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
Let The Wind Erase Me
Assemblage 23 Lyrics
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So I can see the lines and details
And not the hazy, plastic blur
That floods my eyes till I can't see
Let the wind erase me
Like the memory of a kiss
Let these waters take me
I long for anonymity
To wipe the features from my face
One single moment of escape
Then I can wake myself again
Let the wind erase me
Like the memory of a kiss
Let these waters take me
Away from all of this
I need a respite from this noise
The distant roar of static oceans
Give me a haven from this bedlam
And let my senses rust away
Let the wind erase me
Like the memory of a kiss
Let these waters take me
Away from all of this
The lyrics to Assemblage 23's "Let The Wind Erase Me" is a song about a longing for escape from the chaos and noise in one's life. The song starts with the singer expressing the need to dim the light of day, so they can see the details and lines that are otherwise blurred by the hazy and plastic atmosphere that surrounds them. The singer then goes on to express their desire for anonymity by wiping off the features on their face, in a moment of escape. They long for the respite from the noise, the distant roar of static oceans, from the bedlam that surrounds them, so their senses can rust away.
The chorus of the song is where the title truly shines through, with the singer desperately asking for the wind to erase them, just like a kiss that fades away in memory. The singer longs for a release from all of it, from the noise and bedlam, and just wants to be taken away by the water. The entire song is a melancholic plea for escape and release.
Overall, "Let The Wind Erase Me" is a powerful song that speaks to many people who long for solitude and peace, away from the constant noise and chaos of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
Attenuate the light of day
Dim the brightness of daylight so that I can see the tiny details with clarity instead of being blinded by the bright sun.
So I can see the lines and details
I want to be able to see everything with precision and details, rather than having a blurry vision that masks the little details.
And not the hazy, plastic blur
I don't want my sight to be clouded by a polluted, unclear vision that seems like plastic and plastic-like.
That floods my eyes till I can't see
I don't want a view that is so extremely blurred that I can't distinguish what I'm looking at.
Let the wind erase me
I want to be forgotten by the world so completely that it's as if I never existed - like the wind erasing any trace of me.
Like the memory of a kiss
The way the wind erases everything will be how the memory of a kiss can fade over time and eventually vanish.
Let these waters take me
I wish the water would take me away, drown me or cause me to disappear alongside it - far away from everything and everyone.
Away from all of this
All the chaos and confusion that is my life right now - we want to escape away from it all.
I long for anonymity
I wish to remain unknown, with no identifiable features, so people can't find or recognize me, or use any information against me.
To wipe the features from my face
To have a blank, featureless face that separates me from any sense of identity or individuality.
One single moment of escape
Even just a momentary escape from the chaos and turmoil is enough to make an impact in how I feel.
Then I can wake myself again
Once we've taken a break and regained my composure, I'll be able to wake up and start again with a fresh frame of mind.
I need a respite from this noise
I'm overwhelmed by the constant noise and commotion around me, so I need a pause or break from it all.
The distant roar of static oceans
The far-away sound of static or malfunctioning seas, hinting at the idea of being disconnected or removed from the world's noise.
Give me a haven from this bedlam
Give me somewhere to hideaway, a place to rest and find peace away from the madness that surrounds me constantly.
And let my senses rust away
I don't want to be in touch with the current place I am in and I want to be disconnected from all the senses around me, almost as if they're rusting away into nothingness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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