Should “Guilty Pleasures” be Guilty?

Passions, one of my earliest (and most ridiculous) Guilty Pleasures

What is a Guilty Pleasure? According to Wikipedia:

A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the “guilt” involved is simply fear of others discovering one’s lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt. Fashion, music, and food (especially unhealthier foods high in sugar and/or fat) can be examples of guilty pleasures.

I’m going to put emphasis on one part of that explanation, namely, “often the “guilt” involved is simply fear of others…rather than actual moral guilt”. That’s something to think about, isn’t it? While there are certainly some pleasures that should be kept away from (these things are often called vices…) guilty pleasures often aren’t necessarily bad, other than the fact that they are potentially embarrassing or not necessarily part of the norm. If you read secret-telling communities (outside of ones like PostSecret), many secrets consist of, “I really like [insert embarrassing fad/movie/television show/music artist] but I don’t want to tell anyone because I’ll be made fun of”. I don’t know about anyone else, but being that afraid that someone will find your taste levels questionable shouldn’t be allowed!

I’ve eventually come to learn that taking pleasure in things that people consider guilt-worthy just isn’t worth it. Why should I hide my cheesy unicorn poster in shame? Of course, I’ve given a few of my friends the side-eye for their interests (What is so interesting about the Real Housewives of Anywhere?) but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy them. The most effective way I’ve come up with to combat this is to keep it real and be open about it! No use hiding in shame because I enjoyed (okay, sometimes enjoyed) the ridiculous antics of Passions. By the way, if you don’t know what Passions is, it’s a now-cancelled soap opera that took soap operas to a whole new, poorly scripted, strangely written level. Note: I don’t necessarily think that these are quality products – sometimes I know what I’m watching is awful – but that doesn’t mean I have to feel bad about it!

So, in light of that, I’m going to open up! Here are some of my personal (past and present) guilty pleasures:

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – I don’t care, I loved this movie. I didn’t really like the second one (corny) and I haven’t seen the third one, but I enjoyed the heck out of this Disney Channel film and I even have the soundtrack. Of all the recent Disney Channel movies, I enjoyed this one the most. I also like the ones from my childhood, but that’s probably just nostalgia.

CHEESY POP MUSIC FROM THE 90′S -Seriously, that image up there is so hilariously late 1990′s, from their styling and hair, to the “extreme” flames, to the old-internet animated effects, I don’t even know what to do with myself. I feel like I’m viewing this in Netscape Navigator. Anyhow, this music is the kind I grew up with and I still have a fondness for it, no matter what anyone tries to say. From the standard fare like NSYNC, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears to the more obscure, like 5ive, B*Witched, S Club 7 and Cleopatra (who knew they released more than one album? not me!), I’m all for it. Also, listen to Love Sensation by 911 if you want to see the depths of my pop obsession. It’s a song from a Casper the Friendly Ghost soundtrack (not even the original…some sequel) and was going to be my first CD purchase if I hadn’t opted for the more tasteful Good Burger soundtrack instead.

VH1 REALITY TELEVISION (or just VH1 in general)  - Up until recently, I used to watch this stuff – all the time. I’ve sat down to watch Celebrity Fit Club and even an episode of Celebrity Paranormal Project. I even know how we got to the depressing point of airing “I Love Money”. If you’re wondering, Flavor Flav and Brigitte Neilson got together on The Surreal Life, got their own reality show (Strange Love), which led to Flavor of Love when Flav ended up getting dumped. Flavor of Love led to spin-offs such as I Love New York (which needs to come back) and eventually Rock of Love. The crazy people from both shows got together for I Love Money (and Charm School). I’ve also probably seen every episode of I Love the (insert decade here) Series. I used to have a lot of free time.

OH NO THEY DIDN’T – To be quite honest, celebrity culture doesn’t interest me that much. But as the header says, “The celebrities are disposable. The content is priceless.” While it does have its share of problems sometimes, there’s a reason this very large community is so popular (it’s broken the comment limit for Livejournal that was previously unknown, and has taken the entire site down singlehandedly…twice.). I have wasted many an hour wading through pages of comments about celebrities, mainly for the hilariously biting commentary. (if you want a taste, check out the tumblr, I Love ONTD). There are reasons why this community is an acquired taste but I won’t lie and say I don’t join in occasionally, even though I’m sure I’d get a lot more done on a regular basis if I gave up ONTD altogether. Then again, what kind of jackal would I be if I did that?

So, now that I’ve shared mine, what are your guilty pleasures? Post about them in the comments!

xoxo,

Tara

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Music Video: California Gurls by Katy Perry

This is seriously one of the cutest videos I’ve seen in a while. It combines many of my favorite things – Candyland, Snoop Dogg and pastel wigs. Cotton candy clouds and lavender hair? LOVE. If it had only included unicorns and mouse ears, I would have given it the title of video of the year, hands down. After I buy a lilac afro wig, of course.

I’m actually not a huge fan of the song – it begins to grate once it’s been stuck in your head for a few hours – but I had to get the video on my iPod. A perfect example of how my sister and I are completely different, once I told her how much I enjoyed it, her first reaction was: “I’m going to think it’s overdone, tacky and obnoxious, aren’t I?” Much like Times Square, Las Vegas and Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, she was proven right and we were at odds over our taste levels (or lack thereof) once again.

Her multicultural backup dancers are cute too, as are her various costumes and props. (Other than the girl wrapped in cellophane – that was a bit creepy.)

Here are a few more images I really liked from the video:

All photos from I ♥ Katy Perry on Tumblr.

What do you think about the video? Are there any you’ve been into lately? Let me know in the comments.

xoxo, Tara

Icon: Michael Jackson

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On June 25th, 2009, the world lost a legend.

It’s pretty amazing how fast time flies, isn’t it? I can hardly believe it’s been a year already. On the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death, I intentionally avoided the many tweets, facebook statuses and blog posts paying heartfelt tribute to the King of Pop. When television stations aired his videos in a constant loop, I changed the channel. If they came on the radio, I switched the station.

Honestly? It was much too upsetting even to listen to.

To say that I was a fan of Michael Jackson is a supreme understatement. I was literally raised with his music – it’s been the soundtrack of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve dressed as Michael for Halloween (circa Jackson 5), learned the moves to both Beat It and Thriller, secretly kept my parents’ original vinyl copies of Thriller and Off the Wall and even managed to try my hand at the Moonwalker video game.

When I heard about his death, I was at work. My sister sent me a text message. I remember my heart skipping a beat and everything slowed to a standstill. The last I had heard about MJ, he was talking about his massive comeback, the This Is It tour (I would have loved to see it – especially after that amazing movie) it shocked me. He seemed so frail but I also never considered that his health was in such a precarious state. He seemed mythic, in the truest sense – for some reason, I never expected him to die.

While I was glad, somewhat, that the public seemed to realize his legendary status, it was bittersweet to realize that he only regained the respect that he deserved after a sudden and tragic death.

While I mourn the loss of a musical genius, I also mourn the loss of a life – one that endured pain and disrespect until the end. I mourn for the young child who was denied a life due to a vicious father, and the man who was denied a private life due to our celebrity obsessed culture that I’ll admit, I feed into every now and again.

I hope he is at peace, although he leaves family and millions of heartbroken fans in his wake.

One thing that does give me comfort is his enduring legacy – his charity, his spirit and probably most famously, his music. His albums, from beginning to end, will be a great listen. I look forward to them becoming the soundtrack to the lives of many others as the years go by.

I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite Michael song, even if you narrowed it down to his solo work and excluded the Jacksons and Jackson 5. I would probably say Human Nature, or maybe Rock With You, or possibly Off The Wall. Honestly, there are too many to decide – just thinking of those three made other classics come to mind, like Beat It, Lady in my Life and many, many others. But for any hardcore MJ fan, I highly suggest the excellent mixtape by DJ Jazzy Jeff, He’s the King and I’m the DJ. It highlights his greatest hits, but also more obscure (at least to me) classics that I have fallen in love with, like Never Can Say Goodbye and Heartbreak Hotel.

RIP, Michael. You will be missed.

xoxo, Tara

Music Video – Kelis: 4th of July (Fireworks)

The first music video from Kelis’ album Flesh Tone, Acapella, set a very high bar with costuming, artistry and overall “wow” factor. I was mesmerized from beginning to end and I fully expected her second video on this album for 4th of July (Fireworks) – which, coincidentally, is my second favorite song on Flesh Tone – to hit some sort of sophomore slump. There is no way, I reasoned, that this video could live up to Acapella.

While I am not as blown away this time around, I can certainly say it lives up to its predecessor. She revisits desert theme from Acapella, as well as the tribal motif that made use of ornate headdresses. As in Acapella, Kelis can also be found in a contemporary club scene, this time in a darkened hall with neon magenta strobe lights and a venue that eventually (spoiler alert!) goes up in flames.

