Communion

Album: Maximum Balloon (2010)
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Songfacts®:

  • This stomping club number is a track from the self-titled debut solo album from producer and TV on the Radio guitarist Dave Sitek, recorded under the guise of Maximum Balloon. The song features Yeah Yeah Yeahs front woman Karen O. Sitek told The Guardian: "Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the first band I produced that people outside my neighbourhood knew about. That's when I really had to get my chops together because I knew they were amazing and I didn't want to f--k it up. I love working with Karen – she's one of the main reasons why I continue to try to push myself and stay creative. Also she's like family and I can confide in her. Anyone who thinks Karen is just some crazy woman is wildly underestimating her talents. She is extremely complex. She's nurturing and encouraging. When you hear a song such as Maps, her sincerity is audible – it sounds like she's singing to you personally, which is astonishing."
  • Sitek told NME about recording this song with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs vocalist. "Karen is like my sister, so it felt like a family project when we recorded the song 'Communion' together, really easy," he said. "It is more laid-back than her stuff with Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Her voice is very gentle and intoxicating on the track at times, but then it's also got some of the yelping we all know and love."
  • This was a late addition to the album. Sitek recalled to Rolling Stone that he invited Karen O to dinner just as the album was wrapping. "I was like, 'You know, everyone else is on this record. If you're not, that's kind of lame,'" he said.

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