Lois Maffeo is the grande dame of the next-wave feminist riot girl movement, icon to countless sensitive American girls (and boys, too).
She is an icon in Japan, as well. Live houses all over Shimokitazawa rock, or maybe gently sway, to groups inspired by Maffeo, or Lois as she is usually known, and the frothy pop of Olympia, Wash. On indie labels K and Kill Rock Stars, Olympia's playful, childlike and decidedly lo-fi take on music became a counterweight to Seattle's dark, distinctly masculine grunge-punk scene.
Saucy intelligence is Lois' calling card. Under the guise of fluffy, folky pop, she deconstructs emotions with a deftness that leaves the listener wincing.
"Union Themes," her latest Japanese release with drummer Brendan Canty (from postpunk group Fugazi), sees her well-turned out songs benefiting from a few production tweaks. There are points, with the addition of a piano, where she almost sounds like a funkier Carole King.
Like King's "Tapestry," "Union Themes" is about the labors of love. Poised somewhere between torch songs and folk songs, Lois dissects the evolution of relationships from "How I Came to Know's" first flush of infatuation, to the codependence described in "Con Job."
Lois has recently taken a break from music ("Union Themes" is her first release in nearly four years), which means her live performances have become increasingly rare. Her Japan tour is a blessing.