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
SPARK
Assemblage 23 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into the soil before I see
The one who holds the blade is me?
For how much longer must I stand
On destiny's uncertain sands
Before I find stability?
One voice against surrender
One dream that's worth defending
One love that's neverending
Ignore the underlying cause
Among a thousand last hurrahs
Where every promise is a lie
Externalize the blame for now
The voice of reason disavowed
A slave to all that I decried
One spark among the embers
One voice against surrender
One dream that's worth defending
One love that's neverending
I wear a stranger's face
Not so different from my own
All the steps that I retraced
Left me wounded and alone
For how much longer must I burn
Until I'm able to discern
The root of all this suffering?
For how much longer must I flee
These harsh responsibilities
For the sinking rock to which I cling?
One spark among the embers
One voice against surrender
One dream that's worth defending
One love that's neverending
The lyrics to Assemblage 23's song "Spark" explore the struggle of self-reflection and personal responsibility. The singer opens with a poignant question, asking how much longer they must bleed into the soil before realizing that they are the ones damaging themselves. This is followed by the reflection on being stuck in a seemingly unstable destiny and longing for stability. The following lines delve deeper into the struggle of dealing with external pressures and lies, while feeling a lack of control over one's circumstances. The chorus emphasizes the power of one's individuality and personal values, with the hope that their "spark among the embers" can combat feelings of surrender and lead to a better future.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of identity and the toll it can take on someone. The line "I wear a stranger's face, not so different from my own" suggests a sense of detachment from oneself. The lyrics further explore the difficulties of retracing one's steps and the loneliness that comes with it.
Overall, the song is a powerful reflection on the search for self-acceptance, stability, and meaningful connections.
Line by Line Meaning
For how much longer must I bleed
Into the soil before I see
The one who holds the blade is me?
The singer questions how much longer they must suffer before realizing that they are responsible for their own pain and suffering.
For how much longer must I stand
On destiny's uncertain sands
Before I find stability?
The singer questions how long they must endure an uncertain future before they find a sense of stability.
One spark among the embers
One voice against surrender
One dream that's worth defending
One love that's neverending
The singer finds hope in the idea that even one small spark, one voice, one dream, or one love can make a difference in the face of overwhelming odds.
Ignore the underlying cause
Among a thousand last hurrahs
Where every promise is a lie
The artist urges the listener to not overlook the root cause of their problems in the midst of false promises and empty celebrations.
Externalize the blame for now
The voice of reason disavowed
A slave to all that I decried
The artist admits to placing blame on external factors while ignoring their own role, and feeling trapped by their own previous beliefs and criticisms.
I wear a stranger's face
Not so different from my own
All the steps that I retraced
Left me wounded and alone
The singer feels disconnected from themselves, realizing that the path they have taken has left them feeling hurt and isolated.
For how much longer must I burn
Until I'm able to discern
The root of all this suffering?
The singer questions how much longer they must endure their own pain before understanding the underlying cause.
For how much longer must I flee
These harsh responsibilities
For the sinking rock to which I cling?
The artist questions how long they can avoid their responsibilities before they are forced to face them, even if it means being uncomfortable.
Contributed by Arianna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
luna trick
For how much longer must I bleed
Into the soil before I see
The one who holds the blade is me?
For how much longer must I stand
On destiny's uncertain sands
Before I find stability?
One spark among the embers
One voice against surrender
One dream that's worth defending
One love that's neverending
Ignore the underlying cause
Among a thousand last hurrahs
Where every promise is a lie
Externalize the blame for now
The voice of reason disavowed
A slave to all that I decried
One spark among the embers
One voice against surrender
One dream that's worth defending
One love that's neverending...
Faelynn Elisabeth Crebarrin
I wear a stranger's face
Not so different from my own
All the steps that I retrace
Left me wounded and alone
For how much longer must I burn
Until I'm able to discern
The root of all this suffering
For how much longer must I flee
These harsh responsibilities
For the sinking rock to which I cling
(chorus)
Samet Kayalak
I think it's his best song. I think I first listened to it 10 years ago, now I listen to it again. With one word, perfect
Riffs Maladaeus
This song hits me and tears me up every time love u guys
luna trick
For how much longer must I bleed
Into the soil before I see
The one who holds the blade is me?
For how much longer must I stand
On destiny's uncertain sands
Before I find stability?
One spark among the embers
One voice against surrender
One dream that's worth defending
One love that's neverending
Ignore the underlying cause
Among a thousand last hurrahs
Where every promise is a lie
Externalize the blame for now
The voice of reason disavowed
A slave to all that I decried
One spark among the embers
One voice against surrender
One dream that's worth defending
One love that's neverending...
Faelynn Elisabeth Crebarrin
I wear a stranger's face
Not so different from my own
All the steps that I retrace
Left me wounded and alone
For how much longer must I burn
Until I'm able to discern
The root of all this suffering
For how much longer must I flee
These harsh responsibilities
For the sinking rock to which I cling
(chorus)
Tony Barr
damn I have to say this is definitly a top favorite of mine. the more I hear this the more I want to hear it again
Neska Lapicki
new album mourn out in a few months.
Guillermo Del Cosmo
A23 has so many great songs but this one is easily my favorite.
Massoud A
I heard this live at a an event and it was insane. That was in 2015, but still resonates.
Lance Fairchild
I can thank Pandora for showing me this... Lol I absolutely love it.
Tripcode
Me too. Pandora is great.