Both albums are great. I would have to agree that I prefer their first album Melody A.M. overall - although the second album The Understanding is better produced.
For that elevated spaced vocal I know an R & B producer who swears by the Roland Dimension D - although just try and find one second hand these days. Universal Audio have released a plug-in version for their UAD-1 and I'm told it is very good.
http://www.uaudio.com/products/softw...m-d/index.html
... try listening to the last Ulrich Schnauss album "a strangely isolated place" if electronica is your thing.