Of course, the costuming is never lacking – with every scene change, Kelis is dressed in a notable, eye-grabbing outfit. Then again, I firmly believe that everything is better with sequins and glitter, so your mileage may vary.

Are there any music videos that you’ve been really into lately? Let me know in the comments.

xoxo, Tara

ps – If you like what you read here (and I hope you do!), don’t forget to nominate me for a Black Weblog Award. For more info, click here!

Music Feature – Ebony Bones!

(In case you were wondering, yes, the exclamation mark is mandatory.)

If you haven’t noticed, I usually start these posts with a video of some sort, showcasing a song by the artist that I particularly enjoy. In this case, I started with an image – because if you couldn’t tell, this lady’s look is utterly fantastic. From the large fabric chains around her wrists and neck to her Josephine Baker inspired skirt, she is truly a sight to behold. (And a prime candidate for super-fangirling.) Hailing from London, England, this talented lady is a musician, singer-songwriter and actress.

Ebony Thomas – also known as Ebony Bones! – is the kind of artist I tend to react strongly to – you can feel the heart and emotion in her music and it certainly suits her image – it has a colorful, eclectic, almost raw vibe about it. By her description, she serves up a “post punk, tropical, melodramatic pop” sound. She tends to use very topical subjects, as evidenced by her song “We Know All About U”, which depicts a Orwellian London. As you go through her fantastic journey, you can feel her carefully constructed musical path even through the eclectic sounds and vocals.

Here is more information on her, via her Wikipedia page:

A self-taught musician performing under the stage name Ebony Bones! in 2007, she anonymously uploaded music onto a blank myspace page, writing, producing, her own material and playing her own instruments.

Noted for her sense of fashion, and antics during live shows, Ebony Bones! performed her first tour supporting The Slits and performed live for Massive Attack’s Meltdown (festival) at The Royal Festival Hall, appearing at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival and again in 2008 headlined by Jay-Z.

So what is she up to now? She released her debut album, Bone of My Bones in 2009 and it is available in music retailers worldwide. She is working on a follow-up album, entitled Blood is the New Black. Reportedly, she is recording this album in Mumbai, with the Symphony Orchestra of India, which will in turn be documented in a film featuring live concert footage. She also was the driving force behind her music video The Muzik, which features 30 different directors from across the globe, armed with only a digi-cam or camera phone.

When asked about her inspiration for her debut album Bone of My Bones, she had this to say:

‘‘Sometimes the best way to get a message across
is through comedy and color,’’ says EBONY BONES!,
whose riotous punk stage act is all the proof one needs.
‘‘You don’t have to be glossy or shiny to be creative..’

To learn more about Ebony Bones!, visit her Official Myspace Homepage.

Thoughts? Or are there any artists that you can’t stop listening to? Let me know in the comments!

ps – Don’t forget to nominate me for Best Teen Blog at the Black Weblog Awards (if you haven’t already). Just click that shiny yellow button.

xoxo,

Tara

Bulletproof Heart: Grace Jones

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A REBEL. I NEVER DO THINGS THE WAY THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE DONE. EITHER I GO IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OR I CREATE A NEW DIRECTION FOR MYSELF, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE RULES ARE OR WHAT SOCIETY SAYS.

I first learned of Grace Jones in the movie Boomerang, where she played the eccentric model Helen Strangé (who could forget her crazy perfume commercial? Video a bit NSFW, btw). Through VH1 specials and magazine articles, I gained a curiosity about this woman who grew into a full-on fascination.

To be honest, this post has taken me a while. I was going to write this post simply about a recent interview I had read. Afterwards, I found out that this Wednesday, May 19th, will be Grace’s 62nd birthday. In honor of that occasion, I have pushed this post until today. During my research, I read through Grace Jones’ personal website, which is primarily collected photographs accompanied by quotes from Grace throughout the years. I find many of these quotes very powerful, so they I have included them as well. You can find more of these quotes at her official website, linked at the bottom of this post. The source for the magnificent photos can also be found at the end of the post.

Here, mere mortals, is a brief primer to the force that is Grace Jones – one of the most inspiring women ever, in my humble opinion.

I WASN’T BORN THIS WAY. ONE CREATES ONESELF. I BELIEVE WHATEVER I DREAM. WHATEVER I DREAM I WANT TO DO.

Grace Jones was born in Jamaica on May 19th, 1948, to Marjorie and Robert W. Jones in a religious, Christian household. She cites her strict upbringing as a driving force in her persona. Her family relocated to Syracuse, New York in 1965.

Her music career started in 1977, where she secured a record deal with Island Records and she created a large gay following with her string of disco albums. She was also a muse to Andy Warhol and a common presence at the legendary Studio 54 Nightclub where she would sometimes be found performing. Grace was an early adopter of the New Wave music style in the late 1970s as she reinvented herself to the style that many are familiar with to this day. After creating a partnership with Jean-Paul Goude, she adopted the well-known androgynous look that would become her trademark, complete with square-cut hair and angular, striking clothing.

Since then, her career has flourished, as she has reached acclaim with her talents in modeling, singing, performing and acting, in both television and on film. Her persona itself, however, is a world-famous entity on its own.

I LOVE LIVING FOR THE PRESENT. THE PRESENT IS WHAT MY PAST WILL BE AND THE PRESENT WILL BE MY FUTURE.

Grace Jones is an extremely striking figure, standing at 5’10 1/2, adorned with a crew-cut haircut, originally favored solely by men. Her manner of androgynous dress influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s, including artists such as Annie Lennox. Also, while her music reached further acclaim in Europe than in the United States, she has left a lasting legacy in the recording world as well.

She exemplified a completely different image of a black woman, defying the archetypes of a Mamie or even the Black glamour queen in the model of Diana Ross. She was quoted as saying, “I think I’m doing a service to Black women by portraying myself as a sex machine. I mean, what’s wrong with being a sex machine, darling? Sex is large, sex is live, so it should appeal to anyone that’s living.”

While I have admitted to being highly influenced by the classic elegance and style of women such as Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt and Lena Horne, the outlandish space cadet inside of me will always have a soft spot for Grace Jones. Her forward-thinking nature and irreverent zest for life is refreshing in a sea of perfectly coiffed dolls. She has hardly aged and continues to be an unstoppable force of nature to this day. This Guardian interview from April will attest to that fact and I love her all the more for it.

And as she says:

I CAN’T RUN OUT DIFFERENT IDEAS.I AM DIFFERENT. WHEN CAN I RUN OUT OF ME?

Happy Birthday, Grace.

xoxo,

Tara

Sources:

Pictures sourced from Google as well as Fuck Yeah Grace Jones. Quotes sourced from her official website, The World of Grace Jones.

Music Video: Kelis – Acapella

If you want the full effect, I suggest viewing the video on the original Vevo page. They have it in full 1080p, so turn on high-definition and watch it in full-screen!

This video, quite simply, is the reason I decided to feature music videos on this blog instead of just artists themselves. (It certainly helps that it came out fairly recently.) As can be clearly seen, I love it. While the song took a little more time to grow on me (On the livejournal community Oh No They Didn’t, someone described it as having a “generic gay dance club beat” which I can grudgingly see), I have grown to enjoy it as well, although I prefer to listen to it accompanied with the video instead of on its own.

In Acapella (no idea why it’s spelled that way and not a capella), an ode to her son Knight, Kelis takes on a multitude of looks and finds herself in a variety of settings and I absolutely love them all. The video had me hooked throughout, except for maybe towards the end when she’s standing in the desert. I mean, really Kelis, you could have at least moved your arms!

The coloring in the beginning – monochrome with touches of pink and yellow – strikes you immediately, and it fits with the tribal beat. People have complained that Kelis seems to be aping the movie Avatar with both this scene and the one where she is lit with blue light with a crystal masquerade mask, but I don’t really see it. If that were the case, any artist using a “tribal” motif could also be accused of stealing from Avatar, when that movie certainly wasn’t the first to do it.

Even the segment of the video where she is painted gold and is singing among a pack of huskies (just watch) is visually appealing, when I originally expected to give it the side-eye. Where she got these ideas, I do not know.

One thing I do know is that this video has me really excited about her upcoming album, Fleshtone.

What did you think? Are there any music videos (or music in general) that have caught your eye lately? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo,

Tara

Weekend Links – 5.7.2010

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Happy Friday, everyone! I’m reporting to you live under a hooded hairdryer at my local beauty salon. (If you live in the Columbia, MD area, check out Kristie’s Hair Design. I have gone for years and I LOVE it.  There’s a special deal for people who sign up for their mailing list, so check it out!

