There is no doubt that Julie Doiron is a happy woman now. She not
only says so immediately, on the leadoff track, “Life of Dreams,” from
I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, but also closes the
album with a similarly joyous “Glad to Be Alive.” Honestly, it is such
a relief to hear her sing that, especially after the weighty turbulence
and uneasy trepidation of Woke Myself Up, an album that
brilliantly recounts a seismic upheaval in her personal life.
Over this last year, which has seen Doiron also record and tour with
Mount Eerie, it appears that she has found some of that inner peace we
all desire. So the songs on I Can Wonder What You Did With Your
Day, in true Doiron fashion, reflect on these moments, turning even
the mundane (“Nice To Come Home,” “Spill Yer Lungs”) into something
truly special. A few songs get an Eric’s Trip treatment with heavy
guitar feedback elements; “Consolation Prize” tips its hat to an early
’90s indie-rock sound and “Blue” features uncharacteristic Lanois-esque
echo and layering. But for the most part, the rest of the album
reflects Doiron’s lighter, gayer mood—brim with a new-found
reassurance about life and love that is refreshing.
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2009.
