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
Nunatak cover

Nunatak

Thomas Köner
Dark Day cover

Dark Day

Fred Anderson Quartet
Real Enemies cover

Real Enemies

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society
The Epic cover

The Epic

Kamasi Washington
Agharta cover

Agharta

Miles Davis
Ubique cover

Ubique

Claire Chase, Cory Smythe, Katinka Kleijn, Seth Parker Woods
Orchestras cover

Orchestras

Bill Frisell
Timewind cover

Timewind

Klaus Schulze
 Old and New Dreams cover

Old and New Dreams

Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell