A Woman In The Moon Is Singing To The Earth

I've belatedly started dipping into the Cibo Matto catalogue, with their debut album Viva! La Woman from 1996, and Pom Pom: The Essential Cibo Matto compilation, released in 2007.

Cibo Matto enjoyed two runs, initially from 1994 to 2001 and again from 2011 to 2017 before splitting for good. The first phase two albums, severals singles and EPs; the second phase a third and final album. 

Sugar Water is from Viva! La Woman and is accompanied by a fabulous video by Michel Gondry, who created many memorable videos for Björk (and many others) around the same time. 

The spilt-screen narrative follows co-founders Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, seemingly going about their (entirely separate) business, although...Yuka is moving forward and Miho is in reverse. At precisely the halfway mark, the narratives intersect, and the direction of travel is reversed. Ingenious.

Sugar Water is credited as sampling Sospesi Nel Ciero by Ennio Morricone and Hung Up by Paul Weller. The bit that hooked me though is the drum and bass loop lifted from Bryan 'Chuck' New's Strange Mix (aka Extended Dub Mix) of Pictures Of You by The Cure. 

Great stuff all round.