Like most electronica projects, Assemblage 23 is most enjoyable at around 3 a.m. with smoke-streak strobes the only scenery, but unlike most of the band's peers, there's an accessibility that transcends the clubs. Essentially an outlet for Tom Shear with the assistance of studio musicians, the project developed a cult following in the goth-dance circuit with a sound that comes through in symmetrical fashion on his fourth full-length, Addendum; it shows that past covers of '80s new wave classics such as "I Ran" were not out ...
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Like most electronica projects, Assemblage 23 is most enjoyable at around 3 a.m. with smoke-streak strobes the only scenery, but unlike most of the band's peers, there's an accessibility that transcends the clubs. Essentially an outlet for Tom Shear with the assistance of studio musicians, the project developed a cult following in the goth-dance circuit with a sound that comes through in symmetrical fashion on his fourth full-length, Addendum; it shows that past covers of '80s new wave classics such as "I Ran" were not out of character, but an extension of what he does best: updating Depeche Mode's more sullen yet surprisingly frenetic dance beats with cheesy (but not in a bad way) keyboards and spoken-drone vocals. ~ Brian O'Neill, Rovi
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