Arto Lindsay, Mundo Civilizado (Bar/None)
Yet another sexy album (does Fester think of anything else?), this this one goes for a more tropical, breezy, acoustic sensuality. Yet there is also an underlying tension threatening to either break the music apart or boil over. Perhaps it's becuase of Lindsay's background in the late 70s/early 80s, chaotically noisy New York "no-wave" group DNA. His notoriously unhinged passion is now under tight control as he revisits the more traditional acoustic music of his birthplace, Brazil, and updates the innovations made by Tropicalia pioneers like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben. Measure the uniqueness of his vision with his two brilliant covers -- one of Al Green's gently smoking "Simply Beautiful," the other a version of Prince's "Erotic City." The Brazillian sensibility puts them through a subtle filter, but enriches them just the same. On top of that, Lindsay makes strikingly original use of drum 'n' bass rhythms on other tracks. If that appeals to you the most, see also this year's Hyper Civilizado, a forward looking remix album that features Illbient players DJ SPooky, Sub Dub and We. If you prefer the traditional Brazillian sounds, check out his first solo album, O Corpo Sutil (The Subtle Body) and pray he comes up with a brilliant third album soon!
