Ulrich Schnauss & Mark Peters

The fact that Ulrich Schnauss has employed the Johnny Marr approach to music making ― joining Manchester shoegazers Longview as keyboardist in 2005 before leaving to become a member of Engineers in 2010 ― certainly hasn't slowed his musical output. In fact, the German born laptopist has released a slew of LPs, EPs, remixes and collaborations since he's become a band-member-for-hire. The latest, Underrated Silence, sees Schnauss teaming with Engineers multi-instrumentalist Mark Peters. The results are just as advertised, with much of the ten-track LP working off electronically hazed guitar and keyboards, floating just above the Eno-trademarked, non-existent beat. Schnauss and Peters do a great job giving each song an identity, blending unfolding, dramatic piano on "The Messiah is Falling," Drive soundtrack synth on "Forgotten," bombastic shouts on "The Child or the Pigeon" and plucky, folk-like strumming on "Amoxicillin." For a stopgap collaboration, Underrated Silence sits comfortably with some of Schnauss's best work.