As I mentioned when reviewing the Live in Seattle album by Moufang / Czamanski at #30, I don’t listen to a ton of “electronic music” these days. That’s not to say there aren’t a few bands with fully-synthesized music on this year’s countdown, but I wouldn’t call those other bands “dance music.” Dan Deacon, coming in at #25 with his third album, Gliss Riffer, is 100% dance music.

I posted about Deacon earlier this year, when my son pointed me to Deacon’s awesome video for his song “When I Was Done Dying,” and while I had heard the song prior to my son mentioning it to me, I hadn’t given the album its due. Since then, I haven’t really stopped listening to it. I’ve gone back to it at least once a week (partly due to my son requesting that I play “his song” anytime he gets in the car).

“When I Was Done Dying” is the highlight of the album, but there’s some great variety of music, vocals and beats across the album, making it super fun. Speaking of vocals — I really enjoy how Deacon handles them on this album, using them as just another instrument, breaking them up electronically, rendering them unintelligible and otherworldly, or running them through enough distortion to sound robotic. Without that distortion, the vocals on these songs would be indistinguishable from most other electronic music. Deacon makes them his own.

Overall, this album is light and fun. Put it on, and I dare you to sit without moving. Try it; it’s impossible.

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26. Dark Bird is Home by The Tallest Man on Earth
27. Gunnera by Pfarmers
28. Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair by Ricked Wickey
29. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
30. Live in Seattle by Moufang / Czamanski
31. High by Royal Headache

What is the Bacon Top 31?
Past years’ Top 31s