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.

Ulrich Schnauss has basically created a perfect electronic album with "Far Away Trains Passing By." It's not abstract, pretentious, or demanding, yet it's so intense. It's music done the way it should be done - with artistic integrity first. I think this has to be in my top two of all-time favorite IDM/Electronic albums. Do yourself a favor, and find this music any way you can. If it doesn't make you feel happy and hopeful (even on bad days), I'll be amazed. Way to go Ulrich.

This is some of the most beautiful music I've heard in years. CCO is quickly becoming one of my favorite labels and I can't WAIT to hear more from ulrich. The melodies and ambience are second to none. If you are a fan of H&K or any other CCO artist, you owe it to yourself to check this out.