Jason Collett — Rat A Tat Tat

If any album ever deserved to be called laid-back it's this fifth solo outing from Broken Social Scene's elder statesman. It sounds like Jason Collett recorded Rat A Tat Tat while lying in a hammock in his backyard, drinking lemonade.

You won't find any instantly memorable tunes here — no "Sorry Lori" or "Charlyn, Angel Of Kensington." Collett is giving his subtler charms a workout, noticeably moving the focus away from his singing. He goes as far as altering his voice on a number of tracks.

The low end plays a prominent role — possibly the clearest sign that Collett can no longer be strictly considered a solo musician. His friends in Zeus, ostensibly here to play backup band, end up stealing a number of Rat A Tat Tat's most memorable moments. The bassline on "Love Is A Dirty Word" is groove-tastic.

With Zeus' debut full-length hitting the market around the same time as this, it's hard to tell whether Collett is starting to sound like Zeus, Zeus is starting to sound like Collett or both acts just happen to be on the same page at the same time. Whichever it is, they've successfully resurrected 1970s feel-good rock. Bob Dylan? Dennis Wilson? Yep, they're here.

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