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Label: Chimera Music - Rating:
Yoko Ono. She’s a household name. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know her. She’s been a pop culture figure; well, since, John Lennon. This may be personal opinion, there may be actual fans that followed her before John, who were in awe of all that kooky experimental artwork and the boundaries she pushed, but I highly doubt it.
I could start going into her endless accomplishments and work she’s produced over the years, but I’m not going to do that. I’m going to stick to this album and how it sounds; what it means. After all, this is a music site. I’m not going to ramble on about her life just to fluff up the album because it isn’t that interesting or something. Come on.
Her latest release, which came out a bit earlier this year, is entitled Between My Head and the Sky, and is quite a doozey of an album. Spanning at an incredible 58 minutes and 33 seconds, Yoko and her band (Keigo "Cornelius" Oyamada and his band members Yuko Araki and Shimmy Shimizu, Sean Lennon (go figure), Yuka Honda (of Cibo Matto) as well as NYC improvisers Erik Friedlander, Shahzad Ismaily, Michael Leonhart, Daniel Carter and Indigo Street) tackle as many genres as possible, the leading one being exploratory experimental. Think Velvet Underground on Acid.
The beginning of the album starts out fantastic. First song: “Waiting For The D Train.” Woah! What is this? This is really Yoko Ono? (I’ve never actually listened to any of her songs before.) This is great, garage rock, some sweet fast drums, some Yoko Ono wailing in the background. Alright, I can do this. Then the yelling continues. And continues. And …kinda continues throughout.
The second track “The Sun Is Down” is actually a theme that reverberates throughout the whole album. “The Sun is down, The Sun is down, The Sun is down, it’s getting so dark”, Yoko teases us, giggling at her inside joke in the background as the electronic funk of the song kicks in. The song is actually quite good. Who knows what Yoko is saying in the background though. But that’s ok! We’re dancing! This is it!
The first few tracks are somewhat decent but it’s the middle that sort of loses its ground. Starting on the next track “Ask the Elephant,” it starts to escape any sort of validity. “One two three four, I love you! One two three four I love you!” she says, making childlike kissing sounds afterward. The band takes off in all different directions later, heading into an ADD ridden world, filled with loops, twangs, synthesized hooks, and Yoko, yelling, wailing, sometimes just talking in the background. And you know that line, “The Sun is down, The Sun is down, The Sun is down, it’s getting so dark?” It repeats through the whole album for some reason. Beats me.
Anyways, the album moves along, slowing at times so Yoko can share with us her overly obvious metaphors, and strange quotes like “Welcome to Time he says.” If you like Yoko Ono, and very experimental music, then grab this album. That’s all I can say.
Like Yoko Ono? Check out: Laurie Anderson, Diamanda Galas, OOIOO
