Keeping track of the extended Broken Social Scene cadre and it’s member’s various solo projects (not too mention their related band’s projects) can be an excercise unto itself, which is why it took me until early summer to give Collett’s Idols of Exile a proper run. Released in February of 2006 Idols of Exile garnered warranted praise but seemed to quickly fade as the year went on. But hey, I had 3,000 miles of road ahead of me and stacks of albums I hadn’t gotten to — It was a perfect match.

The sound: Collett’s album has been likened to that of a folkish Bob Dylan and other early ’70s luminaries of the Southern California folk-rock scene. While that is obviously high praise (he’s no Bob Dylan), it’s not entirely unfounded as Collett feels as natural working in the parameters of this medium as that of the BSS collective. Social Scene fans new to Collett’s solo work may be surprised at the alt.roots approach taken here. Fear not, there are plenty of stylistic changes throughout the record to satisfy everyone from indie-pop devotees to the sad-bastard pundits. These stylistic changes in sound, exemplified on the two tracks below, are juxtaposed side by side on the album.