Cibo Matto's Super Relax ep is built around four versions of the single, "Sugar Water," which is a good example of the Cibo Matto style: slow, hypnotic Mo' Wax-style hip-hop beats and dreamy half-sung, half-rapped female vocals (with fairly obvious Japanese accents). But Cibo Matto are much more eccentric than that simple description indicates: the fact that they work with members of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the Beastie Boys, and have toured with Beck, may hint at their unigue brand of mellow mayhem.
Among the five other tracks, highlights include their largely acoustic cover of the Rolling Stones' psychedelic oddity, "Sing This All Together," and the new track, "Spoon." Their diverse influences are evident through their cover of easy-latin-jazz legend Antonio Carloos Jobim's "Aguas de Marco."
Also of particular interest is the acoustic version of "Sugar Water" where the lilting melody of the song comes across with piano, guitar, bass, and live drums instead of samplers. Through this experiment, the inherent quality of the band is recognizable. Of the "Sugar Water" remixes, the one worked up by Mike D. (Beastie Boys), Russel Simins (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), and Mario Caldato Jr (Beasties producer) is probably the best, though it is also quite faithful to the original single mix with an altered percussion line.
If the self-titled debut ep and Viva La Woman albums are unfamiliar, this ep makes a good (and inexpensive) introduction to the band. The material will be of most interest to people with a taste for eccentricity in the field of dance music; that is, people who prefer Bjork, Pizzicato Five, or Beck to the stuff clogging up the R&B charts. Their laid-back vocal style keeps some distance from the likes of the Beasties, though occasionally ranted choruses move in that direction. The beats are more electronic than Luscious Jackson, though on this ep they do pick up guitars for several tracks, as detailed above. The overall package is an enjoyable mix between trip-hop-ish and indie styles, comparable to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's experimental remix ep that featured beats from Mo' Wax's U.N.K.L.E., the Beasties, and others.
For the converted, a worthwhile addition to the collection, with some extra appeal because of the acoustic numbers.
