The Wake

“When your friends are your best critics, it’s a healthy thing” says Jason Collett of his new album Idols of Exile. As a prominent member of the Arts and Crafts record label/musicians collective in Toronto, Collett has worked with his friends on a number of projects, including Broken Social Scene and Apostle of Hustle. Idols of Exile, his formal solo debut, speaks volumes about the musical collective as a whole. “Its natural to have the ones that are close to you—who you play with all the time, not just on stage but off stage, around a kitchen table, in the lounge on the tour bus, the people you’re hanging with, it’s natural that they leave their mark on your record.”

Collett’s solo debut is comprised of original material, but doesn’t neglect the creative energy of his former band mates and friends. “It’s an inspiring atmosphere to work in,” he says.

The sounds on Collett’s new album range from the familiar experimental rock, for which Broken Social Scene is known, to a sound that is very much Collett’s own. Incorporating more experimental elements into a smooth and soulful version of alternative country, Idols of Exile showcases Collett’s talent as a storyteller while offering listeners something fresh to put in their stereos. When asked about blending these influences, Collett said, “It’s a different way that people listen to music now. People have very eclectic tastes. It’s a part of the time and place that we live in. We have access to everything now … you can get the whole package. As opposed to 20 years ago when you had to hunt it down.”

He continued by saying that the variety reflected on his album is variety reflected within the musical community he calls home. “The folks that listen to Arts and Crafts have eclectic tastes, as well as the members of the label.”

Collett explained also that he does not set out to produce music of a certain type, “When I make a record I don’t think about what it needs to sound like. I’m not a teenager that needs to be identified by certain bands.”

This attitude illustrates what allows Arts and Crafts as a label to produce a variety of work which speaks more to making music that expresses something rather than music that targets a certain sound or listener.

So how does he set himself apart from others in his line of work? He says that’s not for him to decide, but I suspect that Collett’s free spirit and the family energy that went into the album might have something to do with it. “There is a magic to the mix that we just sort of stumbled across and then left it because it felt good.” Need more reasons to check out Idols of Exile? He left me with this: “There is a lot of beauty in the record because it has so many of my friends on it. I’ve come to cherish it the way you would cherish an old family photo album.”