This year, Embrace have followed the expressive, anthemic format of their music and exploded in a big way in the U.S. music scene.  Stars in their native Britain, Embrace released their latest disc, Out of Nothing, to much U.S. critical acclaim this past June.  Though the band is busy preparing for a U.S. tour, bassist Steven Firth took some time out of his schedule to talk with AvoidPeril about the band’s sound, his favorite records of 2005, and Embrace’s place in the U.S. music scene.

1. How did you like working with Youth?  He’s known for being a very driven producer, and I’ve heard that he pushed Embrace pretty hard while
recording - but obviously the results are excellent.

Youth is very strong-willed, and he likes to work very quickly in the studio – which we were not used to.  He tends to give each member of the band a couple of takes to lay down their track, which can be quite stressful but tends to make everyone rise to the challenge and play better. But whilst pushing hard, he always keeps the atmosphere in the studio energetic, creative, and fun.
 
Danny had an especially hard job, as Youth made us speed up most of our songs to the point where Dan could no longer fit his lyrics (which he had been working on for months) to the faster song tempo.  Youth also pushed the keys of most of the songs to the top of Danny's vocal range, making his life twice as hard, and leading to a lot of arguments that Youth always won.

 

However, after the first few weeks where all the vocals were sounding great, Danny stopped fighting Youth, relaxed, and got on with the difficult job at hand.
 
2. Your songs have a very anthemic sound - is that the direction you have in mind when you are in the writing process? Do you tend to write the music or the lyrics first?
 
[An anthemic sound] is not something we have ever strived for. Usually, Dan or Rick comes to the band with a song written on an acoustic guitar and a lot of lyrics in place. When we plug in and play, this huge anthemic sound sometimes appears from out of nowhere.
 
What happened over the recording of the last albums (on Out of Nothing and Near Life) is that for the first time, the music was written first or at the same time as Dan came up with vocal melodies and lyrics. We have had three writing sessions as a band this year, which have been very productive and quick, as we have at least 80% of the next album finished already.
 
3.  What bands would you like to play with?  Who are you listening to on the road?

 

The dream lineup of current bands, for me, would be The Flaming Lips, Polyphonic Spree, The White Stripes, Lambchop, and Kings of Leon.
 
My iPod has been playing The National, Richmond Fontaine, Kings of Leon and the new Coldplay and U2 albums.
 
4. What are you most looking forward to regarding your U.S. tour?
 
Playing the U.S. this year has been the most exciting time to be in Embrace. You don't feel like you've had the full band experience unless you have traveled across the U.S. in a tour bus, driving thousands of miles to play venues you've read about or seen in music documentaries.

 

Playing in L.A., San Francisco, New York, Chicago, etc., is very exciting in itself, but the fact that a lot of the venues have been full of people that really get our music has been amazing.
 
5.  Which of your performances has been your favorite so far? 
 
Our June gig at the Chicago Double Door was a special night – it was a hot and sweaty gig where we played really well to a fantastic crowd.  It doesn't get much better than that. It has also been great playing at legendary clubs like The Bowery and The Roxy.
 
6. What can US audiences expect when they see you in concert?
 
Everybody has always said that Embrace sound better live than on our records.  I think part of this has to do with the volume [at shows], louder guitars and more pounding drums. But I think it’s largely because we never ‘go through the motions’ during our live shows.  We always give everything, and feed off the audience more than some bands. This makes the gigs a communal experience or celebration where the crowd is as important as the band
 
7.  After having some problems trying to release your last album in the U.S. [in 2001], was there any hesitation about releasing Out of Nothing in 2005?  How does Out of Nothing fit into the current U.S. music scene?
 
Right from the start, we always thought that our music would go down well in the U.S., and so we were very disappointed when Embrace was dropped by Geffen before the first album was released. Since then, we have been without a U.S. deal, so we were very pleased when we finally signed to Lava; they are a great label that genuinely loves and believes in the band.  Musically, from what I’ve seen in the U.S., people are very receptive to our sound (and music from the UK in general, for the first time in a few years), so hopefully we may get to spend a lot of time over there.
 
8.  What are some of the best records of 2005 thus far?

 

The new Coldplay album – I’ve got to mention that 'Fix You ' is the best song I've heard all year. Also the new U2, Kaiser Chiefs, and Bloc Party albums, and I love the new Maximo Park single, so I’ll be checking that out next.