There have been many powerful songwriter couples in music history; June Carter and Johnny Cash come to mind, or even Canada’s Whitehorse, but it’s truly difficult to compete with the sheer whimsy and fortitude on Dany Placard and Julie Doiron’s album, titled Julie & Dany. This is not the first time Julie and Dany have collaborated. Dany acted as the bass player and producer for Julie Doiron’s excellent latest record I Thought of You and Julie had guest vocals on a few songs on Dany’s 2021, Astronomie(suite) album, but on Julie & Dany, the magic is at the forefront. Beginning with “Dégèle,” the album takes a light indie-psych approach, with mystical acoustic guitar and harmony vocals about the thawing snow.
You can tell the recording performance was a ton of fun as you hear both parties crack little jokes before counting down a song like “Tomate,” which has a Blood Brothers vibe. Julie’s “Back To the Water,” from I Thought of You, gets a welcomed revamp as Dany chimes in with his harmonies. Their voices, though very different offer a new layer to both of their sounds, kind of in a traditional folk vein, but backed up by a raucous indie rock.
“Jean-Talon Market,” is a gorgeous ode about the mysteries of love, perhaps when Julie and Dany met. “Mayo” has to be the standout track on the album with its intense distorted lead guitar work and the congas from Benoit Bouchard are also sublime. But “I Remember Being Home,” a classic Julie Doiron track, is a close second.
Julie & Dany is a superb collaboration from two artists we are lucky to have and call Canada home.
