Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard created and curated Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono, a tribute album featuring 14 new versions of songs from Ono’s career recorded by a vast array of musicians from multiple generations. Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono is due out through Canvasback Music / Atlantic Records on February 18 and has been previewed with David Byrne and Yo La Tengo‘s collaborative “Who Has Seen The Wind?” cover.
Sharon Van Etten, Deerhoof, The Flaming Lips, Japanese Breakfast and Amber Coffman are among the other artists who recorded Yoko Ono covers for the project. Death Cab For Cutie took on “Waiting For The Sunrise,” while Yo La Tengo also laid down a take on “There Is No Goodbye Between Us.”
Ben Gibbard shared the following in regards to Ono and the forthcoming tribute album:
“Yoko makes art that teaches all of us that peace is possible. [Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono] was born out of both love and frustration. 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.”
A podcast co-hosted by Gibbard and journalist Jenny Eliscu that dives into the work of Yoko Ono and includes interviews with many of the artists who contributed to the tribute album will accompany Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono. Stream David Bowie and Yo La Tengo’s “Who Has Seen The Wind?” cover and a trailer for the podcast below:
Who Has Seen The Wind?
Podcast Trailer
Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono Tracklist
- Toyboat – Sharon Van Etten
- Who Has Seen The Wind? – David Byrne and Yo La Tengo
- Dogtown – Sudan Archives
- Waiting For The Sunrise – Death Cab for Cutie
- Yellow Girl (Stand For Life) – Thao
- Born In A Prison – US Girls
- Growing Pain – Jay Som
- Listen, The Snow Is Falling – Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields)
- No No No – Deerhoof
- Don’t Be Scared – We Are KING
- Mrs. Lennon – The Flaming Lips
- No One Sees Me Like You Do – Japanese Breakfast
- There Is No Goodbye Between Us – Yo La Tengo
- Run Run Run – Amber Coffman
