A warm misty night alone

An ethereal, moody score for those souls, who exist anonymously, on the lonely side of the street. This neo-melancholic ode is for those who become life's hapless foils. A first-class chillout event, with deeply haunting lines, colored by an atmosphere of murky angst throughout. It comes across, in waves of sheer bittersweet poignance. This CD does show some of the influences of: Robin Guthrie, Hammock, The Pet Shop Boys, and Lanterna to name but a few. All the selections are superb, but the standouts are: "Stars", "Here Today, Gone Tommorrow", and the title-cut "Good-bye". It's rare that an electronic album promotes so much raw feeling and energy. I give Ulrich Schnauss five stars for this outing. Highly recommended.

Dreamy modern day shoegaze

Ulrich Schnauss has done it again! Deep shoegaze sounds, excellent writing and production. Clearly one of the best modern shoegaze records out. Brings me back to the early 90's but with the sound quality and production value of today. Top notch record, definitely worth the download or buy the CD. Also while you are at it, get his older stuff too! This guy is probably one of the most "slept on" artists out there, yet one of the best!

On Ulrich Schnauss’ third album Goodbye, he gently fades away from Boards of Canada style breakbeats and deep into a shoegaze slumber that drifts gently into an ethereal realm slightly reminiscent of Enigma, Ultravox, and at its most lush moments, Enya. Yes, Enya, but maybe only if she were to be produced by Kevin Shields. Breathy keyboard pads are at the forefront and this results in a more sleepy retro vibe derivative of ’80s new age, which might be the trouble with this record. On previous albums, Schnauss seemed to be evolving into his own futuristic style of beat-making, but here the excessive layering seems to be a step backward, with less focus on the rhythmic IDM and electronica aspects, and more on the expansive soundscapes. The entire disc is washed out with a Tangerine Dream meditative lull that would fit perfectly as the soundtrack of a melodrama; perhaps if David Lynch made a lighter, happier version of Twin Peaks about characters addicted to Vicodin. Regardless of the genre shift into this sedated state and a lack of beats in the foreground, these songs are undoubtedly moving, and some of these tracks are among Schnauss’ most structured and wonderfully cosmic. The epic “Medusa” and “Stars” have swelling vocal lines that swirl slowly with a fuzzy sheen as the soothing wall of sound builds to a climactic wash, and the overall result is a much fuller, dreamier sound, with a massive dosage of ambience. Turntablists will likely be disappointed with this style, but think of it as a change of scenery, of Schnauss’ departure from electro to ambient. It’s a tranquil journey that feels somewhat like an attempt to re-create the magic of Loveless using software and keyboards instead of guitars, and although it doesn’t feel quite as fresh as A Strangely Isolated Place, Goodbye is striking and rewarding in its own way; it just might take a little more time to sink into the murky new agey abyss. – Jason Lymangrover