Pitchfork : David Byrne and Yo La Tengo Cover Yoko Ono’s “Who Has Seen the Wind”: Listen

It’s the first single from the Benjamin Gibbard–curated tribute album Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono

By Matthew Ismael Ruiz

by Yoko Ono

David Byrne and Yo La Tengo have shared their cover of Yoko Ono’s “Who Has Seen the Wind.” It’s the first single from Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono, a tribute album curated by Death Cab for Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard. The compilation features contributions from Deerhoof, the Flaming Lips, Sharon Van Etten, Death Cab for Cutie, U.S. Girls, Japanese Breakfast, Jay Som, Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields), and more. It’s due out February 18—Ono’s 89th birthday—via Canvasback and Atlantic. Check out the full tracklist below.

The album will drop alongside a companion podcast hosted by Gibbard and journalist Jenny Eliscu, and featuring discussions of Ono’s life and music with artists featured on the compilation. In a statement, Gibbard said of Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono:

[It] 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.

Last year, John Lennon’s 1970 debut solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band got an 8-disc box set reissue, including the full live recording session of Ono’s companion album Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band.

Check out “Kim Gordon, Tune-Yards, and 6 Other Musicians on Why Yoko Ono Matters” on the Pitch.

Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono:

01Sharon Van Etten: “Toyboat”
02 David Byrne / Yo La Tengo “Who Has Seen The Wind?”
03 Sudan Archives: “Dogtown”
04 Death Cab for Cutie: “Waiting for the Sunrise”
05 Thao: “Yellow Girl (Stand for Life)”
06 U.S. Girls: “Born in a Prison”
07 Jay Som: “Growing Pain”
08 Stephin Merritt: “Listen, the Snow Is Falling”
09 Deerhoof: “No No No”
10 We Are King: “Don't Be Scared”
11 The Flaming Lips: “Mrs. Lennon”
12 Japanese Breakfast: “No One Sees Me Like You Do”
13 Yo La Tengo: “There Is No Goodbye Between Us”
14 Amber Coffman: “Run Run Run”

Article published in pitchfork.com