Embace - This New Day (2006) - 9.5/10

Embrace - This New Day (Advance)

Embrace return and the opening track 'No Use Crying' (10/10!!) is just pure genius. A beautifully crafted and catchy beat with the stunning vocals give this album a hell of an opener. More up beat than some of the songs from the old album, this song is filled with positive beats and a fantastic range of vocals showed in this song alone. 'Natures Law' (9/10) is the first single from this album and another soft and swaying type song filled with lyrics that make you melt. A nice use of backing vocals gives this song a perfect mood for playing at a party as background music. 'Target' (8/10) has a different feel to it, a different beat and the vocals sound a bit harsher in a way. Another catchy chorus and uplifiting beat stalks the vocals like a hunter after pray. Gently lifting and falling the effort put into this album is obvious and shines through like a beacon. A grungey riff leads into 'Sainted' (9/10) with an electric backing this again has a nice and different feel to it. Foot tappingly catchy tune makes this album feel alot more upbeat than their last album and should do well. Although the lyrics "big fish eat the little ones" aren't stunning in this one, the fast beat and ups and downs of the vocals more than make up for it. 'I Can't Come Down' (9/10) is really typical Embrace in my oppinion, a soft slow tune, sung with a voice that sounds near tearful, a beautiful example of how much passion can be put into a song. This is one that really gets to you, the guitar singing softly, one that really shows the bands full range of abilities. 'Celebrate' (7/10) filled me with confidence that this would be an uplifting song but the soft piano and haunting into didn't seem to match this. Picking up after a bit the haunting feel to this song remains but is done very nicely. Not my favourite but one that can't be criticised easily. 'Exploding Machines' (8/10) has an ititially strange feel to it but this soon drops and a powerful and punchy beat kicks in. This album seems to be filled with catchy beats and strange backings but it's just done so well, they just...work!. 'Even Smaller Stones' (10/10!!!)starts very strangely, heavy on the drums and a strange guitar riff playing on and off. Totally different to the rest of this album, before the vocals even kicked in i loved this song. Gorgeous vocals and a stunning sound to this song with a nice use of an fx pedal reminds me of the song Like A Stone by Audioslave at parts. This is by far one of my favourites on the album and shows they haven't lost the ability to write a stunning song. 'The End Is Near' (6/10) sounds like it could have been on the old album but still is nice enough. Nothing outstanding about this song but still a nice one to play in the background, can't really fault it, it's just shadowed by the other beautys on the album.'This New Day', the title track is another soft one, piano intro will get the lighters swaying at the gig for sure. A positive and feel good chorus got me swaying strangely but caught up in it "just keep on dreaming".

Cutting It Down: Way above my estimations and this will get alot of playback. Soft enough for a dinner party backing music but also punchy enough to have songs that will get your foot tapping and body moving. Overall (9.5/10)

Dan

-MDS-