Mundo Civilizado

Mundo Civilizado is Lindsay’s second successful jazz pop foray, continuing on the path followed on 1996’s Subtle Body while delving further into electronic music by setting many of his acoustic compositions to the beats of DJ Spooky and Mutamassik. Though not as tied to bossa nova (he covers Al Green and Prince, though still occasionally sings Portuguese) as Body, Mundo makes ample use of Brazilian percussion that blends seamlessly with the electronics. Given the rapid-fire intricacies of both, in fact, it’s sometimes difficult to tell which is which.

If this still gentler, more lyrical direction was unexpected from a man who’d made his name as king of the untuned guitar and horrific shriek (and continues in that capacity for John Zorn), it’s worth remembering that Lindsay grew up in Brazil and has incorporated elements of its music as far back as the mid ‘80s, with the Ambitious Lovers, and arguably even earlier with his no-wave band DNA.
——Roni Sarig