Australian indie darling Ben Lee delivers his third solo record, "Breathing Tornados," which is at once a step away from the confessional songwriting of his previous efforts and a step towards the limelight. On "Tornados," Lee compiles a lushly instrumented album that is full of bright sounds -- piano, horns, and skillful rhythms that sound simultaneously sample-happy and completely organic.

The album opens with the bouncy "Cigarettes Will Kill You" and "Nothing Much Happens," a melancholy romp, co-penned with That Dog's Petra Hayden, whose chorus sounds straight out of the Psychedelic Furs. "Nighttime," also written by Lee and Hayden, has a cosmopolitan, Bryan Ferry feel with its shuffling beat and jazzy undertones.

Lee's able balladry also shines here, particularly on the acoustic "Birthday Song," written about a love affair separated by an ocean "like me, deep and blue." Both "Finger in the Moon" and "Sleepwalking" have a dreamy, underwater sound complemented by Lee's vulnerable vocals.

"Tornados" isn't a perfectly polished album by any means; there is an impromptu quality to Lee's songs that creates a relaxed, friendly vibe. Even so, the album is so pleasantly listenable, it could be the one to propel him into the pop charts.

-- Beth Winegarner

This article was originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle.