Gliss: Royally Appreciated

Los Angeles duo Gliss have been at it for nearly a decade now… but 2013 would seem to be their most profound year to date.  The band was first...

Los Angeles duo Gliss have been at it for nearly a decade now… but 2013 would seem to be their most profound year to date.  The band was first brought to prominence by Billy Corgan, who helped them push their psychy, fuzzy, black-clad brand of post-punk revivalism across the globe, sharing stages with the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Warlocks, and The Horrors.  However, this January saw Victoria Cecilia and Martin Klingman releasing Langsom Dans, their most dynamic, complex, and accomplished album yet.  Langsom Dans has the band calming down a bit, letting things get a bit moody and gazey; embracing a plethora of synthetics, propelling them to resemble some of the 80s and 90s most popularly profound postmodern musical transgressors; and Cecilia has taken over as the band’s full-time lead singer.  Today the band are releasing a deluxe edition of the album on Modern Outsider, boasting bonus tracks.  I recently got a chance to chat with Victoria who told me about Gliss’ crazy year.

Izzy Cihak: You’re about to release a deluxe edition of your latest, Langsom Dans, which came out at the beginning of the year.  What have been the highlights of promoting the album throughout 2013?

Victoria Cecilia: The highlight of 2013 was by far when we were flown to Mexico City to perform for the Danish Royal Family. We played our regular electronic set, and we ended up meeting Crown-Prince Frederik – Future King of Denmark, and he was unbelievably cool. He kept talking about how much he loved the show. It was a bit surreal. Definitely a highlight this year.

IC: Have you had any favorite responses to it?

VC: Besides the above response from the prince, my favorite responses have been when people understood the change of style. When we released the album we were aware it was quite a change from the older albums, so it was a little scary. But I was very surprised at how many people were cool with it. It felt like our fans were on the same journey as us. It felt good.

IC: Nearly a year after its release, do you have a favorite track on Langsom Dans, or a track which you think best represents where your future sounds might be headed?  I particularly like “Black is Blue.”  It sounds like it should be the theme music for Audrey Horne on Twin Peaks.

VC: My favorite track on Langsom Dans is “Waves.” I think it is a strong track and very personal.  As far as our future sound, we will just have to wait and see. We are not a band that repeats anything.

IC: What do you currently consider to be your biggest influences and inspirations?

VC: We always look for inspiration. We get it in different places. It can be new music from other artists, traveling, or reading. Martin decided to move to Berlin for a while to get inspired, and I am meeting up with him this month. We will be writing new songs in Berlin and Copenhagen. I often get inspiration from books. I recently got into Holger Drachmann’s poetry. He paints beautiful pictures with his words. I also decided to study sociology. I find it fascinating, as I have always had a hard time understanding the world.

IC: Since you’ve put out a handful of really cool music videos for songs from the album, I have to ask what is it that inspires your visuals?  Do you have any particular favorite visual artists or movements in visual arts?

VC: We have always been very picky about who we work with on videos. I have to say we have been very lucky to work with some great directors. On Langsom Dans we got to work with both Paul Boyd and Dylan Bell. As for our own favorite visuals, we are both really into Jean-Luc Godard.

[youtube http://youtu.be/XrmggInt-Zo]

IC: What are your most significant plans for 2014?

VC: To embrace our fears.

Categories
Band Interviews

During the day Izzy Cihak teaches transgression, subversion, and revolution at Temple University. At night he haunts Philthy's best venues to cover worthwhile acts for Philthy Mag. Morrissey is everything to him and, in their own heads, all of his friends see themselves as Zooey Deschanel.

RELATED BY