Andrew and Chris met in a strict, fundamental -ist church congregation when they were kids. By the time they started playing music as Pattern is Movement, they had taken themselves out of that tradition, though it would influence their creative pursuits throughout the next 15 years.

When we asked Pattern is Movement to record a song for Shaking Through, the initial reaction was very positive. As the months passed by, we found it harder and harder to reach Andrew and Chris. Their reticence, it turned out, was because, after much consideration, they had decided to end the project. You can imagine our reaction when they asked to record their final song before our cameras for an episode Shaking Through.

The song was written to be powerful in its simplicity. Andrew arranged it for pipe organ, vocals and drums, and in the days leading up to the session, Chris alerted us that they’d be recorded in exactly that order. We were happy to learn that the good people at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Old City Philadelphia were willing to let us use their instrument, a meticulously kept pipe organ from the 1930s, which we found to be truly stunning and majestic.

“The amazing thing about being part of Shaking Through was being able to see people trying new things. I don’t think anybody had really recorded pipe organ like that before, so it was ​a real joy to watch them work on that” -Andrew Thibaldeaux

Andrew recorded the piece in three separate parts. For the recording we focused on the purity of the organ’s natural sound. Nothing fancy - we placed three microphones about half way up the center aisle. The first, an AEA A440 ribbon microphone, was placed near the floor to capture bass. A pair of small diaphragm condensers, placed in stereo configuration at about head level, captured the high-end detail of this amazing acoustic space.

Vocals and drums were recorded back at Miner Street Recordings. To record Andrew’s vocal required a delicate balance of guidance and stepping aside. It was clear Andrew wasn’t trying for technical perfection, rather, he was clearly allowing the emotions of this incredibly important moment in the band’s history to steer his performance. The typically noisy and chaotic set of Shaking Through recordings was for once dead silent.

“I’ve learned to lean into the vulnerability of making a record... I want to just trust the vibe that’s happening and almost let the take go.” -Chris Ward

Real art - real expression through music often comes when artists let themselves be vulnerable. Being witness to the recording of “Save Me”, the final work of this great indie band, taught us all this lesson.