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
Lullaby
Assemblage 23 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Despite the wolves outside your door
In time you will see them all as harmless
And their idle threats easy to ignore
And if ever fate should choose to smite you
Stand your ground, never walk away
Please don't ever let the world defeat you
As you drift into the gauzy realm of dreams
May you take comfort in the thought that you are safe
For it only takes a fraction of a second
For all of this to change
Return to me
When slumber's fog has lifted
Return to me
Stronger than before
As you sink beneath the soothing streams of time
May you be thankful that you had another day
For there comes a time when each of us will enter
A sleep from which we will never wake
And if ever fate should choose to smite you
Stand your ground, never walk away
Please don't ever let the world defeat you
Don't get buried in its decay
Close your eyes now, if only for a moment
For it's time you get some rest
The wolves are gone and nothing here can harm you
Let go of your fragile consciousness
Return to me
When slumber's fog has lifted
Return to me
Stronger than before
The song "Lullaby" by Assemblage 23 is a beautiful and comforting ode to those who struggle with fear and anxiety in a harsh world. The opening lines, "May you find solace in the gentle arms of sleep / Despite the wolves outside your door," paint a picture of someone who is fighting a constant battle against a hostile world. The singer encourages them to find peace in sleep, even though fear and danger lurk just outside.
The second verse continues this theme, telling the listener that they will eventually realize that the threats they face are not as big as they seem. The singer urges them to stand strong and not be defeated by the world's decay. The chorus is a call for the listener to return to the singer when they awake, stronger and ready to face another day.
The final verse is both comforting and sobering. The listener is reminded that death will come for us all, and that each day should be cherished. The singer repeats their message of strength, urging the listener to stand their ground and not be defeated by the world's troubles.
Line by Line Meaning
May you find solace in the gentle arms of sleep
May you find comfort and peace in the embracing comfort of sleep
Despite the wolves outside your door
Despite the challenges that you face in the world
In time you will see them all as harmless
In time, you will come to understand that these challenges are not as harmful as they seem
And their idle threats easy to ignore
Their threats will become insignificant and easy to ignore
And if ever fate should choose to smite you
And if something unfortunate should happen to you by chance
Stand your ground, never walk away
Do not back down and never give up, stand your ground
Please don't ever let the world defeat you
Don't let the world bring you down, remain resilient
Don't get buried in its decay
Do not become overwhelmed by the negativity and decay of the world
As you drift into the gauzy realm of dreams
As you fall asleep and enter the realm of dreams
May you take comfort in the thought that you are safe
May you feel secure and protected in the thought that you are safe
For it only takes a fraction of a second
Because things can change in an instant
For all of this to change
For everything to change abruptly
Return to me
Come back to me
When slumber's fog has lifted
When you wake up from your sleep
Stronger than before
Stronger and more resilient than you were before
As you sink beneath the soothing streams of time
As you fall deeper into the peaceful and calming passage of time
May you be thankful that you had another day
Be grateful for another day of life and opportunity
For there comes a time when each of us will enter
Because there will be a time when we all pass away
A sleep from which we will never wake
A permanent sleep that we will never wake up from
Close your eyes now, if only for a moment
Close your eyes now and take a brief moment to relax
For it's time you get some rest
Because it's time for you to get some rest
The wolves are gone and nothing here can harm you
The challenges have passed, and now you are safe and free from harm
Let go of your fragile consciousness
Let go of your worries and stresses and allow yourself to fully relax
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thetemplelaboratory
I can't think of one aggressive Assemblage 23 song or one that seemed desparate in any sense. Then again art is subjective so if thats what you got from Tom's music I can't argue with that.
I view this song and VNV's Illusion as not a dialogue taking place between one person to another- these aren't codependent anthems or meant to invoke a sense of loss by any means.
I view both songs as a reminder from the other end of the sacred heart, in the quantum field where one of our higher frequency (higher consciousness) selves resides. One that was once here, when we were one density lower. The part of us understands the trials and tribulations of the game of duality, and now occupies a spaceless timeless realm beyond- not up there in the cosmos anywhere, but deep inside our heart & superimposed within every part of the hologram we call reality.
To put it simply these songs are our soul calling us back to our true selves. "The wolves outside your door" is in refrence to miscreations- mind oriented solid state beliefs based off nothing but thoughts we repeatedly think. This world is just illusion, always trying to change us is also in refrence to these social matrix thoughtforms.
The heart generates more electricity and far more magnetism than the brain. Home is where the heart is. "Return to me" is saying come home. Return to your soul.
This is my interpretation of these songs. You dont have to agree with any of it, I'm not asking you to. Infinity is beautiful & I love you.
@thekmfdmmachine3919
woah its been a while. Im remembering why A23 was in my top best of all time from that life time . You know whats so fucking sad I can barley compose my gd self.
I lost myself somewhere, I actually let it beat me......
Stay away from drugs kids, shit will change you into someone empty and soulless. Everyone starts for fun and it is, the ones who use to escape it makes sense. and thats fine when its time to time, or when needed. but its right there where you'll be at a crossroad.
Choose Life,
@ayekittenkatteh
It's 2019 and I still find myself listening to this song. This song still holds a special spot in my heart.
@Zeheroth69
Still is and always will be. Tom Shear has just a way of using sounds and lyrics to perfectly match what i feel
@Nebulisreconx
Cheers friend!
@davidwallace1644
2019 was the worst year of my life and this song has been with me since basic training 15 years ago and still in 2021
@thetemplelaboratory
@@davidwallace1644 Good music is timeless. I still listen to Ode To Joy!
@BratFyre
Same... 7 Years later
@tyrtex5108
2021.
2020 has passed.
I remember the wolves.
They don’t scare me anymore.
I became the person I chose to be.
I stood my ground.
I won’t stop and be buried by it all.
@lillyxfox2684
...Thank you for this...
@minoc2
This is one of my favorite songs ever, and your comments are very apropos.
@ArvelDreth
2023