On Ulrich Schnauss' third album Goodbye, he gently fades away from Boards of Canada style breakbeats and deep into a shoegaze slumber that drifts gently into an ethereal realm slightly reminiscent of Enigma, Ultravox, and at its most lush moments, Enya. Yes, Enya, but maybe only if she were to be produced by Kevin Shields. Breathy keyboard pads are at the forefront and this results in a more sleepy retro vibe derivative of '80s new age, which might be the trouble with this record. On previous albums, Schnauss seemed to be evolving into his own futuristic style of beat-making, but here the excessive layering seems to be a step backward, with less focus on the rhythmic IDM and electronica aspects, and more on the expansive soundscapes…

Within these six tracks, Schnauss earns his comparisons to Boards of Canada and other members of the electronica elite with nary a reservation to be found. It's not only the sheer strength of the majority of these tracks that make the record so enjoyable; the closing and ending numbers neatly bundle everything together, giving it the feel of a concept record without any of the pretensions. From the sun-kissed "Knuddelmaus" to the contemplative "Molfsee," it's a quicksilver spin through an expansive terrain of lush melodies, atmospheres, and beats that alternately jab and tickle…

London-based producer Ulrich Schnauss and Danish guitarist and producer Jonas Munk have both unfolded their unique visions of electronic music over the past two decades, and they have been collaborating since the mid-2000s. Eight Fragments Of An Illusion is their first album in over four years, their third overall. The latest effort is ambient and introspective in nature, but with a kinetic, polyrhythmic energy pushing it forward. There's a floating quality to Ulrich's synthesizer washes and Munk's guitar patterns, yet the eight tracks are anchored by pulse and compositional direction. The duo brings their individual strengths to the table, yet the music transcends any of their previous work conceptually. There are echoes of blissed-out new age music and kosmische from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as traces of shoegaze-era abstraction and leftfield electronica. But ultimately there's no off-the-rack category that fits it. It exists in its own rarefied space.