Cibo Matto

Cibo Matto was a Japanese-American duo formed in the late 1990s by Yuka Honda on keyboards and vocals and Miho Hatori on vocals and percussion. Their 1996 debut album introduced a sound that mixed pop, hip-hop, and jazz with traditional Japanese elements, creating something genuinely offbeat. The track 'Birthday Cake' from that album became their most recognizable song, with lyrics that read like a surreal recipe.

Their second album, 'Stereotype A,' came out in 1999 and reached number 14 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Other songs like 'Spoon' and 'Working For Vacation' showed their continued playfulness with form. The duo went on hiatus in 2002, with both members pursuing other projects.

Cibo Matto reunited for performances in 2011 and released a third album, 'Hotel Valentine,' in 2014. They never settled into a predictable pattern, and their catalog remains a collection of curious, genre-blending experiments.