Arts & Entertainment
 

Mosquitos come to town, pesticides not needed

by Chris Goodier
The Daily Cougar

Winged parasites with a taste for blood are no stranger to the Bayou City, but for now put away the bug spray and donit drain the pool. For Godis sake, stop that vehicle from pumping fumes into neighborhoods as you might dissuade a New York City triois passage to the city. Houstonians donit have to run in fear of St. Louis encephalitis or any other blood-related epidemic with the Thursday night arrival of bossa-pop band Mosquitos.

You have probably inadvertently carried the Mosquitosi infectious hooks with you to the car after tuning out advertisements. Vocalist Ju Ju Stalbach gives the bandis Brazilian music an authentic feel. Filling in on rhythm are Chris Root and John Marshall Smith who handle guitar and keyboard duties alongside a low budget drum machine akin to the preset beats on your grandmotheris standup organ. Some tunes are outright cheesy but will inevitably seep into your brain.

The Mosquitosi fan base points toward an increasing musical trend. The Spoonfed Tribe rocked Fat Catis on Friday with its Carnival-inspired percussive onslaught while a packed Wortham Theater greeted jazz siren Luciana Souza in December. Snoop Dogg shoots videos in Brazil, and it seems Bill Laswell canit re-mix Capoeira soundtracks enough.

Now the buzz surrounds the Mosquitos, a three-piece band that never thought college and public radio would make beating wings so audible. Never one to pass up a good pop song, Bar/None Records took the trio on in what turned out to be the groupis first submission. The label had faith in the bandis blend of effortless indie rock, smart samples and sun-baked Brazilian beats.

The bandis sound is reminiscent of Yo La Tengo, just add in some reverb-drenched surf. The Brazilian side of things doesnit swing like real bossa nova (each of Souzais musicians is recognized in jazz) but Stalbachis Portuguese vocal lines offer the perfect degree of sandy authenticity. Her voice is truly timeless: Think of Astrud Gilberto with the type of maturity that is hard to put an age on. As is the case concerning many cute indie acts, one musical facet tends to see prominence on their self-entitled debut release since the groupis sound layers brief guitar and percussion with gobs of synthesizer.

Cuts that stand out are "Boombox" and "Rainsong" yet others on the self-titled album follow a similar format and can get amateurish. From a bandleader who retells anecdotes of being pushed as a fetus against stereo speakers while Sergio Mendesi Brasil 66 was cued up on the turntable, listeners probably expect more intricate writing and longer pieces. 

Some tracks clock in at less than two minutes. Regardless, in later songs the Mosquitos bring you back like the temptation of an itching bite with their syrupy slick pop. Enchanting like a beach full of voluptuous Brazilian sun goddesses, this pop-infused lo-fi bossa nova is a sizzling sidewalk for even the most bitter winter eve.

Mosquitos play with Scattered Pages and meoWcifer at Fat Catis on Thursday. The show is open to all ages, and tickets are $7.

Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu