Cibo Matto’s 1996 major-label debut, Viva! La Woman, established the group as leading players on the front line of alt/rock and electro-pop fusion. And whether they are aware of it, popular indie synth/pop acts of the moment such as Haim, Grimes and Chvrches owe much to the inimitably idiosyncratic duo of Miho Hatori on vocals and Yuka C. Honda on keyboards and sampler.
The pair of Japanese expats met in New York in the ‘90s. Their quirky, musically eventful recordings quickly earned them the adoration and collaboration of the downtown avant-garde scene of John Zorn, John Lurie and Mark Ribot and the like.
While their style can be described variously – experimental synth confections, world-sourced art collage, girl pop – nothing quite expresses the piquant, cross-cultural otherworldliness that makes Cibo Matto great. What is clear, however, is that they haven’t lost a single iota of their verve and imagination. 2014’s Hotel Valentine (Chimera) – Cibo Matto’s first release in eight years – crackles with monster grooves, vivid sound design and lyrics as smart, fun and inscrutable as ever. The album was self-produced over the course of two years and features guest spots from Nels Cline, Glenn Kotche, Mauro Refosco (of Atoms for Peace), Reggie Watts and others. It makes you want to dance in ways that your body has never moved before. Be careful: We’re not so young anymore.
Cibo Matto is back on the road again, too, and where else but BSP would they show up locally, not long after their pal and occasional bassist Sean Lennon performed there with Ghost of a Saber-Tooth Tiger? Cibo Matto brings it to BSP in Kingston on Sunday, February 9 at 8 p.m., with Salt Cathedra opening. Admission to the show is restricted to age 18+.
Tickets cost $15 in advance, $20 on the day of the show and are available locally at Outdated: an Antique Café in Kingston, Jack’s Rhythms in New Paltz, Darkside Records & Gallery in Poughkeepsie and the Woodstock Music Shop in Woodstock. BSP is located at 323 Wall Street in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 481-5158 or visit www.bspkingston.com.
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