The Best Punk Records You've Never Heard Of -- Part 1 -- Embrace (D.C.)

"You know I thought that my eyes they would be dry/ But now I see and know, the movement has a bitter taste/ I will not have my statements spit back into my face/ We all wait so long for our dreams to be realized/ They end up objects of our own despise" -- "Dance of Days" Embrace

Embrace was a Washington, D.C. hardcore band consisting of  Ian MacKaye (ex-Minor Threat)--vocals, Michael Hampton--guitar, Chris Bald--bass and Ivor Hanson--drums. Their self-titled album came out in 1987.

"In the summer of '85 there was renewed spirit in D.C., often referred to as 'Revolution Summer.' This 'Revolution Summer' included a handful of bands that preferred smaller more intimate venues and focused on a more personal and introspective interpretation of punk rock. Embrace, which was formed by ex-Minor Threat member Ian MacKaye and three of the former members of Faith, was part of this renewal. The band played shows from the summer of 1985 until the spring of ’86"
-- from the Dischord Records website.

I first got the Embrace album in 1987. Not only was the spirit of hardcore broken then, but my personal life seemed quite an unknown at that time. I had spent so much time on punk rock that I didn't quite know what to do when the scene in Seattle was fading. Post-punk and pre-Grunge, the feel-good times of the Metropolis had given way to a kind of malaise.

The Embrace album was the perfect companion to the pain I was in. Ian MacKaye's prior band, Minor Threat, was a positive influence on the whole punk scene and my own life. I looked forward to Embrace and thought it would pick me up with a feel-good kind of message.

I was wrong.

The album is a raw, personal look at Ian's bitterness and rage at the way hardcore had changed and disappointed him. Just as I and many others of his generation were feeling it, he put it all on record.
The music is hard-charging but melodic.

In spite of the bitterness, there is resolve, if not hope. One only need listen to the song, "No More Pain" to recognize this wasn't the end of things, but a new beginning. After Embrace broke up, Ian formed Fugazi with members of Rites of Spring.

No More Pain

No more lying down
We've got to speak and move
No more righteousness
Everything is far too wrong
No more selfish tears
You haven't paid for them
No more dressing up
Please leave your costumes home
No more looking down
You might just bump your head

The purpose is within yourself
The movement is within yourself
Your emotions are nothing but politics
So get control...


"No More Pain" is a powerful statement. Ian sings about loss, friendship, greed, violence and suicide in the songs on this album. I highly recommend it.