Album review: Dan Deacon - Glass Riffer

February 20 2015 04:25 PM

The pop experimentalist from Baltimore manages to be both brilliantly innovative and maddeningly unfocused on this fourth album – much as he has been throughout his career to date.

But for every forgettable track, there’s something as special as ‘Take It to the Max’ – an eight-minute synth-led instrumental number that demonstrates Deacon’s sonic adventurousness and chutzpah.

Elsewhere, ‘Learning to Relax’ should appeal to slackers everywhere – a low-key, lo-fi confection, it’s an antidote to the pressures of modern life.

When Deacon manages to distil his gifts and dispense with the chaff, he’ll truly be an avant-garde force to be reckoned with.

Key tracks: ‘Take It to the Max’; ‘Learning to Relax’

Dan Deacon - Glass Riffer (Domino)