A Long Way To Fall

2013’s A Long Way To Fall was a slight change of direction for Ulrich Schnauss, a move away from dense, multi-layered, dazed and hypnotic synthgaze into something a little more mechanised, with a slightly cleaner aesthetic, a few more electronics synth twitches, and a little less of those swooning, overwhelming waves of teary-eyed synth chords. He’s still making music as pretty as his previous work though, gently assembling melodically appealing little synth lines, intermingled smooth synth pads and spiralling sound-sculpted chords, frosted with twinkling chimes soothing keys. And he continues to explore his favoured particular segment of the mood spectrum too, warm, inviting and light, with occasional hints of wistful nostalgia and a touch of homesickness. Charming, comforting, lavish, and meticulous, with more electronics and slightly less gazing, A Long Way To Fall saw the vocals and guitars removed, the cavernous reverbs reduced, and Schnauss’ interlocking electronics bought more clearly into focus.