I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day careens between blistering rock and whittled-down folk.
When Julie Doiron decided to reunite with former bandmate Rick White—from ’90s alt-rock band Eric’s Trip—any expectations for an album similar to her previous well-crafted, acoustic solo records were squelched with a rockin’ stomp. With White in tow, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day careens between blistering rock and whittled-down folk. ‘Life of Dreams’ features bare melodies plucked on a single guitar as Doiron sings about comfy beds and good people in her rich, tremulous alto. ‘Spill Yer Lungs,’ on the other hand, showcases her confessional, intimate lyrics over crunchy, growling bass lines and walls of distortion. Yet the best of the bunch, like ‘Tailor’ and ‘When Brakes Get Wet,’ crackle with noisy, lo-fi intensity, while managing to capture those plaintive, evocative lyrics and that golden voice fans have come to expect from Doiron. In the end, I Can Wonder finds a delicate balance between fuzz and folk.
