What do you think of the Album?

I was pretty much instantly impressed on first listen having not been as wowed as others by the b-sides. Quarters is a bit special for me, but very foals in places. DMs voice stands out throughout. Just gives me chills on i run and at once. Thief & self-attack are mental, and all the better for it. Looking forward to playing the hell out of it, when I listen to it on better quality Audio. It doesn't have the emotional heft of the others maybe? But I'd say it's already top 3 album wise.

It's almost painful how much I love Thief. That last three minutes. Fuck. FUCK. I miss how deafeningly loud it is when played live, but I suppose it's probably best not to blow out your listeners' ears. Quarters is nailed down on record too. Holy shit.

Paddy AND Wolla? Wot?

What were we saying about alteregos? Muhahaha!

Nah that Paddy is not I. In fact he is quite the opposite looking at his faves for the album

I have only listened to this once right through, so I'm expecting the tunes to mature with me. I should caveat this by saying I normally find that the songs it takes me a few listens to are the ones which generally stay with me, and I probably shouldn't rush to judge....however.....

First listen this album strikes me as struggling to even reach average. I am finding it difficult typing this given my love for the band, but I am finding myself getting annoyed with the disrespect the band are showing for TGWO when they talk about how this betters it. To euphemise, it doesn't feel like it is fit to lace TGWO or OON's boots.

What has happened to the trademark melody engrained into Embrace tunes?. I love pounding beats, and some of these get me going but where are the melodies I love?. Sounds like big beats and droney vocals galore. My fears from the contradiction between the released tracks/gigs and the band's self praise are growing. Could well be that it seems to be Richard's album in many ways, and I generally don't find his tunes as absorbing as the raw heartfelt power of Danny's. Perhaps a middle ground would have been the dream ticket.

I appreciate the band are seeing this album as more for themselves than the music machine. It may be just as well as to me this may well be a bunch of tracks which would struggle to make album tracks on TGWO. I can't see many non Embrace hardcore fans giving this the time of day.

Crushed, but praying that this grows. Please, please make it be a grower. Otherwise, I want to see my Embrace back.

Are you the guy who had a pair of tits as his avatar?

I like self attack... but the first few seconds sounds like the intro to a cheesy internet add.

I've listened to the album a couple of times now so these remain early thoughts but I have to say (and it genuinely breaks my heart to say this) I think it's a massive disappointment.

I want to preface what I say by saying that I was 17 when TGWO arrived, it's head and shoulders the most important album in my life, I would go as far as to say it changed my life - it still changes me when I listen to it. It was all at the same time brave, brash, humble, thrilling, deeply personal, universal and honest. Musically it was wall-to-wall melodies you couldn't ignore, lush orchestration and beautiful vocals. It set a standard that perhaps would be impossible to ever eclipse, but incredibly on DFM and OON I think Embrace came very close. If You've Never Been had some sublime moments (Over, Wonder, Satellites stand out for me) but fell short and the less said about TND the better.

When Refugees arrived I wasn't blown away. My brother (also an Embrace fan) texted me immediately on first listen "What's with all the "production"" and it mirrored my own thoughts. It sounded like a song written on a MacBook as much as on a guitar. That said I still think it's a very strong and interesting song with a lovely and surprising last section. Follow You Home was a nice surprise, a real crowd pleaser with a huge sing-along chorus, but again I was slightly concerned about the fact that the vocals were all doubled. Two singles in and we'd barely heard Danny sing amidst reports from live shows that he was struggling. This morning on Chris Evans show they opened with a re-worked version of Ashes; again the vocals were all doubled, again Danny sounded unsure and struggled with pitch. The doubling of the vocals, the over-production and a real absence (in my opinion) of the stirring melodies that really made me love Embrace are the hallmarks of the new album for me so far.

It's by no means a disaster. I think Protection, I Run and At Once are beautiful and these are songs that belong in at least the same discussion as songs like Higher Sights, Retread and Fireworks, but (and I appreciate they will grow on me over time) ultimately I think they fall short. Again the comparison between the production of the two albums does the new album no favours in the comparison and it's Danny who is insisting in every interview on making the comparison. I genuinely think he believes that they have made an album to rank alongside if not eclipse TGWO, perhaps some of you do too, but for me it's almost embarrassing to hear him say that as much as it would be embarrassing for Noel Gallagher to compare Be Here Now to Definitely Maybe.

Elsewhere I just really don't follow some of the new songs. In The End might be one of the weakest things they've released I think and, though I know others will disagree strongly, I'm not a fan of Self-Attack Mechanism or The Devil Looks After His Own. Again, I'm just not drawn in by the melodies. I think Danny has focussed so much on the lyrics of this album that he hasn't found the melodies to do them justice (this is exactly the way I feel about Nature's Law - a strong lyric let down by a tedious and forgettable melody). I should say that I am no fan of songs like Even Smaller Stones, Near Life and This New Day, which I regard as low points in the band's catalogue. I know a lot of people feel differently and I suspect those people will love this album. But for those of us for whom songs like Higher Sights, Fireworks, Drawn From Memory, Someday and Out Of Nothing are favourites, I just don't hear anything on the new record that will ever capture my affection like those songs have.

For me Embrace will always be that big-hearted, innocent band who (as one magazine put it) carried around an orchestra in their back pocket - the Embrace of Live at Abbey Road. All bands of course have the right to evolve and develop - indeed it would be tragic if they didn't - but that doesn't mean that fans will necessarily like where the journey takes them. For this fan of over 16 years, the over-reliance on electronica, the heavy production (in particular the doubling of vocals) and, to my ears at least, the almost total absence of any memorable Embrace melodies from the new album means that in another 16 years time, while TGWO will still undoubtedly be my favourite album ever and on regular repeat, I fear this new album will sit alongside TND, subject only to the odd curious listen and, ultimately, a reminder of the disappointment I feel now.

2-3 listens in and I like it but can't agree with Danny that it's better than the first album. None of their albums have come close to the first one and this is no exception. Some good tunes though. Really like the singles, Quarters and Devil at the moment. I Run is good too but again not as good as was expecting given the talking up it's been given.

Also, anyone know Arcadia by Ash? In the end chorus strikes me as very similar!