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
Sun
Assemblage 23 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I felt changed
I felt removed and broken
Over man
Over God
But weak by the same token
Wherewithal
A soulless apparition
Loss of choice
Lost my voice
Condemned and then conditioned
I turn my eyes up to the sun
And stare ahead as if there's none
Mere cinders where my eyes had been
Forced to forget the things I've seen
My limbs move
Without will
My thoughts without emotion
Ignorant
Of my cause
But with complete devotion
I'm sent forth
To collect
Another bitter harvest
A cruel trial
To find out
Who they can push the farthest
I turn my eyes up to the sun
And stare ahead as if there's none
Mere cinders where my eyes had been
Forced to forget the things I've seen
Mowing down
Rows and rows
Like waves of flesh, blood, and bone
Staring blank
Into space
No sign of life on my face
Empty man
With a gun
What on earth have you done?
On your knees
On your knees
For the land of the free
I turn my eyes up to the sun
And stare ahead as if there's none
Mere cinders where my eyes had been
Forced to forget the things I've seen
The lyrics of "Sun" by Assemblage 23 paint a dark picture of a protagonist who has been stripped of their agency and humanity, turned into a mere tool for a greater cause. The song begins with the singer reflecting on the first day they felt changed, removed, and broken. They express a sense of powerlessness over man and God, lost in their own weakness. The narrative then shifts to focus on the loss of the singer's willpower and soul, replaced by a "soulless apparition" with no choice, no voice. They have been condemned and conditioned, stripped of their autonomy and forced to do the bidding of others.
The chorus, "I turn my eyes up to the sun and stare ahead as if there's none, mere cinders where my eyes had been, forced to forget the things I've seen" highlights the singer's state of mind. They attempt to ignore the brutality and horrors they have witnessed in their work, for it is too much to bear. They no longer have control over their limbs or thoughts, merely a puppet under the control of their superiors. The final verse finds the singer participating in the violent slaughter of human beings, with no hint of emotion on their face. The track ends with a plea for the land of the free, placed in juxtaposition with the grotesque violence that has preceded it.
Overall, "Sun" is a chilling critique of society's ability to strip people of their independence and turn them into instruments of violence. The lyrics capture the bleakness and cynicism of a world in which individuality and autonomy have been subsumed into a greater machine.
Line by Line Meaning
The first day
On the first day of this experience or situation
I felt changed
I experienced a significant transformation
I felt removed and broken
I felt disconnected and emotionally damaged
Over man
Feeling superior to other humans
Over God
Feeling superior to divine powers or spirituality
But weak by the same token
However, feeling vulnerable and powerless at the same time
Wherewithal
The mental capacity or resources to handle challenges
Has dissolved
Has disappeared or been removed
A soulless apparition
An empty, lifeless entity or manifestation
Loss of choice
Being deprived of the ability to make decisions
Lost my voice
Being silenced or unable to speak out
Condemned and then conditioned
Punished and then trained to behave a certain way
I turn my eyes up to the sun
I look up to the sky or to a higher power for guidance
And stare ahead as if there's none
Ignoring the world around me and focusing solely on my path
Mere cinders where my eyes had been
My vision is gone or impaired, leaving me with only ashes or remnants
Forced to forget the things I've seen
Being made to suppress my memories or experiences
My limbs move
My body is in motion
Without will
Without conscious control or intention
My thoughts without emotion
My mental state is devoid of feeling
Ignorant
Lacking knowledge or awareness
Of my cause
Unaware of the reason or purpose behind my actions
But with complete devotion
However, being fully dedicated to what I am doing
I'm sent forth
I am commanded or instructed to go somewhere
To collect
To gather or accumulate
Another bitter harvest
Another unpleasant or negative outcome or result
A cruel trial
A challenging experience or ordeal
To find out
To discover or determine
Who they can push the farthest
Who can be pushed or manipulated to the greatest extent
Mowing down
Killing or destroying in large numbers
Rows and rows
Many lines or series of objects or people
Like waves of flesh, blood, and bone
Like a violent, unstoppable force of living beings
Staring blank
Looking without expression or engagement
Into space
Into an empty or unknown realm
No sign of life on my face
No evidence of vitality or humanity in my appearance
Empty man
A hollow or meaningless person
With a gun
Holding a weapon or instrument of violence
What on earth have you done?
What horrific or destructive actions have you committed?
On your knees
In a position of submission or surrender
For the land of the free
Serving a country that values individual freedom and liberty
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS SHEAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind