While no doubt enjoying a certain Japanese sensibility -- after all, that accent broadcasts their linguistic and cultural heritage -- Cibo Matto fancy themselves downtown New Yorkers. And it's true that the duo, composed of Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda, employ...
[more]While no doubt enjoying a certain Japanese sensibility -- after all, that accent broadcasts their linguistic and cultural heritage -- Cibo Matto fancy themselves downtown New Yorkers. And it's true that the duo, composed of Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda, employ a minimum of the usual Japanese pop tropes: beeps and blips are rare and cartoony gestures are few. Instead, one finds beats, raps, and samples galore, a kind of Beastie Boys sound sans street bravado.
Cibo Matto's first record, "Viva! La Woman," is somehow groovy, interesting, and hilarious all at once. Every track includes Miho Hatori rapping in a hip-hop syntax found only in those regions of Tokyo located in Manhattan's Soho. Meanwhile, Yuka Honda lays down samples of Ennio Morricone, giving Cibo Matto's electro-boogie a taste of Spaghetti Western. Obviously, this is not previously charted territory.
And of course every song is about food. The duo's name, Cibo Matto, means "crazy food" in Italian, and there is a kind of food madness that pervades "Viva! La Woman": "I know my chicken," Hatori hollers before demanding, "You got to know your chicken." But despite thematic unity, the songs on the album vary in tone. Tracks like "Artichoke" are eerily minimal, while "Candy Man" is all cheerful wackiness.
Cibo Matto should not, however, be pidgeonholed as hip-hop popsters with a food obsession -- their next LP release, "Stereotype A," finds the group on distinctly different ground. More or less putting aside the rapper shtick, "Sterotype A" features diva-esque vocals on top of disco-funk. Replacing electronic gadgets with live band members (including Sean Lennon on bass), Cibo Matto ease their way into super-groovy grooves while throwing in some arty noise pop, rather poignant ballads, and the occasional hip-hop number. At first listen, "Stereotype A" may suggest that Cibo Matto has abandoned their signature quirkiness for poppy disco numbers. But listen to the album more carefully: it is a joyous record, filled with surprising moments that only go unnoticed because they're so downright delicious. Cibo Matto, indeed.
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