So Many Days

Over a decade and a half into her solo career, Julie Doiron is still finding new feelings to reveal and new pathways by which to let the listener in. So Many Days has a genial air, but also contains some of the most harrowing material Doiron has written.

Canadian songwriter Julie Doiron has had a long road since she got her start in '90s fuzz-pop legends Eric's Trip. From those urgent young days, Doiron graduated to breathy solo work under the name Broken Girl, which she eventually dropped in favor of her given name, developing as the years went by to turn in masterpieces of understated sadness like 2002's Heart and Crime as well as collaborate with fans of hers from the next generation, such as Mount Eerie's Phil Elverum. The title of her ninth solo album, So Many Days, may reflect her veteran status in a life devoted to music. While it stays out of the dreaded "looking back over my life" clichés completely, there is a sense of abandon to the tunes that's surprisingly optimistic given Doiron's somewhat dour past, and one that seems to come with artists relaxing as they shed their tumultuous or heartbroken younger days. Themes of long-term love and commitment are abundant, with a focus on what the songs' narrator can give, how they can foster growth, and how the emotional journey feels as it goes.

Julie Doiron has worn many hats over the years — as a founding member of Eric's Trip, she led the Wooden Stars to a Juno and released...