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 which immediately move and touch. He has been compared quite justifiably to artists such as BECK, BADLY DRAWN BOY, THE NOTWIST or THOM YORKE, who also manage in their own manner to find their way into our ears and hearts without compromising themselves to the mainstream. Alternatively you could also say: Mainstream as wished to be. http://www.myspace.com/uphillracer "a powerhouse of melancholy" - dusted magazine "Uphill Racer, aka Oliver Lichtl, is the sole figure at the boards on this debut, where breathy, angsty rock battles with expressive instrumentation in a spate of indie electronica quirks reminiscent of Badly Drawn Boy and Tunng. Lichtl's fluid and, at times, virtuosic use of language is often lost in the digitized gusts of wind that threaten to topple the album's inventive production, his voice reminiscent of Beck's most maudlin turns on Sea Change. But more often than not, the tracks on No Need to Laugh leave their mark, arriving at their effectiveness with varying amounts of bravado" - stylus magazine "Charmingly sensitive enough to captivate the scruffy Williamsburg massive and those in the like-minded blogosphere, Uphill Racer's home listening tearjerker centerpiece will complement any post-break-up Sunday afternoon or Grey's Anatomy cliffhanger. Rest assured, Mom will dig it too." - brainwashed "Likely to appeal to fans of Jose Gonzales, 'No Need To Laugh' recognises the value of simplicity and makes a good job of giving it adequate room to breathe." - boomkat "Overdubbed, often high-pitched, but still slightly obscure harmonies in a Thom Yorke vein are present; there are lots of overdubs of sparkling keyboards and sampling glaze; drums tend to shuffle or slightly pulse along, calling to mind some of the Beta Band's work -- in sum, it's all very nice..." - allmusic http://www.normoton.de/html/uphill_racer.html http://www.uphillracer.de Read more on Last.fm.