10 Forgotten 90s Rock Bands Worth Rediscovering
3. Cibo Matto
Another NYC band on the list – Cibo Matto formed in 1994, the brainchild of Japanese ex-patriots, Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, and released a clutch of studio albums and EP's.
As with some others presented here, Cibo Matto eventually returned, after a lengthy hiatus, in 2011, but it is the two 90's albums which should concern you.
The band's debut, Viva! La Woman, caused a fair amount of fuss both in their native Japan and in their adopted home, the US, and little wonder. The album's striking artwork is echoed by some equally striking music, which blends electronica, rock, ambient sounds, lounge music, sampled loops, a hip-hop edge and hushed vocals.
Cibo Matto's eclectic, genre-mashing approach feels bang up to date, some twenty-five years on. They're not the first to mix up this particular blend, and they won't be the last, but Cibo Matto did/do so with such imagination and openness that it's hard not to fall under their charming spell. Listen to The Candy Man below to experience the band's unique melding of disparate musical elements. Chances are, you'll be hooked.