The Union Themes

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Collaboration between Brendan Canty (Fugazi) and Lois Maffeo (Courtney Love, the band not the movie star). 10 tracks. Digipak.

Tracks:

These Parts
Being Blind
How I Came To Know
Best Believe
You Love Your Wounds
Hollow Reed
Give Faith
Con Job
Handwriting
Monument

Album Description

Collaboration between Brendan Canty (Fugazi) and Lois Maffeo (Courtney Love, the band not the movie star). 10 tracks. Digipak.

Customer Reviews:

When archaeologists dig this up they'll either laugh or cry.......2006-10-29

Lois Maffeo's early records were stripped-down affairs; all you got were a voice, an acoustic guitar, and some brushes on a snare drum. Which was fine -- her charming songs about love and living didn't need any more.

By music industry standards The Union Themes isn't exactly a wide-screen production, but Brendan Canty's strategically deployed guitars, keyboards and percussion are Maffeo's most elaborate settings to date. He turns the swooning "How I Came To Know" into a Wings-worthy rush, while subtle cymbal accents and mellotron strings underscore the suspicious mind of "Being Blind's" protagonist. Maffeo turns in her most nuanced singing to date; like Astrud Gilberto, she gets plenty of atmosphere and emotion by exploiting the full resources of a narrow vocal range.

She's broadened her subject matter as well as her sonic palette; instead of autobiography, the ten songs on The Union Themes are mainly about other people's marriages. And anyone who's been married, or knows someone who is, can tell you that their's no shortage of things to say about that topic. Maffeo's observations and first-person narratives explore matrimony's wages of bliss and anguish are carefully drawn; she hasn't abandoned the economy of her earlier work, just taken the time to polish it up a bit. And my, how it glitters.

a night time vibe of an album from 2 unexpected songwriters.......2001-12-08

well when you have 2 indi relics like this meet for the first time you dont really know what you are going to get .you have brendan canty (a.k.a fugazi) and lois maffeo(a.k.a courtney love)but how it comes across is someting way different but very satisfying.a collection of deep acoustic mellow drama of an album that wil be in my collection for a while.so unlike either of the 2 bands these guys have fronted for some years you do miss the raw punk energy .but in return you get a tight missmatch of classicly written tunes that could either be compared to either liz phair or nick drake.brendan on this one drops the drums and picks up the pace with some very tight if not progessive guitar piano and mellotron and lois kind of stops the screaming of courtney love and shows us that she is a peson to be very taken seriously as a wonderfull singer and songwriter.so if you are into the spirit of punk and alternative .but dont want to hear it at its most destrutive degree you will like this one for sure.as far as explaining the vibe of the album its like one of those great nitetime albums when you are all alone and want to have some insitefullness into some beautyfull concepts of soulsearching or something in that mind set.a wonder full album from the lable that kills rock stars .what a concept!!!!

A good picnic CD.......2001-06-19

Okay, so I'm decidedly biased, as I'm a huge Dischord fan and haven't been in touch with the K Records scene in a number of years. However, with that said, this is actually a pretty decent CD, despite the fact that I usually hate the old "girl with a guitar" sound. I am giving you my first, instant imprssion of the CD, as I bought it last night and have only listened to it a few times. I have a feeling it will grow on me. This CD is much more Lois-influenced than Brendan, as she sings all the songs; her voice is beautiful, and her acoustic guitar-playing is first class. Brendan's addition to this CD is...well, just about everything else. He played most of the other instruments, and mixed the CD as well. This is a CD that certainly doesn't have anything resembling the driving beats of Fugazi (or any other Brendan Canty project I know of), but it is catchy and pleasing in it's own way. As I said in the title of my review, this is a great CD to take along on a picnic, or on a pretty drive through the country. This is not a CD to listen to, say, on your way to the Monster Truck show; it does not induce excitement, but rather a pleasant sense of calm and peace. (Remember, all this is coming from a Dischord fan that hates Ani DiFranco and all that even remotely resemble her...) I would recommend this CD definately to anyone who's a big K Records fan, but also to anyone who appreciates good music, no matter what the genre. This is genuinely good music that I think anyone with half an ear can appreciate (as long as you're not so narrow in your musical tastes that you only buy one type of music). Okay, enough said. Do you like good music? Then buy this CD. Are your musical tastes narrow to the point of being ridiculous? If so, I feel sorry for you, and don't waste your hard-earned cash on this - go get some tickets to the next Monster Truck show and loosen up a bit.

Consistently Phenomenal.......2000-10-07

I have been a fan of Lois Maffeo since I heard her first album oh so many years ago. Her music has the ability to subtly grab a hold of you, and before you know it, you are completely consumed. The incredible thing about Lois's music is that it just keeps getting better and better. Each song on this album reminds you of a familiar story you once knew, so you feel an immediate connection. Her vocals are powerful and Brendan Canty's influence is simply delicious. I don't believe a day has gone by since I acquired this cd that I have not listened to it, singing along as I drive down the street. Lois, I can't wait for the next one, because I know that it will be sensational too.

Only Gets Better.......2000-06-14

Lois Maffeo, also known just as Lois, has been releasing excellent indie-folk for the past ten years on Olympia, WA's K Records. Her most recent album, "Infinity Plus," was a bit of a departure for Ms. Maffeo as the arrangements were quite full and production decidedly "slick." On this, her Kill Rock Stars debut, she (along with Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty) proves that "Infinity's" promise was just that--promise for more and better things to come. "The Union Themes" is easily the best album of Ms. Maffeo's career to date, which is something considering that her "Strumpet" LP is on my short-list of best albums from K Records. Funny thing is that her songs haven't changed that much at their base. There's the engaging jangly acoustic guitar, strummed in 2 or 4 time, the wry lyrics, and (above all else) Ms. Maffeo's lovely alto--singing instantly catchy melodies above it all. Mr. Canty, it seems, has pushed these songs into classic territories by arrangement alone. The first song, 'These Parts,' has touches of mandolin while 'How I Came To Know' features an electric guitar line that's like 'Layla's' second cousin. Clocking-in a just over 30 minutes, "The Union Themes" proves that quantity does not necessarily denote quality. If you like female singer/songwriters that don't toe the Lilith Line, or just damn good songwriting, pick this up today.

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