Artist: Assemblage 23

Album: Compass

Genre: Industrial, EBM, Synth-Pop, Euro-Techno

Vocal Style: Male, Clean, Melodic, Distorted (Mild)

Label: Metropolis Records

Parental Advisory: No

Recommended if You Like: 80′s New Wave, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Justin Timberlake (If you don’t believe me listen to the track “Collapse” and tell me it wouldn’t fit with JT’s “Sexy Back”)

Assemblage 23 - Compass

I’ve been familiar with Assemblage 23 and Tom Shear through the years.  First hearing some of his cover versions on various 21st Circuitry Records releases like Newer Wave and Newer Wave 2.0, but I’ve never actually listened to a full album of Assemblage 23 material.  Well now that that has been rectified and can honestly say this is one of the best EBM, dance albums I’ve heard in YEARS.  Seriously folks, this is a good record.

First off like I mentioned above the song “Collapse” is an instant classic.  “Smoke” may be the first track on the album, and a good one at that, but Collapse is just unstoppable and really could easily beat up Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” with it’s dirty rhythms and ultimate funkiness.  I adore this track and it quite easily could be my favorite song on the record but right now it’s tied with “How Can You Sleep?”.  “How Can You Sleep?” is a total nod to Depeche Mode circa I’d say Ultra or Songs of Faith and Devotion with perhaps just a dash of Violater for good measure.  But in no way is this track a rip off of Depeche Mode.  Nope, it stands alone as an Assemblage 23 song and is another great stand out on this record.

Compass has many things going for it, huge keyboard melodies with pop sensibilities.  GREAT big beats with HUGE kick drums that get your body beat moving (Combichrist pun not intended).  At times it has a real 80′s feel to it, I even wrote in my notes “Thompson Twins” at one point in time (take that with a grain of salt).  But Compass does have a couple of faults.  Tom’s vocals don’t have a ton of range and after awhile it starts getting a little same sounding.  The music is great but at times the beats start to run together which doesn’t help the same sounding vocals a lot.  The beginning also features the strongest songs and by the end the album starts to get a little melodramatic for my taste.

So do yourself a favor and run out and grab this record today.  I can’t stress enough how much fun this record is and how much I enjoyed listening to it.  Not to mention I am in LOVE with Shear’s production on the record.  So there ya have it folks, the perfect album for the kids in black to dance too.    **** out of ****** stars.

Tom Shear - Assemblage 23 Photo: Bob Libby

Assemblage 23 – Compassprovided courtesy of Metropolis Records.

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