First Impressions: Gliss (at Sam Bond’s 4/4)


Photo by Sarah Cass

Is it ballsy or lazy to list your influences as “Life & Death” on MySpace? In the case of Gliss, a band I’ve somehow never heard of before, I’d guess it’s a little of both — though I don’t mean laziness in a bad way, necessarily. The trio have a sound that meanders between fuzzy, shoegazer-esque Britpop and something that sounds a little like, well, the Strokes on downers, too tired, too worn out from an all-nighter to pick up the tempo.

Pitchfork says Gliss’ second album, Devotion Implosion (which comes out on Tuesday), “is firmly rooted in the Siamese Dream era, when Corgan’s band struck a fine balance between shoegazer insularity and American arena rock bombast,” but what I’ve heard on MySpace seems … actually, now that I’m thinking about it, I totally get that. “Sleep” sounds like the Beatles crossbred with Gliss’ sometime tourmates Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; “29 Acts of Love” suddenly gets almost chipper, though singer Martin Klingman manages to sound enjoyably listness and half-drunk even while wrapped in poppier tones and a restless bassline. I can’t decide which song makes me think most of My Bloody Valentine, but the more I listen to this band, the more I like them. There’s something dreamy and surly, enticing and familiar, languid and alluring about their hazy, swirling retro-pop.

“…..when GLISS play live, they all play each other’s instruments….GLISS will turn you on with their fuzzed-out guitars and krautrock rhythms……GLISS will love you back…” — or at least that’s what they say. Gliss plays with Takeover U.K. and The Dimes at 9:30 pm Saturday, April 4, at Sam Bond’s Garage. 21+ short. $5.

* “First Impressions” is my just-chosen cutesy blog name for when I want to blog about a band the first time I listen to them — which is to say, it’s exactly what it sounds like.