Ulrich Schnauss - No Further Ahead Than Today

3.5

Release data:

Ulrich Schnauss – No Further Ahead Than Today
CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Scripted Realities, 2016

This album is a kind of journey down memory lane as the impact of the nine complex and emotive songs making up “No Further Ahead Than Today” strongly echo the style, approach and aural design of Ulrich’s first releases “Far Away Trains Passing By” (2001) and “A Strangely Isolated Place” (2003) though featuring fewer mellow pieces.

At the same time, the more energetic sounding 50-minute result (of which a few pieces have vocals in the background) also pays tribute to and takes influences from Tangerine Dream which Mr Schnauss has joined since a while. The excellent “The Magic in You” sounds similar to Mala Kunia’s “Madagasmala”, a track he wrote with the late Edgar Froese. Mid-period TD also surfaces on mellow-oriented closing track “Illusory Sun”.
The 7-minute title track is another treat where various tempo and emotive-melodic textures are paired with this always intriguing yet mellow sense of melancholy that’s so typical for most of Schnauss’ work but which comes forward much brighter this time around.

In the end the quite busy and very active “No Further Ahead Than Today” translates the varying pulses of life in nine melodic and enjoyable statements effectively.

Website: www.ulrich-schnauss.com

You can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Ulrich Schnauss artist page