David Lord — Way Over the Rainbow
Release date: 12/12/2025
TRACKLIST
Over the Rainbow
Brush Footed Butterfly
Blood Red Cortinarius
The Rooting Hebeloma
Dwarf Blue Globe
The Ringless Armillaria
First Level of Unfoldment
Dimensions of a Landscape
Elegant Tricholoma
Vital Energetic Structure
Second Level of Unfoldment
CREDITS
David Lord- classical guitar, electric guitar, glockenspiel
Jeff Parker- electric guitar (2, 7, 11)
Dale Black- bass
Charles Rumback- drums
Sam Hake- vibraphone (8)
recorded & mixed by David Lord at Air House, Wichita, KS
additional recording on 2, 7 & 11 by Chris Schlarb and Devin O’Brien at BIG EGO, Long Beach, CA
mastered by JJ Golden
cover art by Chiara Francesca
design and layout by Kristyn Chapman
PRESS
“An anomaly from Wichita, Kansas, David Lord follows his own idiosyncratic muse in creating shimmering soundscapes, dissonant outbursts and luminous melodies that combine extended techniques on the instrument with an unabashed psychedelic sensibility. On his fifth album as a leader, Way Over The Rainbow, Lord conjures up a confounding conglomeration of Frank Zappa, Henry Kaiser, Derek Bailey and Richard Leo Johnson on wholly original tunes built around his unique six-string vocabulary. Joined by the flexible and decidedly free rhythm tandem of bassist Dale Black and drummer Charles Rumback, Lord overdubs acoustic and electric guitars on such subversive gems as the hypnotic “Blood Red Cortinarius”, the fractured free-jazz romp “Dwarf Blue Globe” and the delicate, waltz-time “The Rooting Hebeloma” while recasting the standard “Over the Rainbow” through a lysergic-tinted lens. Fellow guitar renegade Jeff Parker guests on three tracks, including the rubato/mysterioso “Brush Footed Butterfly” and the ambient interlude “First Level of Unfoldment”. Guest vibraphonist Sam Hake contributes to the spacey/floaty atmosphere of the rubato ballad of “Dimesions Of A Landscape”. Delightfully weird and wonderful music by a true rara avis.” -Bill Milkowski, Downbeat, 4.5 stars
“For his first album since wrapping up the Forest Standards series, Wichita guitarist David Lord looks to the sky. Though featuring some familiar Forest facets- Jeff Parker plays on three tracks, and a few songs are named after mushrooms- Way Over the Rainbow mainly deals in departures. Lord’s longtime drummer, the great Chad Taylor, is absent, with Chicago free jammer Charles Rumback in his place, and bassist Dale Black is a newcomer as well. While the four Forest Standards albums often gave the spotlight to other instruments like flute, alto sax and vibraphone, this outing focuses squarely on Lord’s elliptical, thorny and curiously melodic guitar, now grown mellow and more spacious yet just as intense. The debut release on Lord’s own label Cloud Ear Records, Way Over the Rainbow marks a promising new path through the stratosphere.” -Reed Jackson, Aquarium Drunkard
“David Lord releases Way Over the Rainbow, a quietly expansive album that frames guitar-led composition within a chamber-like sense of space and restraint. Across its slow-moving contours, tonal clarity and gentle repetition replace virtuosity, allowing melodies to surface as soft phenomena rather than declarations. Subtle harmonic interplay and patient pacing give the music a suspended quality, where each note feels carefully placed, resonant, and allowed to fade on its own terms. Recorded with intimate precision and finished with a light, unforced touch, Way Over the Rainbow unfolds as a contemplative listening space—measured, lucid, and quietly luminous.” -Nicola Orlandino, sonofmarketing
David Lord
Way Over the Rainbow Vinyl
Limited edition of 100
