Scene Now Heard
Jason Collett
Idols Of Exile
(Arts & Crafts)
Arts & Crafts, the teeball of record labels, asks, “Has everyone had a chance to bat?”
It’s not a knock on Collett, however, but it might be a surprise to the label’s fanatics there was a Pete Yorn waiting in the wings. Canadian or no, surrounded by myriad members of Broken Social Scene or accompanying himself, Collett has fashioned himself an upbeat, Americana’d singer-songwriter with a vicious melodic streak on his sophomore effort. “Fire” and “We All Lose One Another” are his Juno best, though he taps that classic Jesus & Mary Chain/Hope Sandoval combo on a duet with Metric’s Emily Haines (“Hangover Days”) and a New Pornographer blast of power pop (“I’ll Bring The Sun”).
— Steve Forstneger
