Cibo Matto - Stereo * Type A (1999)

“Stereo ★ Type A” is an album by Cibo Matto released in 1999. It is only their second studio album, and their last before they disbanded in 2001. “Stereo Type A”, reflects growth and change in the band's lineup and sound. Joining the core duo of Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori are new band member Sean Lennon and guests like Arto Lindsay, Caetano Veloso, Sebastian Steinberg of Soul Coughing, and John Medeski and Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin & Wood. The new additions reflect the changing sound of Cibo Matto: Relying less on samples and more on their latent funk and jazz elements, Stereotype A sounds like summer in New York eclectic, hot, and funky While having a strong focus on atmospheric and ambient sounds and melody (particularly in "Moonchild"), Stereo ★ Type A also contains a broad range of styles, heavy metal in "Blue Train". Furthermore, "Clouds" and "Mortming" contain heavily vocoded vocals. Though the hip-hop of "Sci-Fi Wasabi"" (with vocals by Duma Love), and filmic quality of "Spoon" (which originally appeared on the Super Relax EP) hearken back to old-school Cibo Matto, Stereotype A's overall sound is more direct and less fanciful than of their debut album Viva! La Woman. Tracks like "Clouds" and "Morning" reflect a nice fusion of the group's old and new sounds.

Several critics noted the album's difference from the group's debut, regarding it positively as a progression of style and a maturation.

01. "Working for Vacation"  (Cibo Matto)  - 3:15
02. "Spoon"  (Cibo Matto)  - 4:06
03. "Flowers"  (Cibo Matto)  - 2:59
04. "Lint of Love"  (Cibo Matto, Duma Love)  - 6:10
05. "Moonchild"  (Cibo Matto)  - 5:13
06. "Sci-Fi Wasabi"  (Cibo Matto)  - 3:43
07. "Clouds"  (Cibo Matto)  - 3:27
08. "Speechless"  (Cibo Matto)  - 4:32
09. "King of Silence"  (Cibo Matto)  - 4:55
10. "Blue Train"  (Cibo Matto)  - 5:21
11. "Sunday Part I"  (Timo Ellis, Miho Hatori, Yuka Honda, Sean Lennon)  - 3:19
12. "Sunday Part II"  (Timo Ellis, Miho Hatori, Yuka Honda, Sean Lennon)  - 3:38
13. "Stone"  (Cibo Matto)  - 3:17
14. "Mortming"  (Dougie Bowne)  - 3:09

Credits
Miho Hatori – vocals, shaker, acoustic guitar, art direction, drawing
Yuka Honda – producer, sampler and sequencer, organ, piano, electric piano, synthesizer, harpsichord, vocoder, vocals, mixing
Sean Lennon – electric bass, synth bass, drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion, synth, vocoder, vocals, twelve-string guitar, delay pedal
Timo Ellis – drums, bass, vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, eight-string bass, cymbal, slamming door
Duma Love – vocal, percussion, beat box, turntable
Marc Ribot – electric and acoustic guitar
Dave Douglas – trumpet
Curtis Fowlkes – trombone
Josh Roseman – trombone, horn arrangement
Dougie Bowne – hi-hat, cymbals
Sebastian Steinberg – bass
Yumiko Ohno – Moog, backup vocals
Vinia Mojica – backup vocals
Sequoia – backup vocals
Smokey Hormel – acoustic guitar
John Medeski – clavinet
Billy Martin – percussion
Chris Shaw, The Butcher Bros. – engineer, mixing
Tom Schick, Martin Bisi – engineer
Zak – arrangement and mixing
Dan the Automator – mixing
Bob Ludwig – mastering
Chaki/CZA, Juan Garcia, John Riegart, Dirk Grobelny, Manny Lecuona, Mikey Bones Malak – additional engineering
Producer: Yuka Honda

Notes
Genre: Indie Rock, Bossa Nova, Shibuya-kei
Length: 57:04

© 1999 Label Warner Bros.