This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
You might know bookish guitarist Arto Lindsay from his envelope-pushing work with downtown New York performers like Golden Palominos and John Zorn. What you might not know is that he grew up in Brazil.
As he has on his past few albums, Lindsay combines the best of both worlds on the exquisite and captivating Prize. As acoustic guitars (played by Vinicius Cantuaria) pluck out fiery melodies over a bed of funky Latin rhythms and alien soundscapes, Lindsay’s hesitant, fragile tenor offers up intimate melodies that soothe the atonal scrape of his fractured, noise-rock guitar. If you can imagine a jam between Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin and Os Mutantes — or even if you just own albums by them — you won’t be disappointed in this stunning pan-cultural achievement.