◊ See that gorgeous picture above? It is the cover of Pop’Africana’s inaugural issue! Go get it! Information is on their official website. They even have an official blog!

◊ This is a really interesting and inspiring post from GOOD.is, the Top Ten Things Heard at the 99% Conference.

◊ The 99% Conference is an initiative designed to get creative folks to stop creating ideas and to get out there and execute them.

One of my favorite quotes:

“Nobody likes to change. Until not changing hurts more than doing the actual change.”—Jamie Oliver

More quotes can be found at the article here.

◊ Knitting has always been interesting and I want to learn. Like I mentioned in my article on Wednesday, summer vacation is the perfect time to hone those skills you have always wanted to learn! Articles like this one, from Smashing Magazine, showing the fantastic things people can make with a needle and yarn are really inspiring.

◊ Last week, NASA’s new Solar Dynamics Observatory started returning the highest resolution photographs of the sun we’ve ever seen. Check them out! As an aspiring star-gazer, these pictures transfix me.

◊ Oprah has famously said, “I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity. If you hadn’t been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn’t have been ‘lucky’.” So it’s really important to get out there and seek those opportunities! Over at Positively Present, there’s an article on how to do just that!

◊ On that same note, one of the best ways to find opportunities is to network and make connections. On Yes and Yes, there is a hilarious yet useful set of articles discussing that topic. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

You’ve seen her — the woman who sails effortlessly through the office holiday party, casually handing out business cards with that corporate-yet-cool je ne sais quoi.

You know him — the man who deftly turns every encounter into a fully-loaded professional jam session.

Admit it — you’re jealous. You should be. These people have mastered the art of networking.

◊ My “WTF” link of the week: Bacon Flavoring Syrup! If you have always been dissatisfied with your latte and you believe the smoky taste of bacon is the ideal solution, then you’re in luck!

◊ I LOVE this video. Although I’m not completely sold on the song, I am absolutely in love with this music video, from the Homemaker BB character to the over-the-top acting to the fantastic fashion and make-up. If you were wondering how to achieve Beyonce’s flawless cat-eye, from the video, here you go!

◊ I love cute, easy DIYs! This one is from one of my new favorite blogs, Mop Top Maven – it’s a cute little trick to jazz up your clothes hangers!

◊ I found this interesting. If you’re able to access this site on the internet, you have a privilege many don’t have. This list, which breaks down your place in the global financial totem pole, is a real eye-opener. It also lets you know how far your money can stretch.

My song of the moment:

What is on your agenda this Friday? Anything interesting you’ve found on the internet? Let me know in the comments!

Music Monday – Amanda Blank

This sounds sad, but…this will probably be the last Music Monday. Ever. But fear not! This blog isn’t going anywhere, and neither are my music features. I have decided to restructure my blog a bit, and will post my lengthier articles on Mondays (the ones that are usually on Wednesdays) and move these posts to Wednesdays. Also, instead of music, I’ll feature a wider variety of things, like art, photography, poetry and anything else that strikes my fancy – that way, this blog won’t be as restricted to one thing. Sounds good? Sounds awful? Let me know what you think of these changes in the comments!

Today in Music Monday we’re featuring one of my favorite new artists, Amanda Blank. Here’s more on Amanda, courtesy of her wikipedia page:

Blank, whose given name is Amanda Mallory McGrath, took her nom de rap from Jerri Blank, the character played by Amy Sedaris in the 1999 Comedy Central series “Strangers With Candy.”

Blank signed to Downtown Records in 2007.  She worked on her first solo album, with producers XXXChange of Spank Rock, Diplo, and Dave Sitek. The album “I Love You” was released on August 4, 2009, with her first single being “Might Like You Better”.

Speaking of Might Like You Better, you can watch it right here:

I love Amanda Blank because of her sound (her rapping kind of reminds me of Peaches, another artist I have nothing but love for) and attitude, as well as her clothing style. I am a big fan of the colorful female hip-hop of artists like Kid Sister and M.I.A. I’m also glad that there are more female emcees on the scene, especially since I’m not entirely positive about my opinion of the ones there are now – namely, Nicki Minaj.

She has a unique sound and I love her music videos. I hope she sticks around and we hear more from her in the future – she’s much better than a one-hit wonder.

