Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye

Taking three studio years, Ulrich Schnauss' third album floats past his second, A Strangely Isolated Place, creating lush shoegazing soundtracks to grace galactic cathedrals and spaceports. Not as immediately rock-oriented, or as stunning and accessible as its predecessor, it's a grower and well worth the attention. It layers and sculpts ethereal sounds and blissed-up beats, drawing you through hybrid influences till the sun comes up. Solid slabs of synth and organ nestle with pulsing krautrock. Choral voices fall through vapour trails and vanish to indie melodies. Stars scrawls techno on Slowdive's guitars. Einfeld and In Between the Years open like flowers, nodding their heads to Boards of Canada. Medusa finally brings the rock, all fuzzy samples and defiance. His music defies borders and gravity. It simply lifts off - if spirituality and effervescence appeals, say hello to Goodbye. [Chris Bathgate]