - and a few comments about "being better than Oasis" can do for you.
-That was the British press' fault as usual, sighs Richard. They needed a new fightingpartner for Oasis after Blur. We are two brothers in the band and we come from the north of England, of course the similiarities were too perfect to miss.
In the beginning we were asked about other bands, including Oasis. We said we liked them but maybe we had something a little negative to say about them and naturally the negative parts ended up in the papers. But it gave us a lot of attention so it was positive in that way.

Embrace are often described as an immediate succes that came from nowhere and took over the British popscene overnight. However, the truth is completely different. Richard and his singing brother Danny have written and played songs for ten years and Embrace have existed since 1992. The Embrace that the audience in their hometown of Leeds could see in the early 90s - the few times that the band could nag themselves into getting gigs - were radically different than the band that now stacks up topsingles.

-At that time we only copied our favourite bands, says bassist Steve. We hadn't found our own identity as a band. To copy favourites like Nirvana, Ride, Stone Roses and PJ Harvey seemed to be the best way to go.
-Honestly, it sounded miserable, says Richard and laughs.

But now you have a very distinct style on your songs.
-Yes, people say that, continues Richard, but I can't hear it myself which is a little annoying. I just write what feels right and don't think about whether it has a special sound or not.

Embrace have written some of the recent years' most touching songs, ballads like "Fireworks" and "Come Back To What You Know" and albumtracks "That's All Changed Forever" and "Now You're Nobody". Several of these songs are loaded with strings and balanced sometimes dangerously close to mushyness. They always land on the right side though, largely thanks to singer Danny's voice.
He has received some critisism for not hitting the bullseye on every note and sometime even singing out of key. But that's just what gives the music feeling, vulrnebillity and personallity.
-Danny actually can sing better technically, says Steve, but everytime he does the songs lose out on feeling. Music is about soul so it isn't supposed to be clinically perfect.

Jenny Berguist