Opus 40

Recorded during the Deserter Songs sessions after Jonathan Donahue and Sean Mackowiak relocated to the Catskill Mountains and rebuilt Mercury Rev around more orchestral arrangements. Garth Hudson and Levon Helm contributed to the wider album sessions, with Dave Fridmann helping reshape the recordings at Tarbox Road Studios. Released on V2 in 1998 and issued as a UK single in 1999, Opus 40 became one of the key songs from Deserter Songs. The album drew major critical acclaim and marked Mercury Rev's commercial and artistic resurgence. The track remains one of Mercury Rev's signature recordings and a central example of the cinematic sound that defined Deserter Songs. Its place on the album helped anchor the band's later reputation for expansive, orchestral songwriting.