*announcing* IARC0066 jaimie branch - Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) // LP, CD & Digital album out August 25th, 2023
*announcing* IARC0066
jaimie branch
Fly or Die
Fly or Die
Fly or Die
((world war))
LP, CD & Digital album out August 25th, 2023
There have been many emotions over the last 6 months as we finalized and made preparations for this moment... But now that we're here... the forefront is a deep and warmly resonant joy as we're able to share this first new music since we lost our beloved sister – trumpeter, composer, creative music titan, total artist and utterly unmatchable human in every sense – jaimie branch.
Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) is branch's third and final album with her Fly or Die quartet and will be released on August 25th, just days after the one year anniversary of her passing.
((( photo by Ben Semisch, courtesy of Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts )))
Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) was recorded in April 2022 during jaimie branch’s artist residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. Backed by her exceedingly sharp and intuitive Fly or Die bandmates — cellist Lester St. Louis, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Chad Taylor — the album finds branch stretching her creative limits and conquering new sonic terrain. Her vocals are more present than ever, whether singing harmonies on a duet with Ajemian on “the mountain” (a stunning reimagining of The Meat Puppets’ “Comin’ Down”) or shouting koans with the intensity of a hardcore singer on “take over the world” — though, as always, the music throughout is undeniably branch’s own.
From the album's liner notes by branch’s bandmates St. Louis, Ajemian, and Taylor:
“jaimie never had small ideas. She always thought big. The minute you told her she couldn’t do something, or that something would be too difficult to accomplish, the more determined and focused she became. And this album is big. Far bigger and more demanding — for us, and for you — than any other Fly or Die record. For this, jaimie wanted to play with longer forms, more modulations, more noise, more singing, and as always, grooves and melodies. She was a dynamic melodicist. jaimie wanted this album to be lush, grand and full of life, just as she was. Every time we take a listen, we feel the deep imprint of her all over the music, and we see all of us making it together.”
When branch passed on August 22, 2022, the album was near complete, with only mixing tweaks, final titles, and artwork to be finalized. In the months following, her family (led by her sister Kate Branch), her bandmates, and her collaborators at International Anthem banded together to gather memories, texts, emails, photographs, artwork, and fragments belonging to jaimie to finish the record. Their goal was to do what jaimie would have done.
Like its predecessors, Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) is an astonishing collision of vibrant color and seismic energy; of cosmic contemplation and skinned-knee physicality; of epic ambition and comedic comedown. It serves as a potent reminder of the vitality and virtuosity of branch, a love letter sent from the beyond by a beloved artist and friend.
Preview & Preorder Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))
"take over the world"
Accompanying today's announcement is the album's first lead single "take over the world." The anthem begins with branch's repeated call, "Gonna take over the world / and give it back to the land," as avalanches of percussive beats lend the mantra an explosive momentum. It's an overture to a riot that swings from hardcore pit-stirring to a psychedelic manipulation of both voice and time signature, and back again. It's a tune that, while urgent and demanding, comes as no surprise to those who love branch for her punk roots and DIY activist mentality.
"take over the world" also comes via a video by director Jon Philpot (known for his editing work on shows like Hacks, Search Party, Broad City, Wonder Showzen and the upcoming film Theater Camp). About the work, Philpot says: "I met jaimie when we did the "Earthlings" video for her band Anteloper. Her creative process was fluid, tapped into the ether. When I was asked to do this video, I must admit, I was freaked out at having to make some grandiose statement about her time here on earth. In the end, I just imagined that we were working together, making something we would enjoy or at least laugh at."
((( photo by Ben Semisch, courtesy of Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts )))
About branch
At the age of 39, jaimie “breezy” branch had already established herself at the vanguard of modern jazz composition, blurring genre boundaries and performing with an inimitable power that Pitchfork’s Allison Hussey said “connected the focus and intensity of high-concept sound artists with the unbridled joy of living in the moment.”
branch was also a tireless collaborator, who worked with samba icon Elza Soares; noise icons Wolf Eyes; indie stars like TV on the Radio, Yo La Tengo and Spoon; British dub producer The Bug; the First Nations rock collective Medicine Singers; and various International Anthem labelmates, including Jeff Parker, Ben LaMar Gay, and Alabaster DePlume, among so many others. She even made a post-mortem appearance on Talib Kweli & Madlib’s album Liberation 2 released earlier this spring, playing trumpet in a stunning co-composed duet with Madlib on keys.
*Deluxe Vinyl Package*
Peacock Couture color vinyl
Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) comes on a 140-gram vinyl LP (pressed by Pallas in Germany, with lacquers cut by Daniel K at SST) inside a swank *metallic silver foil* sleeve, with large fold-out poster insert, IARC obi strip & dome-patterned inner sleeve.
And, as always, we have a limited edition color vinyl option for the first pressing only, available via our Bandcamp page only, which is 666 copies of manual-pressed *Peacock Couture* color vinyl.
For fervent collectors of our catalog...
Including today's Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)), and the recently-announced albums Damon Locks & Rob Mazurek - New Future City Radio and Carlos Niño & Friends - (I'm just) Chillin', on Fire, by early August we'll have announced a total of six new albums on IARC across Summer 2023. As an experiment aimed for those of you who collect the whole catalog and have been asking about some sort of subscription offering for ease of ordering/savings on shipments... we are offering this SUMMER MONDO BUNDLE which collects all six of our upcoming albums into a single parcel. Save money on shipping PLUS an additional 10% on the retail value of the albums as an extra *thank you* for your faith in our output. Bundles come in color vinyl, black vinyl, and CD (no mix and match, sorry).
More info and details on the bundles via order links below >>>
Order the Summer Mondo Bundle on limited edition color vinyl here.
Order the Summer Mondo Bundle on classic black vinyl here.
Order the Summer Mondo Bundle on compact disc here.
Distribution via RedEye for US, Canada, North & South America
This album will also be available on CD, Cassette, and Classic Black Vinyl (same package specs as listed above).
Retailers in the United States or Canada or anywhere else inside of North, South and Central America... Please reach out to your sales rep at RedEye Worldwide if you are interested in making wholesale purchases of this album, or any other album in our catalog. Don't yet have a RedEye rep? Please just reach out to us and we'll get you hooked up!
Distribution via !K7 for Europe, UK, Japan, Australia, and ROW
This album will be distributed by our good friends at !K7 and their various territory partners in Europe, UK, Australia, and everywhere else in the world outside of North & South America.
If you are a retailer or store with questions about wholesale or are just looking to get some of our records... we'd like to make things as easy for you as possible, please do not hesitate to reach out!!!
