Chet Faker: Built on Glass

Melbourne's Nick Murphy successfully combines two distinct strengths on his debut album: He has a crooner's set of pipes, a voice that knocks out soulful vocal hooks with ease. He is also a dexterous electro-soul shape-shifter when the microphone is off, a producer with a decent line in slinky, sleek, slo-mo grooves and moods. While a cover of No Diggity first gained him traction, Murphy's own tunes do all the showboating here. He's adept at both languid, lush scene-setting (see Release Your Problems for tropical jazz intrigue and Cigarettes and Loneliness for tender, small hours moods as Murphy channels his inner Nightmares on Wax) as well as more adventurous putting around (Blush has a bang of Dan Snaith off its oxters). As modern pop albums go, Built on Glass comes with all the right angles and accoutrements. chetfaker.com
Download: Blush, Cigarettes and Loneliness