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Sunshine Barato
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The title of Mosquitos’ second album, Sunshine Barato, is a combination of English and Portuguese that literally means “cheap sunshine.” It perfectly suits this sensual, whimsical, bilingual collection of 15 tracks that chronicle the sort of experiences money can’t buy, like lying on an empty beach, dancing in the rain, or falling asleep next to someone you love. Brazilian singer Juju Stulbach and her two American cohorts, singer-guitarist Chris Root and keyboard-sampler-studio whiz Jon Marshall Smith, further refine what David Fricke of Rolling Stone has called “a sweet hybrid of bossa nova hypnosis and indie pop restraint.” Sunshine Barato will instantly delight fans of Mosquitos’ self-titled, summer ‘03 debut and surely attract a legion of listeners who have yet to catch the buzz.It didn’t take Mosquitos long to record this follow-up. They returned from nearly a year of coast-to-coast live dates, including a spring tour opening for French band Air, with lots of material they’d honed on the road. After so many gigs in front of a wide range of audiences, Mosquitos had developed a harder-rocking edge that has helped to shape loud’n’fast tracks like “Domesticada” and “Blue Heart.” But they also began to explore indigenous Brazilian sounds more deeply, which has influenced gentler tunes like “Avocado” and “No Fim Do Pais.As Chris explains, “While we were spending so much time on the road, Juju showed us a lot of music from Brazil that was unknown to Jon and I, different styles and rhythms. And we in turn exposed her to a lot of American pop and rock that she didn’t know. I feel that Jon and I tried to take from the new sounds of Brazil, while Juju borrowed from the new sounds she heard. And we found something cool in the process.”With an abundance of charm and absolutely no fanfare, Mosquitos released their debut disc in summer 2003. The album immediately garnered a rave review in Rolling Stone, two features on National Public Radio and steady record sales in places like San Francisco, Austin, Chicago and the trio’s adopted hometown of New York City. “Boombox,” which has become Mosquitos’ signature song, became a hot property among ad agencies and music supervisors; it was also featured on The O.C. To paraphrase Juju’s “Boombox” lyric, they were so far out they fit right in. Though Chris and Jon had considerable studio and stage experience as musicians – and Juju had been an actress and dancer, both in NYC and Rio -- they weren’t part of any trend or scene. Their bright, sexy sound simply came from the heart, inspired by Chris’s backpack-budget jet-setting from Manhattan to Rio in pursuit of music and romance.“The first Mosquitos record was kind of a love letter to Juju from me,” Chris says. “Somehow I convinced Jon and Juju that it was a good idea, and it just happened to work out. This time around we’re more unified – everybody writes, plays, sings, arranges. We are a real band.”Sunshine Barato, then, is a love letter to the rest of us. The world may be growing colder, but Mosquitos show us how to stay warm. Only $11.98 - Click here to buy now! |