The Fat Angel Sings

With his booming croon and propensity for decadence, the rocker Jack Ladder often earns comparison to another horseman of the Australian apocalypse, Nick Cave. On their fourth album, Ladder and his band The Dreamlanders find a distinctive framework in the synth-kissed soft rock of the 1980s. “Playmates” welcomes comparisons to other skewed visions of that era, like American Psycho and Boogie Nights, adding a gothic tinge in Bauhaus-flavored tracks like “Neon Blue.” Sharon van Etten contributes backing vocals on two songs, but this music is more arch than her heartfelt, meticulous stuff. As a vocalist, Jacob Ladder maintains an air of distance that reminds us he’s playing a role; at key moments, though, the pose collapses, and the emotion seeping through is rough and affecting.