Overlord

“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.” - CMJ NEW MUSIC MONTHLY

"On The World Takes (Storm Tower), the fifth release from Philadelphian George Pasles' one-man project, he hones to a razor's edge his brooding, 1980s-style synth pop. Pasles' ethos -- which nods to kindred spirits Morrissey and Stephin Merritt -- celebrates dark clouds, not silver linings. Even on the superficially chipper, toy-piano-enlivened "Warm Body," Pasles sings cynically, "Better here than on your own/ Better me than all alone." Dour, yes, but the hooks get under your skin." - PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER

" ...overlord revel in the echoed, hazy indie pop that fans of the Smiths and early ’90s British bands like Adorable based their short but memorable careers on. There is much variation to the composition of the songs, but befitting the name, there is a definite vision of how everything should come together. Opener “Room Enough” is the blueprint of the Overlord sound, and it works wonderfully, with the slight British tinge of Pasles’ voice either enchanting or providing fodder for easy derision. “Give It Up! Let It Go!” comes closest to the Murmurs-era R.E.M. and combined with evocative, “Landlubber” furthers the notion that Pasles is a bit of a music historian. Hiding behind quips and big ideas — the liner notes state that “overlord is a federally-funded reason-based initiative” and with their e-mail address “all questions answered, all answers questioned” — Overlord actually have made a wonderful, if not too deep, piece of dreamy pop goodness. Its feet are firmly in the near past, but this could also easily stand among contemporary torch-bearers like Stars. Like the epic closer, “Stillbornagain,” The World Takes may be easy to encapsulate on surface, but it is only through time that its sheer sonic delights truly come forward." - EXCLAIM! (CANADA)

“Who knew the '80s would make such a strong comeback? Before you roll your eyes at the thought of yet another new wave revival act bouncing to cheesy dance pop synthesizers, you should be aware that this isn't the aspect of '80s music Overlord most adores. Nor is it hair metal, although the band name does scream Aqua Net and spandex. Instead, Overlord worships at the alter of mope-rockers like Joy Division, The Cure and The Smiths, and you can bet all of those bands' fingerprints are smeared all over songs like "Landlubber" and "Secrets In Pairs". However, it isn't all tortured romanticism for this Philadelphia group. While it's true that you'd probably never tag Overlord head honcho George Pasles's writing as vivacious, he does demonstrate a certain knack for spare, bubbling, almost-upbeat pop. Lyrics like "So there's one / and only one / person that you will know / and if you're lucky / they'll stick around till you go" still lumber "One And Only One" with an aura of melancholy, but that doesn't stop Storm Tower from occasionally oozing sweet pop goodness. Any band that can employ a ukulele as convincingly as Overlord does on "Warm Bodies" obviously isn't concerned that all its songs can be neatly filed into a single genre. Whether it's the Beach Boys-like pop of "A Boy In Name Only" and "A Brand New Panic", "Human To The Corps"'s surf rock, or the brooding yet strangely sunny "Give It Up! Let It Go!", Pasles isn't afraid to dabble in whatever genre strikes his fancy. All of these songs seem vaguely familiar: you'll be almost certain you've heard them somewhere before, and you'll instinctively feel comfortable with them. That could likely be misinterpreted as a criticism, and it probably would be if it were aimed at any of the of uninspired leg warmer-wearing synth-pop bands currently battling for the retro throne. Maybe calling Overlord's material familiar implies that it's recycled, unoriginal and uncalled for, but that's definitely not the case. Perhaps merely telling you that you need to hear these songs is the most direct and sensible approach.” - SPLENDID

“...Overlord, whose brilliant album title (The World Takes -- what up Trenton!) more than compensates for their crap band name. Oh, and there's music, and it's pretty fab, a kind of powerpop Smiths whose lyrical conceits and easy tunes should shame anyone who bought into last year's alleged Morrissey comeback. Emperor Moz has no clothes, kids, Overlord nicked his robes....” - INKBLOT MAGAZINE

"I'll cut to the chase: this is one of my favorite records of the year. Filled with gorgeous guitar-based power-pop, this is the album that I've been waiting for Outrageous Cherry to make ever since their 1999 masterstroke Out There in the Dark. Who knew that it would take a one man band with a misleading heavy metal moniker (shouldn't he be writing about minotaurs and motorcycles?) to pull it off instead. Whether it's beautiful pastoral psychedelia ("Boy Shiva"), Shins-like crooning ("The Walking Microphone"), or jaunty indie pop ("Should've Done Drugs"), there's an effortless melodic grace to everything Pasles touches. And while the production is a bit muffled, it doesn't detract from the sheer genius of these songs. I can't recommend it hightly enough." - THE BIG TAKEOVER

