Telescopeland

Deserved credit to Uphill Racer, the nom de plum of Oliver Lichtl -- over the course of three albums he has bootstrapped considerably from being just another fan of big arrangements in a fairly indie rock style to someone with a knottier, more intriguing take on the form. In ways his newer focus isn't unique either -- like many artists who work as a one-man act in the current time, he blends a wide variety of instruments and sonic approaches to experiment with styles while retaining his basic singer/songwriter approach as the hook. But there's an easier confidence on Telescopeland, which comes to the fore first with "The Place," a marvelous collage of an arrangement that deploys gently echoed pulses, overdubbed vocals cut in with sudden solo turns, and layers of electronics that suggest a more metronomic take on the explorations of late Talk Talk -- not surprising at all given that a later song on the album, the excellent "Talking Back to Renee," is specifically listed as being inspired by that band's own song "Renee." With that as a signpost, Lichtl then explores some lovely combinations song for song, with an understated variety setting the tone, from the pulse/glitch percussion and demi-steel drum sounds on "Night by Your Side" to the steady pep of "Electric Ultradorm," with its lovely keyboard part fully bringing in the soft sunshine, and the stuttering glitch and serene singing on "Supernatural Powers." Sometimes the overt grandeur of the earliest Uphill Racer songs reemerges but is tempered with a new elegance -- the piano break, textured vocal samples, and recombined beats on the break on "Taking Comfort" -- and "Cranberry," almost a straightforward voice/guitar number aside from the slowly swelling backing keyboards, are two highlights in that vein. ~ Ned Raggett|