Friday, March 16, 2007

Ono Responds, Yes, I Am A Witch

Yoko Ono sure has taken a lot of shit in her time. Once mislabeled as a demon who "broke up the Beatles" by those who have a difficult time with reality, the avant garde artist has only been getting more respect as the years goes by. And now comes Yes, I Am A Witch to solidify this point even further. The new record finds her collaborating with a number of indie and underground heavyweights for a series of reinterpretations. Among the kindred spirits are Cat Power, Peaches, Le Tigre, the Flaming Lips and the Apples in Stereo. We've been going through a bit of a John & Yoko phase lately, having watched The US vs. John Lennon, as well as A Hard Day's Night and Help this past week. A recent trip to Amoeba Records found us picking up Ono's Witch as well as a rather thorough Lennon collection.

Ono has lived in the shadow of Lennon's work much of her life. She's also used the shadow to continue pursuing experimental art while continuing to promote her late husband's brilliant work. Witch shows the power of Ono's musical work. Her famous collaborators sound not as though they are attempting to make the songs more accessible, but as though they're trying to achieve the same avant garde power in their own work. Highlights include Peaches' electro take on "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss" as well as the feminist anthem "Sisters O Sisters" which finds Ono teaming up with Le Tigre. Throughout her career, Ono has pushed artistic barriers while championing social causes. Yes, I Am A Witch continues this while also solidifying the increasing relevance of her work.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

She still can't sing though, can she? Although to be fair, quite a few well respected musicians can't sing either, so.

William Reid has a song on his myspace called "Oh no Yoko". hehe