Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise cover

Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise

Released

On her second album with her Fly Or Die band, Jaimie Branch becomes a political polemicist; the album’s heart is the 11-minute “Prayer For Amerikkka,” a two part song-poem that tackles racism, both individual and structural, and the plight of immigrants. Branch recites razor-sharp lyrics over a crawling, Mingus-esque blues vamp. Other tracks like “Simple Silver Surfer” and “Nuevo Roquero Estéreo” just let the band — bassist Jason Ajemian and drummer Chad Taylor from the debut, and new cellist Lester St. Louis — groove, and that’s fantastic too.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Crescent cover

Crescent

John Coltrane Quartet
Frances the Mute cover

Frances the Mute

The Mars Volta
Engage cover

Engage

Dave Douglas
Krallice cover

Krallice

Krallice
Hz cover

Hz

Main
The Bandwagon cover

The Bandwagon

Jason Moran
SuperBigmouth cover

SuperBigmouth

Chris Lightcap
Songs You Like a Lot cover

Songs You Like a Lot

Gary Versace, John Hollenbeck, Theo Bleckmann, Kate McGarry