Oh no! It's (Cibo Matto - Hotel Valentine)

*copy/pasted from a review on tumblr I wrote earlier this year

Cibo Matto - Hotel Valentine

Why you'll love it:  Clever concept, wonderful vocals, funky grooves
Why you'll hate it:  Cheesy outdated rapping style, content is shallow

 Cibo Matto: a “love em or hate em” act if there ever was one.  Even though they’ve been gone for 15 years, and were relatively obscure even then; their funk-fusion coffeehouse bossa-nova jazz isn’t even what they are most known for.  To the casual music fan, it’s themes of feminism, NYC’s hipster beatnik scene, the heavy Japanese accent, and incoherent-pop sensibilities.  If not that, any one of the oddball singles that made a minor splash in underground circles.  

When Cibo Matto is at their most expressive, they’re bound to rub some the wrong way.  The grating “Birthday Cake” fooled most into thinking they were a tone-deaf punk band, and “Know Your Chicken” was considered to be little more than a joke song to many. Their returning LP, Hotel Valentine, has no intention of putting a stop to such alienation.  If the lead single, “MFN” catches any traction, people will misunderstand the duo as delusional, out of touch, and failing to capitalize on long outdated American fashion and hip-hop delivery.  

The truth is Cibo Matto can write good songs, sing well, and actually has a master plan.  Miho Hatori has constructed quite the portfolio over the years as a guest performer on some of your favorite music acts (Gorillaz, Beck, Beastie Boys).  She knows pop music; and is never more creative than when teaming up with Yuka Honda.  Hotel Valentine isn’t just nonsense, it’s a concept album about ghosts. The more you dig, the more you get.  Cibo Matto actually has quite a few charming songs, with soothing melodies.  It was an attribute proven with their second album, and that trend continues here.  “Empty Pool” and “Hotel Valentine” are free of gonzo lyrics or attempts well out of vocal range.

Because of such a long hiatus, Cibo Matto’s return has a welcoming “you’ve still got it” feel to it, and not a rehash of themes from the past two albums.  It’s a good mix of their strange & abrasive with their lesser known fits of depth & substance.  The devotion to “concept album” is a little on the light side.  The references to ghosts and being high don’t go much further than simply stating such things.  As a result, the lyrics get a little redundant, and the songs tougher to discern.  Although, even a thin concept will always get me somewhat invested in an album, so I appreciate the theme.  Cibo Matto is an under appreciated American underground gem (Even their homeland of Japan finds them unmarketable and confusing).  If you give Hotel Valentine (and their entire discography) a deep look, you’ll possibly find more than you expected to.  

Or maybe you just want something that came from planet Funkotron, in which case, Cibo Matto is exactly what you’d expect.

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[END OF THE YEAR UPDATE] I still love this album.  Probably more than I did at the time I wrote that review.  The songs haven't worn out their welcome at all.  Seriously, how cool is it we got new Buffalo Daughter and Cibo Matto albums in 2014?  That by itself is fantastic. That they're two of the best things I've heard all year is a blessing.  2014 rocks.