Another fine, weird album by this avant-bossa rocker
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 07/11/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A North American musician who was raised in Brazil, Lindsay later moved to New York, where he became part of the '80s art rock scene, forming the Ambitious Lovers along with Peter Scherer. Lindsay has produced, played on, (or translated lyrics for) many recent albums by folks such as Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, and Vinicius Cantuaria, helping add a complex technological veneer to the Brazilian sound. Although at first blush this album may only seem like a retread of the last few records, it certainly has its unique allure. As the disc opens up, the second song, "Predigo," reveals itself as one of Lindsay's most creative arrangements to date, a dense mix of soul, samba and difficult listening. The third song, "Ultra Priveleged," has some easygoing wordplay that makes it readily accessible, although from then on out the album thickens up and becomes more impenetrable, albeit in a very listenable fashion. Fans of his last few albums won't be disappointed."
Pleasurable, But He's Repeating Himself
WrtnWrd | Northridge, CA USA | 02/12/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Arto Lindsay's electronica, with its deep Brazilian rhythms and sensuous sheen, has certainly been influential. From his days in the no wave skronk band DNA through his leadership of Ambitious Lovers, Lindsay has always delighted in breaking convention, expanding genre until the term itself is meaningless. He's a true original, nowhere more evident than on his masterful Mundo Civilizado, with a remake of "Erotic City" as indelible and odd as Prince's original. Though still a master craftsman, on Invoke you can hear Lindsay repeating himself. There isn't a time during these 12 tracks when you don't think: he's done this better before. Yet there are pleasures. The title track is a true invocation - the resurrection, in images, of a vanished lover. And "Beija-me", the simplest number here, is a breezy kiss worthy of Gilberto Gil."
Sound clash....
WrtnWrd | 07/11/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Arto combines so many different styles on his new album, 'Invoke', and pulls it of like a true master. Cinematic strings, electronic bleeps and bloops, jazz drums, noise guitar, Brazilian themes, pretty much anything goes. I'm not sure if I like this one better than the brilliant 'Prize', it will take a few years to tell, but this truly is a rewarding listen. Arto's music comes across as elegant yet naive...avant garde yet fun...and progressive yet classic."