At the time of their debut album's release,
Cibo Matto
were the recipients of a lot of hype. Fortunately, the buzz was well-founded; all trendiness aside,
Viva! La Woman
is an innovative and catchy mix of eclectic samples and stream-of-consciousness lyrics. The likes of
Paul Weller
,
Ennio Morricone
, and
Duke Ellington
combine with observations like "My weight is three hundred pounds/My favorite is beef jerky" (from "Beef Jerky") and "Shut up and eat! You know my love is sweet!" from ("Birthday Cake") in surprising and refreshing ways. On tracks like "Sugar Water" and "Artichoke,"
play it spooky and ethereal, while "Birthday Cake" and the single "Know Your Chicken" find them as a couple of cryptic Beastie Girls, tossing off wacky non sequiturs over found soundscapes. Like their tongue-in-cheek cover of "The Candy Man,"
make everything they bake satisfying and delicious. Diverse and entertaining,
leaves the listener hungry for more of their crazy food for thought. ~ Heather Phares