Sunshine Barato (Mosquitos, 2004)

Sunshine Barato starts slowly with the opening track “Flood”, bare guitar sounds hinting on a bouncy tune as vocalist Chris Root sings about the coming of rain. From the second stanza onwards, Mosquitos up the ante but slow down from time to time, playing various tunes that bring a great aural background for a laidback summer on the beach. Their bossa-inspired indie pop sound with snatches of electronica, rock and kiddie pop—along with John Marshall Smith’s keyboard work, Chris Root’s dissonant English-singing, and JuJu Stulbach’s dreamy girl-from-Ipanema-like ramblings—conjure images of palm trees, a wide expanse of fine white sand, and blue waters as far as the eye can reach.

Although the lyrics are forgettable, you’d want to pop the record onto your player again and again; or in this age of iPods, every time you’re looking for a good sunshiney upper, you can always press Repeat. The tempo is just right whenever you feel like dancing in your breeziest summer outfit, to the beat of “Xixizinho no Oceano” or the title track “Sunshine Barato”. Coming next is “Blue Heart”, which lets you release that crazy energy as the song hints on the band’s rock influences. “Love Remix” has a recurring opening riff, expounding on an uncertainty as Root sings about his attraction (or romance?) with Stulbach. “Shooting Stars” feels like swaying with the trees as the wind blows, as “Avocado” continues the upbeat summer mood. Raunchy pop blends with rock-inspired riffs in “Domesticada” before the tempo gradually slows down, as the summer day wears on.

The record ends with “27 Degrees”, a slow but thoughtful tune, complementing a relaxing but almost nostalgic atmosphere under the stars—a perfect ending to a great beachside summer. Summer’s over but we’re not going anywhere, the band laments upon closing, but no matter what happens, this romance with summer will last forever. We’re just waiting for the sunshine to come back again, and so am I (even if the heat, at times, is too hot for comfort). This goes so well with summer as tomato is to pasta, so while spending the long days of crazy heat, just listen to the Mosquitos’ Sunshine Barato. You’d wish summer were here sooner.

– Romina Mislang

Red Hot + Rio (Various Artists, 1996)

Tropicalia is the new reggae—and throwing the tendency’s stalwarts into the ring with the pop superstardom that valorizes them is meant to ease the uninitiated into its deep pool of pleasures. The superstars do benefit from recontextualization (George Michael, Everything But The Girl, Maxwell) but it’s still the stalwarts (Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Astrud Gilberto) that distinguish themselves. You go to this for the songful indulgence, for the rhythmic pay-off and for the soothe that swings so smooth and sways so gentle. Afterward you move on to the hardcore stuff. There’s enough of which to last a lifetime of summers.

– Dodo Dayao