Customer Reviews

Let the Wind Erase Me

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a really good song but not nearly as strong as the lead singles from 'Failure' ("Disappoint") or the last album ("Document"). Outside of the mesmerizing chorus nothing grips me here. The music is solid but it's more of a backdrop to the lyrics than a force on its own. In that respect, it reminds a bit of "Drive". It's a great song but not quite a powerhouse - Perfect as the #2 or #3 song off an album as "Drive" was. I should be getting the album in the mail in a couple of days and am anxious to hear it.

The main issue I have with this is that it doesn't come out and scream "This is Assemblage 23!" The better songs from 'Failure' did that; You knew who it was and it defined a new twist in Elektro / Futurepop. Since then Tom has continued to put out good music but the sound is moderating to the scene. It doesn't help that bands like Seabound and Imperative Reaction, good bands no doubt, sound very similar to the new A23. Now on this song I actually don't know if anyone could really tell the difference if you didn't already know who it was. For instance, you take a friend to a club, this comes on and they've never heard it. Let's assume that they are knowedgeable in the scene. Tell them, "Oh, it's the new Imperative Reaction single." They won't question you. They may say, "It's sounds a bit like A23." Then again, that's exactly what they said when they heard Imperative Reaction's last album. Maybe this is not a clear knock on A23 then, but the point is that these bands' sounds are converging a bit too much at the moment and A23 isn't doing enough to differentiate themselves. Hopefully the album will prove me wrong.

Love it! Great music, as always, by Tom Shear (Assemblage 23). May end up buying more copies for other people.

The song "Darker" was the reason I purchased this CD-single due to its heavy rotation on alternative web radio, but together with "Tragic Figure" and multiple mixes of "Let the Wind Erase Me", this is a release which has survived many repeated listenings as part of my music collection. While Autechre's "Incunabula" (see my review) was a great introduction to intelligent dance music (IDM), this single is what introduced me to what I refer to as intelligent EBM. "EBM" is a relatively newer term that simply refers to the industrial dance music genre of the last couple decades, but the lyrics are what makes Assemblage 23 intelligent, rather than IDM which typically has no lyrics and so relies on the music itself. The lyrics for "Darker" are available elsewhere on the internet, but one of the lines from the chorus bears repeating: "Without the light of wisdom what else can be done / But fumble blindly until at last our race is run?" If you enjoy EBM, take a risk and get this CD-single, which survives multiple listenings unlike a lot of full albums by other artists.

lets face it.. tom has alot of talent.. but his songs get boring.. i mean who can listen to his albums in one sitting? not me. while each song is different.. there is a repetitive trait among them that prevents me from wanting to hear more then 3 of his songs at a time.. but this new song.. is awesome. i can listen to the whole single and not get tired. tom is improving. i just hope the new album is done in the same fasion.