During his high-profile 2014 opening slot for Arcade Fire, experimental-electro oddball Dan Deacon debuted a hooky synth jam called “Learning To Relax.” And that title became the creative mantra for Gliss Riffer, an album that eschews genre-bending complexity for simpler pop melodies and relatively linear arrangements. The immediacy often pays off, like on the carnival-esque rush of opener “Feel The Lightning.” But then again, “relaxing” has never been part of Deacon’s DNA. Recent albums like 2009’s Bromst and 2012’s America offered innovative spins on modern electronica, weaving classical and psychedelic elements into the programmed buzz. With its more conventional approach, Gliss Riffer feels like a step backward. But even Deacon’s by-numbers doodles (the whimsical nursery rhyme “When I Was Done Dying,” the stereo-panned, spiraling “Meme Generator”) are expertly crafted—proving that this dude can outmaneuver his electro peers without breaking a sweat.