Prior to starting Assemblage 23, Shear experimented with music under the name "Man on a Stage", beginning in the early 1980s. Most of Shear's music at this point was instrumental, as he lacked the confidence to sing; the quality of the music itself was highly questionable by his own admission. Shear eventually began to add vocals to his music; at the same time, Shear was also playing bass in a punk band called the "Advocates".
Assemblage 23 got its start in 1988, when at a "Depeche Mode" concert, founder Tom Shear heard the opening DJ spinning industrial dance music. Prior to hearing this type of music, Shear had been creating primarily synthpop and post-punk type music.
Hearing industrial music for the first time proved to be something of an epiphany for Shear, as he had finally found a form of music that combined the electronic sounds he loved from his synth-pop background with the heavier, darker aggression punk represented. Even so, the project was more of a hobby for Shear at this point; it took until 1998 for Assemblage 23 to gather enough positive acclaim to attract the attention of record labels.
Shear signed a deal in 1999 with the Canadian label Gashed! for a full-length album, "Contempt" (released in November 1999). A second album, "Failure", followed in March 2001 and was released by Gashed! in North America and Accession Records in Europe. A single from "Failure", "Disappoint", was released on Accession in October 2001. The song dealt with Shear's sense of loss after his father's suicide on October 28, 1999.
After falling out with Gashed Records following "Failure", Shear signed with US label Metropolis Records later in 2001; Metropolis re-released "Contempt" and "Failure" that November. A remix release, "Addendum", was also released in November only on Accession. By this point, Assemblage 23 had become fairly popular within the ebm genre.
The third studio album, "Defiance", was released in October 2002 on Metropolis and Accession, preceded by the single "Document" in September. October 2004 saw the release of a fourth album, "Storm"; two singles were taken from the album, "Let the Wind Erase Me" in August and "Ground" in November.
Almost three years later, in March 2007, Assemblage 23 returned with a new single, "Binary", which debuted at #21 on the Billboard US singles chart. This was followed by the album "Meta" in April.
In September of that year Shear released "Early, Rare, & Unreleased [1988-1998]", which is a limited edition collection of A23 tracks taken from the years 1988 - 1998, on his own label 23db records. This was followed in February of 2009 by a second collection "Early, Rare, & Unreleased: Volume Two", which was also limited to 1000 copies.
Late 2009 saw the release of "Compass". Both regular and deluxe limited 2CD editions were released in October 2009, preceeded in September by the single "Spark".
The latest album "Bruise" was released on June 12, 2012. It is also available in both regular and 2CD versions.
Shear also has a side-project, "nerve filter", which has been running alongside Assemblage 23 since 1995. However, no more albums will be released since the project is now open for remixes only.
Official website: www.assemblage23.com
Awake
Assemblage 23 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The footprints that I left have disappeared
For now I am driving blind
Accelerate
Without a destination to welcome me
This road is just an endless loop
Every time I close my eyes
The noise inside me amplifies
I can't escape
I relive every moment of the day
Every misstep I have made
Finds a way it can invade
My every thought
And this is why I find myself awake
Directionless
The letters on the signs have long since faded
The sky conspires to swallow me
Paid the price
For burning all the maps to warm myself
I threw their ashes to the wind
[Chorus]
Every time I close my eyes
The noise inside me amplifies
I can't escape
I relive every moment of the day
Every misstep I have made
Finds a way it can invade
My every thought
And this is why I find myself awake
Walk away
Time to leave the realm of the familiar
To find a place where sleep can come
Hesitate
For one last time I shout into the sky
To wake the ones I'll leave behind
[Chorus x2]
Every time I close my eyes
The noise inside me amplifies
I can't escape
I relive every moment of the day
Every misstep I have made
Finds a way it can invade
My every thought
And this is why I find myself awake
The lyrics to Assemblage 23's "Awake" speak to a sense of being lost and directionless, and the anxiety and regret that come with reliving every misstep made. The singer appears to be driving aimlessly, with no destination in mind, and finds themselves unable to escape the noise inside their head that amplifies with every passing moment. The chorus in particular highlights this feeling of being trapped in one's own mind, unable to escape the memories and mistakes that haunt them.
The use of imagery in the lyrics adds to the feeling of being lost and disconnected from the world around the singer. The footprints left behind have disappeared, the letters on the signs have long since faded, and the sky conspires to swallow the singer up. The use of the phrase "burning all the maps to warm myself" is particularly poignant, as it highlights the idea that sometimes in seeking comfort or warmth, we can inadvertently destroy our own sense of direction and purpose.
Overall, "Awake" is a powerful and relatable song that speaks to the ways in which our own thoughts and memories can often be more haunting than anything in the outside world. The use of driving as a metaphor for this feeling of being lost and directionless is especially effective, as it emphasizes the sense of movement and journey that can still feel aimless and fruitless.
Line by Line Meaning
I am lost
I am feeling disoriented and unsure of my path in life
The footprints that I left have disappeared
I cannot rely on my past actions to guide me because they seem to have disappeared or become irrelevant
For now I am driving blind
I am currently in a state of confusion and uncertainty
Accelerate
I am pushing myself forward, even though I don't know where I'm going
Without a destination to welcome me
I am traveling without a clear goal or purpose in mind
This road is just an endless loop
I feel trapped in a repetitive and unfulfilling cycle
Every time I close my eyes
Whenever I try to rest or find peace
The noise inside me amplifies
The thoughts and feelings inside me become louder and harder to ignore
I can't escape
I am unable to get away from these thoughts and feelings
I relive every moment of the day
I keep replaying all of the events of the day over and over again
Every misstep I have made
Every mistake or wrong choice I've made
Finds a way it can invade
These negative thoughts and feelings always seem to find a way to take over my mind
My every thought
Even my positive or neutral thoughts are affected by this negativity
And this is why I find myself awake
This is why I am unable to sleep or rest peacefully
Directionless
I have no clear direction or purpose in my life
The letters on the signs have long since faded
The guidance or advice I once had no longer seems to apply or be relevant
The sky conspires to swallow me
The world around me seems to be closing in or suffocating me
Paid the price
I suffered negative consequences for my actions
For burning all the maps to warm myself
I destroyed my own plans or guidance in order to satisfy my own short-term needs or desires
I threw their ashes to the wind
I have moved on from those old plans and guidance
Walk away
I need to leave behind what is familiar in order to find something new
Time to leave the realm of the familiar
I must step out of my comfort zone and try something new
To find a place where sleep can come
To find a new environment or mindset that will allow me to finally rest and recharge
Hesitate
I am unsure if I am making the right decision by leaving behind what is familiar
For one last time I shout into the sky
I am making one final effort to gain closure or to communicate my intentions to those I am leaving behind
To wake the ones I'll leave behind
To try to inspire or motivate those I am leaving behind to move forward as well
Chorus (1st)
Repeating the theme of being unable to escape negative thoughts and memories
Chorus (2nd)
Repeating the theme of being unable to escape negative thoughts and memories
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind