Yoko Ono Yes, I'm A Witch by: Arjun S. Ravi Sun:29-Apr-07 Label: Astralwerks Year: 2007 WB rating 83 out of 100

Yoko Ono is like sour peach ice cream - consume too slow and you lose the raw spunk, but consume too fast and you’re likely to get brainfreeze. What makes Ono one of the most prolific personalities of our times is not the fact that she was the reason The Beatles broke up, or that as the widow of John Lennon her Bono-like escapades seem a tad too ‘forced’. The real reason is that Yoko Ono is perhaps the only artist on the planet whose idiosyncratic screeches and harrowing confessions strike jitters in the hearts of indie boppers, critics and mental patients alike.

Yes, I’m A Witch is a remix album with contributions from a veritable selection of artists who one wouldn’t normally expect to work on such a collection. From Cat Power to Porcupine Tree to Le Tigre, the assortment of musicians is bizarre. Perhaps it is the fact that you wouldn’t normally associate these artists with a Yoko Ono remix album – not in the least artists like Shitake Money, Blow Up and The Apples In Stereo – but there is something oddly intriguing about the selection. Thankfully, the end result is an exercise in measured extravagance that seems to have paid off, very well.

All the artists were given the necessary elements to create remixes or covers of the songs, and nearly all of them solely used the vocal tracks to build entirely new melodies. The result is, quite frankly, astounding. Where one typically expects lacklustre dance tracks with a spice of flavour, what actually follows is a collection of remarkably bold remixes that pay tribute to Ono’s eccentric delivery and style; her intimate performances transform into strikingly bare, almost virginal declarations about life and relationships.

Kicking off with Hank Shocklee’s remix of ‘Yes, I’m A Witch’, a reprise of which serves as the album’s outro, the 55-plus minutes of consistently bold tunes are equal parts Love, atmospheric electronica and delectable samples. Shocklee’s work reveals Ono’s masterplan for the world: “Each time we don’t say what we wanna say, we’re dying,” in a haze of techno-futurism, playing with contemporary trance beats and insisting that we understand who Yoko Ono really is: “a Witch”.

All the artists bring their own tang to the table, and given that Ono’s original work was usually based around simple melodies the artists have been able to mould and bend the vocals as they please. Peaches’ remix of ‘Kiss Kiss Kiss’, with its grinding beats and claps, magnifies the sexual nuances of the song, at times making Ono sound like an orgasmic Japanese schoolgirl. Shitake Money’s remix of ‘O’Oh’ gives the song a trendy, urban pop feel that reminds one of Saint Germain and Viva Voce. The ‘Death of Samantha’ remix by Porcupine Tree is a simple acoustic piece which breaks the dance-house drift with a stripped-down arrangement featuring just strings and a reluctant piano. Each song stands well by itself and as an album there is a cohesiveness that one wouldn’t normally expect with a remix album.

There are a few tracks that shine above the others, involving the listener in what Ono is saying rather than simply messing with arrangmenets. Cat Power’s subtle piano and faint backing vocals on ‘Revelations’ give the song a spooky quaver that sounds similar to her cover of Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’. The song has a strong ‘Let It Be’ feel that augments Ono’s bare vocals wonderfully. Another standout is ‘Cambridge 1969/2007’ performed by The Flaming Lips, it is a terrific post-rock bang replete with the Lips’ trademark horns and bleeps, making Ono’s screeches and yelps sound strangely chilling. Similarly, The Polyphonic Spree’s remix of ‘You And I’ with its cheery melody and light string and flute arrangement also deserves mention. The song takes off from a pleasant soft rock stroll to an atmospheric, organ-filled chorus blast.

Where the record falters is on a few remixes that are a little too extravagant when compared to the precision of the majority of this album. DJ Spooky’s remix of ‘Rising’ is a little too much DJ Spooky and far too little Yoko Ono; Ono’s voice lost in a smudge of helicopter beats, processed strings and excessive techno-fuzz. The Sleepy Jackson’s remix of ‘I’m Moving On’ has a minute-long intro that’s about 45 seconds overdone. Luckily, the remainder of the song, with Ono’s voice echoing through the verse, saves The Sleepies rendition. ‘Shiranakatta (I Didn’t Know)’ with Craig Armstrong has almost the identical melody as Porcupine Tree’s remix. Apart from these few relatively glaring lapses, the album has an almost effortless consistency.
 
Yoko Ono is undoubtedly one of the most versatile artists today. Her music remains brazen with an almost child-like naivety and is a reflection of just how personal the power of her word is. “I’m gonna stick around for quite a while” she yowls on the record’s title track, reminding us that she still is one of the most relevant artists of our time.