Cibo Matto Stereo Type a Music
by Cibo Matto

About this Music

The 2nd album from Cibo Matto is focused and refined while still wildly diverse, blending elements of jazz, hip-hop and pop. From the groove of "Spoon" to the undulating R&B of "Moonchild," Stereo*Type a is, at it's core, a pop album, and at the same time funky and imaginative. Contributors to the album include Sean Lennon, Arto Lindsay, John Medeski & Billy Martin (of Medeski, Martin & Wood), Brazilian legend Caetano Veloso and Soul Coughing's Sebastian Steinberg among others. [Note: This product is an authorized CD-R and is manufactured on demand]

It wasn't so long ago that New York-based Japanese duo Cibo Matto (Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda) were simply a fun, gimmicky East Village outfit who performed on Casio keyboards and sang almost exclusively about their favorite foods. As such, the band's major-label debut album Viva! La Woman was sugary, but not really substantive--a clear-cut example of Eastern culture endearingly misinterpreting Western music. But Cibo Matto has come a long way since penning songs like "Know Your Chicken," "Beef Jerky," and "Birthday Cake." Stereotype A is a mature, instrumentally rich album that sees the group break the novelty mold and achieve recognition for compelling songwriting and interesting arrangements. On Stereotype Cibo Matto incorporates such styles as electropop, bossa nova, soul, hip-hop, and butt-waggling funk, expressing a dizzying range of influences that include TLC, Ice Cube, Luscious Jackson, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Isaac Hayes. In the process of becoming musically legit, however, Cibo Matto has lost some of their former charm, which is probably fine with Hatori and Honda, who would no doubt rather be seen as credible than cute. --Jon Wiederhorn