Yoko Ono, the avant-garde artist and widow of John Lennon, yesterday announced her forthcoming twenty-first studio album, Warzone. The record is set for release on October 19th through Chimera Music, the label run by her son Sean Lennon. You can pre-order the new album here.
Billed as being ‘strikingly different from any record she has made previously… [and] any album that anyone is making’, Warzone will be a reimagining of thirteen of her previous releases, spanning from 1970 to 2009. Backed by ‘stripped down’ arrangements ‘with a particular emphasis on Yoko’s voice and lyrics’, the songs give ‘somber warnings [and] sometimes uplifting encouragement’ about the political turmoil of the modern era. “The world is so messed up. Things are very difficult for everybody. It’s a warzone that we are living in…”, Yoko said. “I like to create things in a new way. Every day things change.”
Until the release date, Yoko will release a new track every Tuesday on her website and streaming platforms. Her first single, the title track, updates on the original from 1995. Hear the song below:
A strange and somewhat disturbing reflection on war and materialism, the song is peppered with the sounds of vultures, elephants, gunfire and explosions. ‘Warzone, warzone, we are living in a warzone… It’s a warzone!’, Yoko sermonises with her characteristic squeal, backed by the sparse drone of bass and scratchy piano. ‘Help us, help us! If you hear me, please help us!’, she calls, before the track abruptly ends.
Yoko Ono is best known as the widow of the Beatles legend John Lennon, who was assassinated in 1980. Prior to their marriage, the 85-year-old was a recognised conceptual artist, grabbing attention in the underground scenes in London and New York with her bizarre films, stage shows and poems. One of her best-known pieces, Bottoms from 1966, (true to its title) consists of six minutes of close-ups of celebrities’ behinds. Avant-garde indeed.
The final track on the new album will be a reworking of ‘Imagine’, the 1971 masterpiece for which she recently gained co-writing credit with Lennon.
Warzone – out October 19th
