My recommendations 2006:Idols of Exile by Jason Collett

Jason Collett: Idols of Exile
Arts & Crafts 2/7/2006

Available on Emusic

Jason Collett is a guitarist (but not the guitarist) for the massive Canadian avant-garde indie rock collective Broken Social Scene, but you wouldn't know it from hearing Idols of Exile. In his own words, "... the [Broken] Social Scene thing is based around busting songs wide open," which is why it's so surprising that this solo effort is so straightforward. Idols owes its sound to folk-rock and alt-country and doesn't try to experiment or innovate. It is clear from the consistently high quality of this record that Collett, at least in his solo output, does one thing and does it damn well.