Encyclopedia of Arto

Arto Lindsay has had a few different lives as an artist. He got his start as part of the legendary No Wave group DNA, then led the equally good Ambitious Lovers, and then became a solo artist who updated the Tropicalia of his native Brazil with bits of downtown-NYC skronk and postmodern texture. With help from Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, Amedeo Pace of Blonde Redhead, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Brian Eno, the first set here (from 1996-2004) collects some of Lindsay's more recognizable pop songs. He was initially known for his innovative guitar work, but Lindsay's warm, reedy voice came into bloom on solo material like “4 Skies,” “Child Prodigy,” “Ridiculously Deep," and others. A second set of live recordings from 2011-12 finds him venturing into more aggressive territory, where he wields his 12-string guitar as a noisemaking weapon. There are covers of Prince, Al Green, some Brazilian favorites, and even a few tunes from the first half that are completely disemboweled. Each set already has its fans, but the two are nicely complementary if you're willing to make the leap.