Goodbye
by Ulrich Schnauss

Album details

US: 10 July 2007 on Domino
UK: 25 June 2007 on Independiente

The acclaimed German artist’s third studio album of guitar-based, shoegaze-style electronica was recorded over a three-year period. It has more vocals than previous efforts, handled by Judith Beck and Schnauss himself, among others. Members of UK band Longview also guest.

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The critical consensus

The critical reaction was not as strongly positive as one might have hoped, although the comments were by no means terrible.

Nearly every reviewer made comparisons to the genre-defining shoegaze bands of the late 1980s and 1990s. For example, Billboard finds his compositions to have "an almost transfixing, hypnotic effect, similar to fellow shoegazers My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive," while also drawing comparisons to more modern outfits like Air. The Guardian adds Chapterhouse, the Cocteau Twins and Enya into the comparison stew. Village Voice finds that "by moving even closer to the shoegazer sound, the result sounds less like pilfering and more like reinvention."

As for the quality of the disc, Artist Direct finds Goodbye both "transitional" and "compelling," while Amazon prefers the adjectives "delayed," "drenched," and "dervish," failing to emerge from the D chapter of their thesaurus. Aversion praises the album’s "remarkable cohesion."

BBC Collective, however, finds listening to the disc an "evanescent experience," with the songs "evaporating" from memory after the album is done playing. The New York Times’ Jon Pareles compares it to something heavier: "Like a sweet, thick liqueur, it’s best in small portions." Uncut calls it a "genre exercise," while PopMatters finds "a variety of pitfalls," adding that "in an apparent attempt to open up his appeal to broader audiences, Schnauss leaves his compositions seeming oddly detoothed." Pitchfork concurs, stating "the overwhelming vibe is still that of easy listening digital mush"; Almost Cool also finds "super-sappy" moments. The Stranger makes intentionally unfortunate Enigma and Tangerine Dream comparisons in a mixed review (Playlouder equates him to Jean Michelle Jarre instead, while Chart Attack pulls out the Enya), and Q simply complains that "it goes on for an eternity."

If you download only one track, "Medusa" appears to be the critics’ choice.

Goodbye is generally content to linger in the nebulous space near Seefeel’s Quique and Boards of Canada’s The Campfire Headphase, making it an album that doesn’t immediately astound, but gradually unfurls in dense atmospheric strands.

-Lost At Sea

Review roundup

Tracklisting and media

1. Never Be The Same
2. Shine
3. Stars
4. Einfeld
5. In Between The Years
6. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
7. A Song About Hope
8. Medusa
9. Goodbye
10. For Good

Also on the web

• Official Artist Site
• Ulrich Schnauss @ MySpace
• Full Album Stream @ BBC Collective (Real Media)