Gliss

The energy of Gliss is beguiling. They’re hip, indie darlings poised to explode onto the music scene, showcasing a mesmerizing new style and take on alt-rock.

Originally a standard four-piece combo, the original line-up of Gliss dissolved in 2003 when two of the members moved away. Martin Klingman and David Reiss auditioned musicians to fill the two vacancies, but it was their discovery of Denmark-native Victoria Cecilia that cemented Gliss’ current incarnation. Once the trio started playing together, they stopped looking for a fourth member, realizing the unique combo they had found. And, in February, 2004, the new Gliss came alive.

It is the remarkable dynamic that exists between the combination of their three distinct personalities that is Gliss’ greatest strength and the source of its unparalleled existence. All three of these talented artists write, sing and play guitar, bass and drums, swapping duties seamlessly, both live and on disc. (Victoria also plays piano and taught herself MIDI programming to use in the band.) Their concert performances are as tight and as contagious as you can imagine possible and the multi-tasking of the trio only serves to draw you in further, highlighting the sheer synergy this band creates in every aspect of their persona.

If there is a group frontman, per se, it is Martin, but he is reticent to accept that role, while still performing lead vocals on all of the songs. “What makes Gliss work is that all three of us really depend on each other. Without any one of us, it would all just fall apart. It’s such a different dynamic than your standard four-piece outfit. I’ve played in a lot of bands, but nothing as much fun or as transcendent as Gliss.” Classically-trained Victoria has her own take on what makes Gliss work: “Every ability that I have ever acquired in music I get the chance to put to use in this band. It’s constantly challenging, but it also never gets boring and it’s certainly never the same thing twice.” And, as David sums it all up, “It doesn’t hurt that we all have dark hair… I mean, it does give us a great look, don’t you think?”

Whatever the reason may be, Gliss does work – and do they ever! Their music is simultaneously energetic, contagious and spellbinding. Watching this trio perform is to not only observe three multi-talented musicians at work in true unison, it is also the chance to catch the fun that they are so obviously having entertaining us.

And the charismatic catchiness of their music does not reside solely on stage. Their Mountain lo-fi Recordings-distributed debut EP, Kick in Your Heart, is already receiving airplay on KCRW, Los Angeles’ NPR affiliate and revered harbinger of the “next big thing,” as well as on cutting edge radio stations KXLU and Indie 103. The new EP contains the janglingly edgy anthemic “The Quitter,” the captivating hypnotic trance of the title track, in addition to an added bonus cut. And they are currently completing their debut album, set for release later this year.

Gliss has arrived. Prepare to be dazzled…

Playing dark, moody pop music that suggests My Bloody Valentine gone garage rock, Gliss learned the hard way that less is more when the first lineup of the group split up. Los Angeles natives Martin Klingman and David Reiss, who traded off on bass and guitar, were disappointed when the other two members of Gliss walked out on them in 2003 after several years of uphill struggle, and they set out to replace them and resume work as a quartet. However, after meeting Victoria Cecilia, an expatriate of Denmark who could play drums, guitar, bass, and keys with equal skill, Klingman and Reiss started rethinking the group's formula, and soon they were playing out as a three-piece in 2004. The new strategy agreed with Gliss, and soon the group was winning new fans both at home and abroad; they found themselves sharing bills with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, We Are Scientists, Silversun Pickups, and Youth Group, and a visit to the U.K. led to them recording a single for the Mountain Low-Fi label in the summer of 2005. Gliss recorded a cover of Smashing Pumpkins' "Rhinoceros" for a tribute compilation coordinated by MySpace, and discovered the admiration was mutual when Billy Corgan invited the group to open for him on a European tour to promote his first solo album in 2005 (they later opened some dates on Smashing Pumpkins' 2007 reunion tour). Tough Cookie, a British label specializing in digital-only releases, partnered with the band for a series of singles in 2005 and released their first full-length album, Love the Virgins, the following year, as well as an EP, Kissing the Boulevard; in the United States, Gliss signed with Cordless Recordings, a digital label operated under the Warner Bros. banner. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide