Mosquito – Mosquito [7''] (1992, ERL Records)

 

Released in 1992 on ERL Records, the 7-inch single 'Mosquito' introduced a loose collaboration between three musicians from the American underground: Steve Shelley, drummer for Sonic Youth, Jad Fair, the offbeat singer and guitarist behind Half Japanese, and Tim Foljahn, guitarist and songwriter associated with Two Dollar Guitar. The record, also listed as 'Down', features four tracks: “Down,” “Pretty Lil’ Thing,” “Fat Man Walks” and “Oh No, Oh Yes, Oh No.” 

Shelley had become a central figure in the New York noise-rock scene through his work with Sonic Youth, joining the group in 1985. Fair had spent years developing Half Japanese's deliberately unpolished approach to songwriting, built around eccentric lyrics, unconventional melodies and a do-it-yourself attitude. Foljahn brought a different sensibility through Two Dollar Guitar, whose music drew on blues, country and stripped-down alternative rock. Their collaboration gave Mosquito room to move between these influences without sticking to a single style. 

The 1992 single captures the informal, experimental side of the project, with loose arrangements, unusual vocal delivery and a homespun approach to blues and roots music. Rather than following the dense, distorted sound associated with Sonic Youth, Shelley plays within a more ramshackle setting that leaves space for Fair's peculiar vocal phrasing and Foljahn's guitar work. The band's interest in rough textures and unconventional song structures would continue across its subsequent releases. 

Although Mosquito's best-known albums appeared in 1993, the ERL Records single belongs to the project's earlier phase. The group went on to release 'Oh No Not Another Mosquito My House Is Full of Them!' through Psycho-Acoustic Sounds and 'Time Was' through Smells Like Records, followed by 'Cupid's Fist' in 1994. The later material explored a similarly unpredictable mixture of alternative rock, country, blues and fragmented experimental pop. 

 

Label: ERL Records – ERL-009, ERL Records – ERL #009 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM 

Country: US 

Released: 1992 

Style: Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Noise Rock, Punk Blues, Cowpunk 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Down 

A2 Pretty Lil' Thing 

B1 Fat Man Walks 

B2 Oh No, Oh Yes, Oh No 

 

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