"This band lives in New York City now, but they were originally from Philadelphia, which makes a lot more sense to me, as they are perfectly in tune with the dreamy pop sounds that bands like Lenola, the Photon Band and the Twin Atlas have been making for years. Like those bands, Overlord has the ability to make even the simplest pop songs like "The Very Next Person To Hold My Hand Can Have Me" and "World Without Mirrors" seem dreamy just by giving it some reverb and a fuzzy sound (not distorted, but more like an equivalent of vaseline on the lens, as if this were the soundtrack to a dream sequence). In fact, there are a variety of classic pop styles seamlessly running through these songs, that reminds me a lot of the Magnetic Fields' habit of genre-hopping, as well as similar bands, like La Musique Populaire or My Teenage Stride (whose Tris McCall is also a member of this band). I've gotta say, I'm really quite impressed with this record - the first time I listened to it, I was just astounded that every new song was as good as or better than the last. And even better, there were a few songs that stuck with me after the record was done! This record is the reason I wait until the year is over before making year-end best of lists... MTQ=14/14" (Top Ten of 2006) - INDIEPAGES

"Sometimes I’ll read a review that Chris Macfarlane (Mr. Indie Pages to you) had written and I’ll say, “Wow, sounds like something I’d love !” Well, that happened with this record, I read his review and decided I had to hear the record. The label was kind enough to send me one and lo and behold, it’s fantastic. The band hails from Philly but have apparently all moved to NYC (and took their name from a losing horse in the 1993 Kentucky Derby) and I’m convinced that TICKER SYMBOLS will be hailed as a classic if not now…..then sometime in the future (hey, you know how music fans are…it could take 25-30 years). The opening “Is this Thing On?” sounds like something Brian Wilson would have concocted in his sandbox while “The Family Plot’ is pure jangle pop bliss. Elsewhere you have the heavenly “Boy Shiva” (like prime Magnetic Fields) and the upbeat, chirpy (and awesomely titled ) “Should’ve Done Drugs.” You’ll also hear echoes of Stereolab, Outrageous Cherry or even 60’s soft-poppers like The Association. I dunno if I should give all the credit to the vocalist/instrumentalist George Pasles but heck, I gotta blame someone, right (My Teenage Strides Tris McCall is also a member ) ….so George you have my sincere promise that if we ever meet face to face I’m buying you dinner. Seriously…..this record is THAT good. A classic if anyone’s looking." (Top Five of 2006) - DAGGER ZINE

"What a find this CD is. I had never heard of overlord, even though they are originally from Philadelphia where I have been living. Judging by their name I was fearing schlock-metal, but they are nothing of the sort - I guess the lower-case “o” is a hint. Overlord is really a guy named George Pasles, joined by what, apparently, are various regular and irregular band members (the credits list I don’t know how many drummers). In any event, the group has been kicking around for a few years now—this is their fifth release. Ticker Symbols is a definite keeper. The album opens with an excellent Brian Wilson homage (shouldn’t every album have one?) in “Is This Thing On?,” replete with what is referred to as a “Penfield mood organ” (a Philip K. Dick reference). For the rest of the album, the retro-fetish is on and it is all done very well. The influences quickly shift from Wilson to the jangle guitar of The Notorious Byrd Brothers-era Byrds (especially in standouts, "Should've Done Drugs" and "Evergreen"), the harmonies of the Summer of Love darlings, The Association, and Parles’[sic] very British-feeling vocals, ala Morrissey, often have a haunting echo-effect reminiscent of, again, the Byrds, but also the Charlatans UK and the Stone Roses. If you haven’t noticed, I cannot write this review without throwing out tons of band references. Of course, sometimes when the influences are so clear and so frequent, the word “derivative” isn’t far behind—but that’s not the case here, at all. Overlord has taken some under-appreciated and somewhat disparate influences and managed to charter some new territory of their own. The only artist I can think of with a similar style might be retro-power popper Chris von Sneidern. But, like von Sneidern, overlord doesn’t merely rehash the past — they both build on it as well as milk it for everything its worth. Hey, if it sounds this good, why not? The entertaining CD booklet quotes self-help form icon Melody Beattie (of “Codependency No More” fame), Nietzsche, and comedian Stephen Colbert. Given song titles such as, “The Very Next Person That Holds My Hand Can Have Me,” my take on all of this is that Parles[sic] has worked really, really hard at getting his relationships right--not to mention finding the meaning of life. Yet sometimes, I guess, you just have go with your love for Brian Wilson, The Byrds and Morrissey, make great music, and forget about the rest." - DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY