El Yunque

Francis Moss is an extension of guitarist David Lord's unique vision for his instrument. Composed and performed by Lord alone, El Yunque challenges preconceptions about solo guitar albums. The tracks are thoughtful, plaintive, and majestic like the best of Robert Fripp's Frippertronics recordings but more relaxed and organic; some might also draw comparisons between Francis Moss and Pat Metheny's Orchestrion release but, once more, Lord's singular voice and vision thwart easy parallels. The melodies, such as on Forest Mind, Vines, and Giant Leaf are ethereal, timeless, new standards for the post rock generation and further evidence of Lord's ability to seamlessly marry the unfamiliar and familiar and present in a bold but benevolent fashion. It's fitting that this release was inspired by the El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico for it, like it's music, is impossibly natural and impossibly breathtaking.