Ben Gibbard has unveiled plans for a new Yoko Ono tribute album.
The American songwriter is a long-time fan of the Japanese born conceptual artist and musician, citing her as a key influence in interviews.
New album ‘Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono’ brings together an all-star cast, covering different aspects of her musical work.
The tracklist is truly glittering, featuring The Flaming Lips, Japanese Breakfast, Sharon van Etten, David Byrne, and more.
Out on February 18th, Ben Gibbard has curated the project, one that “was born out of both love and frustration,” he says.
Ben continues: “The ‘love’ part is pretty obvious; It is the seemingly bottomless well of inspiration and enjoyment Yoko Ono’s music has provided me and I must assume everyone else present here on this compilation. The ‘frustration’ part, on the other hand, goes back decades.”
“As an advocate, the tallest hurdle to clear has always been the public’s ignorance as to the breadth of Yoko’s work. To put it into context; This is an artist whose output has run the gamut from avant-garde to bubblegum pop, often across a single album. For years, it has been my position that her songwriting has been criminally overlooked. She has consistently created melodies as memorable as those of best pop writers. As a lyricist, she has always written with poignance, sophistication and deep introspection.”
“Some of her best songs have been covered and compiled here by a generation-spanning group of musicians for whom her work has meant so much. It is my sincere hope that a new crop of Yoko Ono fans fall in love with her songwriting due in some small part to this album we have put together.”
The project is led by a new version of ‘Who Has Seen The Wind?’ covered collaboratively by David Byrne and Yo La Tengo.
Check it out now.
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Tracklist:
1. Toyboat – Sharon Van Etten
2. Who Has Seen The Wind – David Byrne And Yo La Tengo
3. Dogtown – Sudan Archives
4. Waiting For The Sunrise – Death Cab For Cutie
5. Yellow Girl (Stand For Life) – Thao
6. Born In A Prison – US Girls
7. Growing Pain – Jay Som
8. Listen, The Snow Is Falling – Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields)
9. No No No – Deerhoof
10. Don’t Be Scared – We Are KING
11. Mrs Lennon – The Flaming Lips
12. No One Sees Me Like You Do – Japanese Breakfast
13. There Is No Goodbye Between Us – Yo La Tengo
14. Run Run Run – Amber Coffman
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