Yoko Ono’s ‘Yes, I Am A Witch Too’ Album Review: A Batch Of Eccentric Remixes

On Yes, I Am A Witch Too, the sequel to her 2007 album Yes, I Am A Witch, Yoko Ono continues the tendency for unexpected collaborations and across the board genres. Ono’s sound is as raw and unpredictable as it has always been. Each track upholding its own emotional ground, while the collaborative interpretations reinvent them and take them in completely new directions.

‘Yes, I Am A Witch Too’ by Yoko Ono Album Review

Ono takes up and revives old ideas and tunes with a new bunch of indie collaborators, including son Sean Lenon, Moby, Miike Snow and some more surprising additions like Peter Bjorn & John, Death Cab for Cutie and Portugal. The Man. The range of genres is similarly ambitious and far-reaching from club house sounds to downtempo electronic renditions to indie rock tracks.

The opener “Walking on Thin Ice” — the song finished literally hours before John Lenon’s death — is rendered into a synth symphony by Danny Tenaglia, who transforms the original track’s groovy beats into evocative and elevating string harmonies. In this way he manages to bring out the intimacy of the lyrics even more so than the original. One of the more intriguing interpretations on the album comes from Sparks, a band that does not shy away from over-the-top, dramatic compositions. They have avoided adding another house/electro track to the album and have instead transformed the disco sound of “Give Me Something” into a Marlene Dietrich-meets-Les Misérables kind of tune. “Soul Got Out of the Box” is Portugal. The Man’s interpretation of doomsday track that gracefully sways towards the end of the album amidsts explosive indie rock tracks like “Move on Fast” and “Approximately Infinite Universe.” The closing track “Hell In Paradise,” remixed by Moby, brings a nearly 10-minute ambient atmosphere and minimalist tones. Moby brings the album to an end with steady beats and moulded synths.

With Yes, I Am a Witch Too, one thing is clear: Ono still resists being placed in a single category and remains relevant even today after maintaining the status of an iconic pop figure for about half a century with a unique approach to music and artistry in general.

Get Yes, I Am A Witch Too Here!