Artist: Assemblage 23 Title: Compass Format: Album Label: Accession Records Genre: Electronic Release date: October 23, 2009 Available on Spotify!

Assemblage 23 is not new to the scene in anyway. This electronic project from Mr. Tom Shear has been around since 1988 but it is only for the last ten years he has released music with A23, so I guess every electro-living soul out there knows his music.

With “Compass”, featuring ten tracks with the first single “Spark” included, Tom Shear delivers his sixth studio album, with the same structure that we are used to get from Mr Shear. But I think there is something more this time. I have been following A23 since 2001 and with every album release its been better and better. The production, the sound, great vocals and everything that is to it. In this album you can hear some new tunes which I think really complements the music in a great way, and that is what makes this album not just another album with the same tunes over and over again in all the songs. With his 2004-album “Storm” I really wondered if he could top it with an album better than that. I don’t think he did it with his last album “Meta”, it’s still among the best album he’s done though but not quite as good as “Storm”. “Compass” offers, as with its predecessors, many great tunes, and even some additional female backing vocals on some tracks, with everything from catchy melodies (“Collapse”, “Impermanence”, “Leave This All Behind” and “Angels & Demons”), beautiful ballads (“How Can You Sleep” and “The Cruelest Year”) and powerful club hits (“Smoke”, “Spark”, “Greed” and “Alive”). I don’t think the music only affects the fans but also people that don’t know or have heard his music before will be drawn to it. It’s first class material on all songs and Tom has really worked well and put his magical touch to every song and I feel that there isn’t a single bad one on the album. “Compass” really tops “Storm” and is easily his best work to date.

No matter what music you like, I really think you can find something in “Compass” and highly recommend it to all fans of modern electronic.

Tracklist:

01. Smoke
02. Collapse
03. Impermanence
04. How Can I Sleep?
05. Spark
06. Leave This All Behind
07. Alive
08. Greed
09. Angels & Demons
10. The Cruelest Year