'Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono' Tribute Compilation Released Today

Canvasback Music/Atlantic Records have today unveiled Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono - a landmark tribute album celebrating the extraordinary work of the multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and activist.

Today's release - coinciding with Ono's 89th birthday - arrives alongside a cover of her song "Waiting For The Sunrise," courtesy of Death Cab for Cutie.

Imagined and curated by Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie's lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter), the album is comprised of 14 all-new versions of Ono's tracks performed by a diverse range of rising artists and legendary stars.

Those artists include Best New Artist GRAMMY Nominee Japanese Breakfast, whose cover of "Nobody Sees Me Like You Do" was released last month and led PAPER to declare simply: "Japanese Breakfast was born to cover this Yoko Ono track." NPR echoed their praise: "Michelle Zauner processes grief in a dreamlike vacuum... Her simple rendition highlights Ono's labyrinthine songwriting and grounds 'Nobody Sees Me Like You Do' in its mournful genesis."

The album was first announced in January with the release of David Byrne and Yo La Tengo's collaborative cover of "Who Has Seen The Wind?" That track was also met with critical acclaim, including from the New York Times ("a reverberant meditation"), Variety and Rolling Stone, amongst many others.

Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono also features new performances from Sharon Van Etten, US Girls, Jay Som, Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields), Thao, Sudan Archives, We Are KING, and Amber Coffman - all of which serve to accentuate Ono's powerful artistic impact, lasting cultural relevance, and utterly unique approach to songcraft.

The project further showcases Ono's work with striking and inspired renditions by such longtime devotees as Deerhoof and The Flaming Lips, both of whom, like Yo La Tengo, have enjoyed previous collaborations with the 2x GRAMMY® Award-winning artist (full tracklist enclosed).

Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono arrives accompanied by an exclusive podcast - hosted by Gibbard and veteran music journalist Jenny Eliscu and featuring in-depth discussions of Ono's music and legacy with many of the album's artists including Byrne, Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner, Wayne Coyne (of The Flaming Lips) and more. Songs of Yoko Ono is out now via all podcast providers. Listen HERE.

A portion of the album's proceeds will be donated to WhyHunger, a non-profit organization Ono has supported for decades in their efforts to transform our food system by building social justice and striking at the root causes of hunger and poverty.

Yoko Ono has been an innovative and influential force on music and art for more than seven decades, all while campaigning for peace on the world's stage. Of her legacy, project curator Benjamin Gibbard exclaims: "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," Gibbard 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."

Listen to the new compilation here:

Listen to the companion podcast here: