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First Watch: Des Ark, 'Snake Stuff'

Aimee Argote's voice has the power to bring music to life. The Des Ark singer, guitarist and founder can invigorate a song with her soft, compelling vocals. In the band's new video, her simple routine brings to life a wooden figurine, which dances wildly, snakes in hand, around a fire — a contrast to the gentle music and sentimental words.

"Snake Stuff," from Des Ark's third full-length album, Everything Dies, captures Argote's enchantment and tacit strength. "And when will I get used to this? / Breathing life into these things I love until they quit on me." Sweet and strong, the song and its video find magic in the ordinary.

Andy Byers, who directed the video, writes that he sees Argote as "a force of a woman, and a source of power that gets pulled from somewhere ethereal. I liked the idea that by performing these daily rituals, Aimee ends up becoming the creator of something beyond her understanding or realization."

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Kate Drozynski