Out Of Nothing - Embrace
Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 3 out of 16
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  1. Stylus Magazine
    100
    Whereas before Embrace always harboured that tendency to fuss over minutiae, to pore over every detail with such attention that betrayed self-consciousness, their fourth studio album, Out Of Nothing, finally sees them free of their own fastidiousness.
  2. Amazon.com
    100
    Out of Nothing is a truly exceptional album.
  3. musicOMH.com
    90
    Out Of Nothing is a wonderfully affecting album that is the band's best to date.
  4. E! Online
    75
    [Shows] a renewed sense of purpose.
  5. Pitchfork
    73
    Never have they turned in an effort as pretty or economical as Out of Nothing.
  6. Under The Radar
    70
    Maintains the quintet's dramatic style, with emotionally charged, lofty hooks and an uplifting spirit. [#9]
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  7. Mojo
    70
    Finally, Embrace deliver a poignant and prolonged rush of blood to the head. [Oct 2004, p.116]
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  8. Entertainment Weekly
    67
    A set of bombastic, fist-pumping pop downers for the terminally lovelorn and musically ecstatic. [8 Jul 2005, p.67]
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  9. Lost At Sea
    65
    If only Embrace gave us more of the spacey, Mercury Rev-style psychedelia of "Near Life" (sans McNamara's poorly mumbled vocals), it'd be easier to forgive their lack of imagination.
  10. Dot Music
    60
    [Their] apathy really detracts from the heartfelt nature of the music, which, produced by the anthemic hand of Youth, is mostly of the passionate, chest-thumping variety.
  11. Uncut
    60
    Well; it could've been worse.
  12. Q Magazine
    50
    In spite of some good songs... the band's urge to be monumental at the expense of their vulnerability is ill-advised. [Oct 2004, p.122]
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  13. Prefix Magazine
    50
    Although these songs of attempted triumph comprise the band’s strongest material yet, they still lack the originality that will shed them of the “underrated” label they’ve worn for the last decade.
  14. The Guardian
    30
    While their first album had a stirring anthem or two, their songwriting here is both flimsy and overblown, like an empty carrier bag temporarily inflated by a gust of wind.
  15. PopMatters
    20
    Out of Nothing is the sound of music being super-sized and stuffed into a happy meal.... Extra large chorus? Check. Grandiose lyrics? Check. Towering instrumentation? Check.
  16. Drawer B
    10
    A pompous, painfully tacky string of infomercial rock.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. JohnE
    10
    Incredible music with beautiful lyrics.
  2. LukeDaveyof2LincolnCottagesBrighton
    7
    Soup S is an idiot - how can Embrace be a Coldplay knock-off when they came before Coldplay did? And their only song on here that sounds anything like Coldplay, Gravity, was written by Chris Martin - Of Coldplay!!! This album is very decent and there is no way you can justify giving it a bad mark on the basis that it sounds like other bands, because Embrace came before most of those other bands.… Full Review »
  3. BillT
    10
    Uplifting Stuff
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