Los Angeles trio Gliss certainly isn’t the first band to revel in fuzzed-out noise-pop, but few groups strike as perfect a balance between melody and menace.

The band’s debut, “Devotion Implosion” (Cordless Recordings), is dark and glowering, with clanking, chain-like drums and guitar tones that call to mind a bandsaw ravaging a metal garbage can. It’s mesmerizing, particularly when coupled with Victoria Cecilia’s alluring vocals, which seem to hover amid the swirling, sometimes savage bursts of noise.

Caustic guitars and Cecilia’s downcast voice turn opening track “Morning Light” into a bristling shoe-gaze epic, while the pulsing bassline creates a sense of urgency on “29 Acts of Love.” Cecilia sings with an ache in her voice on “Beauty,” and the noise abates during the verses and comes pouring in on the chorus, building to a brief, stinging guitar solo.

The blistering distortion and reverby vocals are sure to draw comparisons to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Raveonettes (each of whom has toured with Gliss) and the Jesus and Mary Chain, but that’s fine: “Devotion Implosion” makes a strong case that Gliss belongs among such illustrious company.

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Morning Light mp3

(Photo by Sarah Cass)

April 17, 2009 at 11:45 am | Share |