***1/2 Arto Lindsay

NOON CHILL

(Bar/None)

***1/2 Arto Lindsay, NOON CHILL (Bar/None). "Why Compare'' is probably about a man rationalizing his infidelity, "Take My Place'' may be about the fear of death, and several other tunes on Arto Lindsay's Noon Chill are certainly about the lovely, puzzling allure of the opposite sex. For the most part, however, lovely and puzzling is also the only way to characterize these delicate, impressionistic songs. Colored by Brazilian pop, London club beats, and New York free-form noise rock, their avant-garde internationalism is the product of decades of musical growth. Like R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Los Lobos, and almost no one else, this son of Brazilian missionaries and former member of DNA, the Lounge Lizards, the Golden Palominos, and the Ambitious Lovers has managed to graduate from the American indie-rock scene of the '80s with his boldness, grace, imagination, and self-confidence intact. Over the past couple years, he's proved as much with the small-scale, personal O Corpo Sutil ("The Subtle Body") and the masterful Mundo Civilizado. Now, this quirky, experimental album completes a devotional triptych to the sensuous mystery of the world, one in which every beautiful curve somehow connects to every other.

-- Franklin Soults