Demonstration Tapes: The Reapers
One thing you can't run from
Afternoon, Machinists. Apologies for being away for a bit — I’ve been acclimating to homelife and all the blessed banalities that come along with it. I’ve been to the DMV! Twice! But you are never far from my mind, dear subscribers, and I’ve been meaning to share more of the process outtakes from the making of The Decemberists new record, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again.
This tune, The Reapers, was one of the last songs written for the record. The genesis of the idea hadn’t been kicking around for very long, either, before I got down to finishing it. I’d been tasked by Laika to write some songs for the characters to sing in the upcoming Wildwood adaptation and I found myself scribbling down a handful of ideas for each pass. The melody, chord progression, and general mien for The Reapers was one of those songs. Not sure why I didn’t finish it out for the movie — I think I felt like it meandered too much for a song of which only fifteen seconds was likely to survive. Anyway, in the summer of ‘23 (remember that one?), I wrote down the verses to the song and dutifully recorded it. Here it is:
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