Eternal Gliss

By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 10, 2009 4:40PM

LA's Gliss describes itself as "hazy experimental fucked-up pop," which more or less covers it but fails to expound on the trio's interesting influences. The obvious critical touchpoints are sweeping Britpop like Travis and on-point indie rock like Broken Social Scene, but a closer listen to their sophomore effort, Devotion Implosion, reveals a side of Gliss that refuses to take itself too seriously.

We were listening to couple of the album's tracks when our iTunes randomly switched to "shuffle" mode, and Gliss' "Beauty" blended right into '90s Sunset Strip power poppers Marvelous 3 and we barely noticed. In a world of precariously pretentious and deliberately vague independent music, a band that could almost be a hair metal-meets radio rock group is a breath of fresh air.

Along for the ride on Gliss' "Stimulus Package" tour is Pittsburgh (that's America, yo) quartet The Takeover UK. With punked-up glammy rock and plenty of suburban pop attitude, these guys aren't breaking any new ground but they sure are a heap o' fun.

Gliss and the Takeover UK play with Metrovox at Subterranean, 2011 W North, April 11, 6:30 p.m., $8, All Ages

Photo by Sarah Cass