Woke Myself Up

Julie Doiron has always been an artist that seems most at home in my headphones in the dead of winter or early Sunday morning, because of her sad lyrics and quiet melodies. On Woke Myself Up, Doiron’s first album since 2004’s Goodnight Nobody, she reunited with her first band, Eric’s Trip, who broke up over ten years ago. Working with these old friends must have given Doiron a sense of security because her lyrics are even more intensely personal than ever before.

I was jostled by “I Woke Myself Up,” the poppy, upbeat tune that opens the album, and that catchy tune is echoed again on “No More,” but on a closer listen, the lyrics are much more intimate and private than signified by the music. The second half of the album is more typical of Doiron’s solo work, with “You Look So Alive” and “The Wrong Guy” both more melancholy than the beginning of the album. Through all the tempo changes, however, one thing stays the same: Doiron’s beautiful, moving voice, which reminds me very much of Chan Marshall’s (of Cat Power). Her voice is utterly feminine, yet husky and deeply resonant. Fans of Doiron’s earlier work should cherish this reunion of her earlier days, and Woke Myself Up is very likely to reach out to a wider audience.

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