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MAX 012CD
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M=Maximal presents a record by Oliver Lichtl aka Uphill Racer, showing us that those who walk down the path of the search for the unknown might also just find what they have been looking for. Having worked together with Aydo Abay (Blackmail) and Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) on his last album, the man from Ingolstadt, Germany now embarks solo on a whole new road with his fifth album, Golden Anchor. Catchy tags such as "bedroom electronica," "indie songwriting," and "modern dream-pop" may give us a hint on his latest work. In the case of Uphill Racer, however, it is about a discovery rather than being confined to known places. With Lichtl one experiences a mellotronic melancholy that meets exhilarating guitar chords. They transmit a sparkling sense of hope even in the presence of the lightest synth gimmicks. Meanwhile, vocals hover between feelings of obliviousness and scenes of apparent romanticism. Instead of fixing its eye on the pop scene, Golden Anchor settles down in a place where acoustic craftsmanship reigns. It is an album that highlights the imperfection of our beings without wasting a single word in the process.
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NORM 031CD
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This is the third full-length release by Germany's Oliver Lichtl aka Uphill Racer, a multi-instrumentalist with a 800 Mhz computer and a mic-in. A one-man singer/songwriter orchestra. Considering his multilayered music and the complexity of his arrangements, this is more than extraordinary, this is lo-fi in Cinemascope. Reviews of his previous albums often referenced Thom Yorke, Beck, Badly Drawn Boy or The Notwist. With his own very special brand of airiness, he triggers reminiscences and invites the listener on a discovery trip without even getting close to plagiarism. He has a singular gift of creating moving songs that touch deeply with a style that goes straight to the heart. Broken beats have their own space in the spheres of his pop universe. Telescopeland is melancholy in its most enchanting, consoling form, with melodies that you won't forget. And above all, there's this voice -- floating, shedding a golden light on the songs, so that they seem to be shining. The epic character of his songs, often remind of film scores and he also happens to work as a cutter for a film production studio. Besides the Flaming Lips, Aphex Twin, Elbow and many more, Jon Brion, David Torn, Yann Tiersen or Jan Kaczmarek are important influences. This is far too good to be left unheard.
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NORM 027CD
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This is the second full-length release from singer/songwriter, Uphill Racer (Oliver Lichtl). Uphill Racer is a multi instrumentalist, a one-man chamber orchestra brimming with harmonies, elegies and gifted with the knack of effortlessly pouring his emotions into fantastic songs that immediately move and touch. He has been compared quite justifiably to artists such as Beck, Badly Drawn Boy, The Notwist and Thom Yorke. One year has passed since his debut No Need To Laugh was released and since then, Uphill Racer has embraced the will and courage to experiment. You Will Understand is permeated with space sounds which were prevalent though hard to place on the first album and which now contribute to the spherical and inimitability of the latest release. Flora, fauna and film are once again welcome guests in the idiosyncratic structures built out of acoustic guitar, bass, sleigh bells, drums and beats, piano, synthesizer and the voice -- the voice which effortlessly blends into the instrumentation and textually as well as melodically bears a beacon in the night. Lichtl once again plays all the instruments himself and sings every word on the album. You Will Understand is a fortress, a refuge, a shield of protection from the world. The pathos of the first album gives way to a more confident and versatile emotionality. The music is a perfect companion for a train trip on a sunny day and nevertheless as sentimental as a nosedive onto soft cushions.
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NORM 019CD
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This is the debut release on Normoton from promising new artist Uphill Racer. Following hot on the heels of Landesvatter and Pupkulies & Rebecca, Uphill Racer crosses boundaries of style and adds to the texture of the Normoton label. No Need To Laugh is a singer/songwriter album full of poetic acoustic images and frivolous hopeful hymns. Behind the curtain of understatement one recognizes the silhouette of Beck, Notwist, Eels or A-ha. However Uphill Racer is a one-man chamber orchestra who composed and played all the tracks himself. Choral riffs, deep basses, rhythm groups, strings, mellotron, acoustic guitars, speech samples, frogs, cats, birds and various undefined sounds build the harmonic basis of the songs, which are formed by timeless moods. Fragile emotions in psychedelic widescreen. Uphill Racer -- gifted with a keen sense of beautiful, supportive melodies that create dream landscapes -- placing simplicity together with expressionalistic excess. As little as possible and as much as needed -- minimalist bombast. Uphill Racer is an exceptionally gifted arranger, who knows the delicate gift of writing catchy universal pop songs.
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