Undersea Poem

Undersea Poem is the name of the new band consisting of Chris Root and Juju Stulbach - as well as the name of their first album together since disbanding their much-loved trio, Mosquitos - and it showcases their most evocative and alluring songs yet. Until now, Root and Stulbach have been perhaps best known for the effervescent "Boombox," the true-life tale set to a bossa nova beat of their blossoming relationship that was repeatedly licensed for television shows, films and TV ads. It was the centerpiece of Mosquitos' acclaimed debut, which David Fricke of Rolling Stone called "a sweet hybrid of bossa nova hypnosis and indie-pop restraint." He also declared vocalist Stulbach "a genuine gift from Ipanema, a Rio de Janeiro native with a voice like warm night air." Mosquitos ended up recording three albums for the Bar/None label. It was in between the band's America-by-bus tours, that Root and Stulbach first decided to rent a room at the villa a friend had opened in a small Mexican town. Since then, the place has become a primary source of inspiration as well as a veritable second home. "Much of Undersea Poem was written there," says Root. "We'd decided to take six months off from touring and I locked myself in the villa with a four track." But that was just part of the picture. Root and Stulbach conceived of songs and/or recorded them "under the stars, in the dusty heat, on the ocean, with animals around. Root and Stulbach fleshed out the material they'd committed to four-track with New York-based producer Scott Hollingsworth, who Root had met and worked with in Manhattan while Mosquitos were active. Joining them was Michael Leonhart, an extraordinary trumpeter who's long toured with Steely Dan and, in between, with Brazilian singer Vinicius Cantuaria. Old friend Chuck Treece, a one-time member of Bad Brains and touring player with Mosquitos, contributed "some of the funkier bass." The resulting record combines seductive traces of bossa nova with a charming indie rock, lo-fi sensibility. Less overtly pop in approach than Mosquitos, Undersea Poem is filled with songs that lodge themselves in your brain and won't let go. This is a record which has the sensual feel of beautifully arranged chill-out or, more accurately, bliss-out music, with an almost cinematic sense of place.