Arto Lindsay
Prize
Righteous Babe

Though Arto Lindsay is well-known as a denizen of the downtown Manhattan scene, he was raised in northeastern Brazil. Those twin influences have always playfully pushed and pulled his work, including his latest release, which takes the sweet sway of bossa nova and lightly salts it with a wry quirkiness.

Today, many forget that laid-back bossa was revolutionary for its time and its progenitors were seen as radicals. In that light, Lindsay's dissonant electronic touches can be seen as an extention of the original movement.

Overall, the disc has the soft, understated swing of bossa nova. Even Lindsay's occasionaly skronk guitar doesn't much disturb its romantic patina. Lindsay's laconic vocals, particularly in Portuguese, help set the intimate mood. Lindsay shows himself to be a romantic, but the only kind that can still exist in this post-modern world of no mysteries: one who still holds onto his sense of absurd. - Marty Lipp