Out today – "the mountain" – second single from jaimie branch's forthcoming LP Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)).

A sparse and rustic, beautifully loose and minimalist cover of The Meat Puppets’ “Comin’ Down," the track features Fly or Die bassist Jason Ajemian on lead vocals, with jaimie branch doing harmonies. Singing together, they express a congenial solidarity — branch and Ajemian were best friends, after all — and though restrained, it's rousing.

Ajemian says: 

“jai & I got 20 years of sharing life and playing all sorts of music together. Primarily on our instruments but also with our voices. We shared a similar idiosyncratic style of singing that often found our feels exploding out of our range. Loving and laughing at those moments the most, we supported each other while gradually learning to tame those wilds. On this album, to me, jaimie became the master of her voice & her gargantuan spirit.”

In the video for "the mountain" – directed by media artist Kim Alpert, a longtime friend and creative collaborator of branch’s – Ajemian takes a scenic journey, double bass slung over his shoulder, to an Alaskan glacier. As a certified bush pilot, Ajemian has made countless trips to this same icecap, especially when branch lived nearby in Talkeetna, Alaska in the summer and fall of 2020.

Alpert says:

"I knew the second I heard this song I wanted to make a video for it. It was hard to let go of all the plans and ideas we had talked about and make something else, but that's what we do, we just have to keep going. Choosing the art-life requires great inner strength. We carry on our backs the will to make and share our work. It can be a burden or a gift depending on the view or the day. I'm thankful Jason was up for this concept of Atlas meets Sisyphus, Andrew for getting it all shot while I had surgery, and for the Bemis footage of jaimie's gorgeous solo.”

Preview + pre-order
Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))
here.