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
Dirt
Assemblage 23 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of hateful traits in your possession
And there's nowhere to hide when the waves come crashing in
And there's nowhere to hide when the waves come crashing in
The silence hums behind your eyes
A veil that shields you from your lies
But when the truth rains down, it'll drown you like a flood
Enough is enough is too much and it's getting old
You keep looking for reasons you're stuck out in the cold
You're tainted by the company you keep
You're lower than the dirt beneath my feet
The pretense is the provocation
That drives need for retaliation
Destiny is not your friend tonight
Destiny is not your friend tonight
And now you find yourself alone
Where you must reap what you have sown
You brought this bitter harvest on yourself
You brought this bitter harvest on yourself
Enough is enough is too much and it's getting old
You keep looking for reasons you're stuck out in the cold
You're tainted by the company you keep
You're lower than the dirt beneath my feet
The lyrics to Assemblage 23's song, "Dirt," describe a person who is surrounded by negative traits and behaviors. They are unable to escape these negative influences and find themselves overwhelmed when the truth comes out. The chorus speaks of the person's desperation, as they realize they are in a deep hole and their situation is getting worse. They are 'lower than the dirt beneath my feet' as they are stuck in a cycle of retaliation and reaping the consequences of their own actions.
The song may be interpreted as a warning against surrounding oneself with negative influences and getting caught up in a cycle of bad decisions. The lyrics suggest that we need to be mindful of the company we keep and the behaviors we adopt, lest we find ourselves in a downward spiral. The song emphasizes the need to take responsibility for our actions and the consequences that come with them.
Line by Line Meaning
Aghast amidst the grim procession
You stand horrified among all of the negative qualities you possess
Of hateful traits in your possession
You possess many negative qualities that bring hate
And there's nowhere to hide when the waves come crashing in
You cannot escape the consequences when the truth is revealed
The silence hums behind your eyes
You are hiding the truth behind a quiet facade
A veil that shields you from your lies
You use a mask to hide the truth from yourself
But when the truth rains down, it'll drown you like a flood
When the truth is revealed, it will overwhelm you
Enough is enough is too much and it's getting old
Your excuses for your problems are wearing thin
You keep looking for reasons you're stuck out in the cold
You blame others for your problems and refuse to take responsibility
You're tainted by the company you keep
Your bad behavior is influenced by the people around you
You're lower than the dirt beneath my feet
You are beneath contempt and unworthy of respect
The pretense is the provocation
Your fake façade is causing your problems
That drives need for retaliation
Your actions are causing others to want revenge
Destiny is not your friend tonight
Bad things are going to happen to you due to your own actions
And now you find yourself alone
Because of your actions, you are now isolated
Where you must reap what you have sown
You are now facing the consequences of your actions
You brought this bitter harvest on yourself
You have no one to blame for your problems but yourself
Contributed by Kaylee I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.