Ulrich Schnauss ‎– Far Away Trains Passing By

A very special ambient album that holds the rare attribute of 'nostalgia' and 'longing' to it, even on a first listen. It evokes the sense of a sunny sunday afternoon in a field somewhere, where all your troubles are far away. This is the sort of timeless music that is pure and touches the soul in a very personal and direct manor.

Very similar to the feeling found in 'Boards of Canada' tracks. Highly recommended to everyone.

Very repetitive and cheap tunes. this record contains all the defects, and no merit, of the socalled 'IDM'.

This has to be reviewed doesnt it??? surely one of the best chillout albums of the last decade, the big track on here without doubt is "nobodys home". First heard this guy & indeed this track on Nick Warrens Reykjavik Global Underground mix cd, the lush moving strings just take you on an epic journey. If ever youve had a bad day at work or feel stressed out just put this track on, sit back, relax, close your eyes and i guarantee all your troubles will have been forgotten for at least 7 minutes!!

Ulrich Schnauss' music has now kind of moved into a larger mainstream audience. This album had a lot of hype and praise when it was orginally issued minus the bonus tracks off disc 2. Personally, I don't think this album wouldn't be anything special if it wasn't for the disc 2 tracks. As much as I enjoy his music, "Between Us & Them" is the only listenable track off that disc (fun to listen to while speeding on the expressway). The rest of the tracks are slow-moving and get boring really fast. With that being said, the second disc is more up-beat and tracks don't exactly sound alike. "Suddenly the Trees Are Giving Away" has a fast hip-hop beat with soft ambient-like beats with a 6:22 track time never gets old. "Crazy For You" is a hard track to describe in words. It gives you that nostalgic feel that makes it a stand out among the rest of the tracks. Make sure you get this album WITH the bonus tracks.

Very nice melodic 'idmish' downtempo. It may not be the most original or interesting rhythm wise, but oh boy, the melodies are playful and top notch and that's the reason why I like mr. Schnauss so much. To me this album is best enjoyed with good friends, a cup of tea and some good flavoured tobacco smoked from a shisha. The second CD with the compilation tracks is even better than the actual 'Far Away Trains Passing By'.

To me, although his melodies and rhythms fit well together and sound nice, there is indeed something lacking from his music. It is perhaps because I have heard this thing it before with Opiate, earlier Aphex Twin and even earlier Brian Eno (minus much of the rhythmic element of course), but the beats are way more watered down and simplified than with Aphex Twin and the ambience is much more "pop" oriented and busy than with Brian Eno. I find the beats too run of the mill in many places and sometimes distracting from the overall flow of the piece (for example the begining of Molfsee).Of course, I am not speaking entirely bad about this work, I can fully understand why it appeals to many people, but in my opinion it has been done before and if you are looking for something new and exciting, this is probably not it. But if you are new to electronic music or easily distrubed by avant gard electronica, then disregard my comments and read the glowing reviews above mine.

On hearing it for the first time, I rated it very high. But for me it wears off. U.S. plays nicely, but lacks a bit of consequence. "Far away..." is a bit analog, a bit playful, a bit (you name it). That seems not enough, at least to me. I cannot put the finger exactly on it. Anyways, he plays really remarkable and beautiful melodies.

The latest addition to the steadily increasing City Centre Offices catalog is this lovely full length ditty by the mysterious Ulrich Schnauss. I'll cut right to it and state that this short-but-sweet little gem is a good contender for album of the year, offering the listener a smooth, near-perfect album overflowing with beautiful melodies, steady beats, memorable bass patterns, and a consistent, dreamy demeanor throughout. While not exactly breaking new ground, 'Far Away Trains Passing By' takes the familiar, but rarely mastered approach to electronica that has generated much admiration for similar acts such as Herrmann & Kleine and Boards of Canada. I know that's a pretty tall order to fill but if there is any album this year that deserves such comparisons, it is this one. This is one of those rare works that you just want to play for everyone you know. With a mere six tracks and a total playing time of just over forty-three minutes, 'Far Away Trains Passing By' consistently maintains a smooth, aurally appealing mood of carefully fashioned songs that are meant to inspire daydreams and lift spirits. I think I just completed my top ten list for this year.

Some of these tracks sound like early-period U2, if they ditched Bono, got a lot more keyboards, and made electronic music. Great, great melodies- something sorely lacking in a lot of contemporary electronic music today.

One of the best electronic albums I've heard in a long time, cant stop listening to it. Ambience+melodies brought wonderfully together. Very eager to hear more releases from this guy. Highly recommended.