More on Amanda:

She is a collaborator with the rapper Spank Rock, most notably on the track “Blow” off of the mix CD Bmore Gutter Music and later “Bump” off the album YoYoYoYoYo released in 2006. Furthermore, she appeared on Bmore Gutter Music, which was produced by Aaron LaCrate and Low Budget of Hollertronix. Her songs have appeared in HBO’s Life Support and the CSI: NY episode “Buzzkill”. In 2007, she was featured on the official Eli Escobar and Doug Grayson remix for Britney Spears’ hit single “Gimme More”. In early 2008, Blank was described as being part of “a new crop of young, multicultural, female hip-hop acts in the wake of M.I.A. causing a stir on the internet and in indie-label conference rooms.” She was recently featured on the song “Loose” on the Spank Rock and Benny Blanco are Bangers & Cash EP. It is reported that she is to make a guest appearance on Uffie’s forthcoming album in 2009.

Amanda can be found on her official website. You also can purchase Amanda’s CD on Amazon.com and wherever else music is sold.

What music are you listening to this Monday? Let me know in the comments.

xoxo,

Tara

Music Monday – Cibo Matto

Okay, let me start this with an explanation. I’m really sorry about not posting this past week – the evil entity known as finals overtook me. While it is currently my official Finals Week, I have gotten through the prep work and the end of the semester drudgery that typically happens during the week and I plan to post this entire week without incident.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming!

Cibo Matto, which means “Crazy Food” in Italian (and many of their songs, like Sci-Fi Wasabi, Birthday Cake and Know Your Chicken mention food explicitly), was a relatively little-known band formed by two Japanese women who settled in New York. Critics have described Cibo Matto as a combination of ”Jazz, Hip-Hop, Brazilian music, African Drumming, Japanese Rock, Disco samples, and the cheap, under-funded, un-talented but, nevertheless, creative and genius of the spirit of the underbelly of the city.”

Cibo Matto was led by instrumentalist Yuka Honda and vocalist Miho Hatori, and were eventually joined by Sean Lennon (yes…John’s son), Timo Ellis and Duma Love.

Can I say that this is one of my favorite songs EVER? The soothing trance-like rhythm has always appealed to me in this song – in fact, it is the ringtone for my cellphone’s alarm. I prefer the soothing vocals of Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori to the annoying default alarm anyway; it makes me look forward to my wake-up call instead of dreading it. Plus I love the effect of the video – one side is moving backwards while the other moves forward, leading them to meet in the middle.

To be completely honest, that era in Cibo Matto’s discography is more “normal” (or as normal as they can manage). Here’s another great song by them, “Know Your Chicken”, which comes from their first album, Viva! La Woman:

A commenter on Youtube summarized the song thusly:

It’s a story about a guy buying a pair of baby chicks (one is magenta and one is blue). The blue one runs away, but he keeps the magenta one, which grows up, but always bites him. He gets a girlfriend, but his chicken disappears. His girlfriend cooks him dinner one night, and he wonders where she got the chicken to make it. Then later on he and his girlfriend have a pair of baby twins, and one is magenta and the other is blue.

Now if that isn’t delightfully cracktastic, I don’t know what is! I fully admit that Cibo Matto isn’t for everyone, and they are definitely an acquired taste. They tend to have a strange sound (especially on their first album) but I find that they have a unique, distinctive sound and lyrical style that you didn’t hear as much then. (Or now, even)

I’m not sure when I got into Cibo Matto, but I strongly believe it was hearing their song Birthday Cake for the first time on the Jet Set Radio Future soundtrack and being completely weirded out. A bit of warning, while Know Your Chicken is kind of weird, Birthday Cake is just…odd. It was grating the first time I listened and I had no idea what to do with it. It took a look of growing for me to get used to it, but it was over after that and I was a huge fan, although I will admit that it is a strange song and probably better listened to in context, as you play Jet Set Radio Future.

I would mention what their upcoming projects are, but unfortunately, Cibo Matto disbanded in 2001. According to Honda:

Cibo Matto broke up, because it was time. We felt the need to move to the next step. It was a healthy decision, though it was sad at the same time. Things just need to grow out of things sometimes.

All of the members have gone on to do solo material, although from time to time they have collaborated with one another. You can buy their two albums Viva! La Woman and Stereo ★ Type A (one of my favorite albums, highly recommended) on Amazon (or wherever else you buy music) or if you want, just purchase their Greatest Hits collection!

Until next time,

xoxo,

Tara

What are you listening to this Monday? Let me know in the comments.