CMJ NEW MUSIC MONTHLY
    Review by Neil Gladstone

overlord The World Takes Storm Tower Album 2003 CMJ NEW MUSIC MONTHLY Hearing overlord for the first time, you might assume the group is a latecomer to the 80s revival, or just aping the Magnetic Fields. But George Pasles' one-man Pennsylvania band has been turning out first-rate, 80s-style Manchester mope-rock since the mid-90s, and it's about time the rest of the world caught up to his personal retro-revolution. overlord revels in the austere beauty of a haunting synth peppered with a four-note guitar lead and spare, driving snare hits. Every song drifts along at nearly the same misty pace while remaining ever so slightly distinct The 10-minute-plus Stillbornagain melts and slides with a backwards-masking effect that suggests a harmonium; a spry ukulele and toy vibraphone perk up Warm Body. Yet none of it overwhelms Pasles' guttural pining, as he oozes out lines like, The sad are wretched/ And the happy are merely wrong/ And you shift your pitch/ To match who you'll string along. While Pasles lyrics may be maudlin, his melodies temper the melodrama with economic refrains that soothe and celebrate each song's dour glory. overlord reminds you that you needn't look back in shame at '80s angst. Just leave the Kohl eyeliner and dippity-do in the drawer. File Under Mope-rock Recommended If You Like: The Magnetic Fields, Joy Division, New Order. Review by Neil Gladstone. 2003