High Congress Presents

High Congress? Ain't it great? Th' DBA of my imprint since 1998 has been named after th' Kama Sutra's description of well-matched sex organs?

I give you Song #2 in th' Cifarelli recordings, "Rollin' And Tumblin'". Joe sent me this pretty, poignant tune at the beginning of the month and I went at it this way and that until I hit on a sort of smooth blue-eyed neosoul vocal combo thing. I based it on the Rhodes as opposed to the very guitaristic "Heartbreak" and I hung the dynamics on a rising crescendo of typed-in samples and live drums that take it to maximum heart-rend on the middle eight. I started out thinking of the classics of the genre, the "Sunshine Of My Life"s and "Still Crazy"s and let it go from there. I thought basing the central figure on guitar might point too much to "Dear Prudence". I also listened a bunch to the Babyface-produced Clapton song "If I Could Change The World" for ideas on how to treat a rock song to modern R&B touches. The verdict is mercifully out on my skills as a studio drummer but that's what multiple takes and punch ins are for.

Joe and his Strat came up last weekend and he just wailed onto some open tracks and I comped it all up and cut holes in it for the vocals. Joe's work on the verses reminds me strongly of Phil Manzanera's guitar on the last couple of Roxy Music albums; it has that sort of meticulously placed, very stylized, draped-filigree thing going on. And the middle eight and solo section are characterized by some cock-out rocking, I must say.

Vocals were cut hit-and-run between many Soulfinger shows and I chose a day of particular post-gig hoarseness for the lead. The massed vocals were built around some improv obligatos that I recorded against just the electric piano and then built up to 5- and 6- part with harmonies and counterpoints. Shit through a goose, man.