While the dark times we’re living through have consistently inspired quality art that rages against the dying of the light, there’s certainly a case to be made for the artists who view this period as a time for offering comfort. Such is the case of the lead single from founding Broken Social Scene member Jason Collett’s forthcoming solo record Head Full of Wonder, where he processes Bertolt Brecht’s poem “Motto” in which the author confirms that, yes, there will be singing in the dark times.
"I read those lines from Brecht’s 1938 poem and immediately heard a melody, and the song came together without effort,” Collett shares of the tight, upbeat folk ballad that less recalls the urban symphonies of his rock outfit and more the pastoral folk-rock of fellow Canadians The Rural Alberta Advantage. “The recording was similar, it came together pretty naturally in a live take.”
Of the new LP, which distills the past five turbulent years since Collett’s last album, he adds that the project was an exercise in putting a positive spin on largely negative circumstances. “I let go of some swagger and embraced intimacy and joy and wonder. I hear this in the record and it makes me very happy to have made it.”
Check out the new track below, and pre-order the new album here.
