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Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye
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| Spirit5 |
An amazing CD. Just got it yesterday at Borders for only $12! (with a coupon that is). But it's worth a lot more IMO..sheer quality. Medusa and Stars are the only tracks I can say IMO are a little weak, partially because it's just not what i'm accustomed to hearing from him, but hey..it's good to branch out and experiment. A little too uptempo/fast/noisey. I'm a sucker for the slower, fluffier, ethereal, melodic music he produces. This is his most pop-orientated album I think, yet it also has some darker, shoe-gazer type tracks somewhat reminiscent of Slowdive.
"Shine" is one of his few full vocal tracks (other than the ethereal voices he uses), and is quite inspirational. Kind of reminds me of some of Enigma's work. Another stand-out track is "Einfield", with a lush ambient soundscape in the beginning..quite dreamy and floaty sounding, almost reminds me of some of Tangerine Dream's music. The other tracks that are really good IMO are "Never Be The Same", "A Song About Hope", "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow", the title track "Goodbye", the ambient "In Between The Years", and "For Good", which is a sweet electro-acoustic track.
Oh and if those who think that this is his last album...well if you read on the back of the cover, that he is leaving Germany and moving to Great Britain I think? This is why the CD is called "Goodbye" and the tracks have titles dealing with leaving. But it can also be looked upon as his music being a journey in and of itself...you say goodbye to reality while listening to his music. |
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| Spirit5 |
Yeah I agree but there are still a good number of stand out tracks IMO. But I agree that it's really not as consistently good as his others. I think he's trying to branch out..experiment some more with his sound and not be so overtly melodic all the time...a little more subtle, moody and at times aggressive or dark. |
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| SMC |
Yes, it really is amazing. Album of the year so far for me. I've been listening to it like crazy the past week, i can't get enough of it. There is a larger dose of the shoegaze/dream-pop ingredient this time, that's true and that is really fine by me because i'm a big fan of that type of music, Slowdive like you said Spirit5, one of the best examples. I really like this little progression in his sound, it's very fresh, it comes from the heart and it still sounds unmistakably 100% Ulrich Schnauss.
There is not a single weak track on this album, the only thing i can complain about is that i perceive "Medusa" as a little harsh in contrast to the rest of the album which is sooo smooth and clean, no matter how high i crank up the volume his soft immersive wall of sound remains pleasant to the ear. I do like "Medusa" too however, i just like it less than the rest.
"Shine" is so good, if in the right mood i could see myself crying like a baby listening to it just because it's so beautiful. Another favorite is "Here Today Gone Tomorrow". But they're all good, "Einfeld", "Goodbye", and "Stars" is relly cool too, it's the On My Own of this album, it's bold, i love it.
Goodbye is his most multitextured work to date. It's at least as good as A Strangely Isolated Place imo, perhaps even better, i can't say yet because i'm so totally immersed in it right now.
9.5/10
PS. I'm listening to Medusa right now, i love it, maybe i should take back what i wrote earlier. It could be a track that grows on me over time. And you gotta love that nice little choral outro. |
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| paulandrews |
| quote: | Originally posted by Spirit5
I think he's trying to branch out..experiment some more with his sound |
That's exactly what I think he didn't and what left me a bit disappointed. It was almost like 'A Strangely Isolated Place Vol. 2'. |
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| LiquidX |
| Gosh man I love Ulrich Schnauss works and remixes. My favorite track of he's is Monday Paracetamol, Goodbye it's a great album, though I agree that he's past work has been better, does not mean that this is bad. I enjoy this album greatly ! |
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| Spirit5 |
| quote: | Originally posted by paulandrews
That's exactly what I think he didn't and what left me a bit disappointed. It was almost like 'A Strangely Isolated Place Vol. 2'. |
Actually it is pretty experimental...he used more vocals, some more pop stuff like "Shine" and "Stars" for example, and Medusa is quite unusual. The other tracks just have a slightly different feel and sound to them...a little harsher, darker. Maybe not as experimental as say Aphex Twin or Boards of Canada, but not a rip off of his other albums. There's influences from "A Strangely Isolated Place" but I wouldn't say it's "A Stangely Isolated Place 2". Experimental doesn't always mean sounding experimental, it can mean for a particular artist..branching out with their sound, trying new things and this is what he did. |
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| teknomonki |
| Just scooped it and loving it so far. You can tell its him almost immediately! |
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| paulandrews |
| quote: | Originally posted by Spirit5
Experimental doesn't always mean sounding experimental, it can mean for a particular artist..branching out with their sound, trying new things and this is what he did. |
I know, I meant that he didn't change his sound almost in any way, apart from the few things you mentioned.
When I get home, I'll try to upload two samples for you to see what I mean. |
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| Spirit5 |
| quote: | Originally posted by paulandrews
I know, I meant that he didn't change his sound almost in any way, apart from the few things you mentioned.
When I get home, I'll try to upload two samples for you to see what I mean. |
Why would he change his sound completely though? People like his sound..so if it's not broken, don't fix it. He just used vocals, which he hadn't used much previously, and some of his tracks like "Medusa" and "Stars" are harsher as SMC noted...than what he is typical of releasing.
They don't sound much like his other works, except Stars, like SMC said, could be compared to "On My Own". I think that track would have worked better on this album than on "A Strangely Isolated Place". So no he didn't change his sound drastically, I know that, but he didn't just rehash a bunch of the same sounds either like some other artists do, namely trance producers. But like I said, he still uses the "signature" sound that he's known for...for a few of the tracks on Goodbye. |
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| Spirit5 |
Well they don't bother me because I like that sound...the lush, dreamy, ethereal and melodic sound in those tracks. Sure they are similar, but I don't think those tracks are copies of each other. I guess they just have that other-worldly or early morning type feel to them...but this is what IMO makes his music so great...it is evocative. I would be disappointed if he completely scraped that part of his music, and he somewhat did on this album but he didn't completely abandon it. |
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