Takeshi Nishimoto's previous solo album, Monologue, demonstrated his talent as both a novel modern composer and classically trained guitarist. Finding musical cousins in the film music of Gustavo Santaolalla and the more unaffected work of Squarepusher, Nishimoto's music is relatively untraditional but lands with gripping immediacy. On Lavandula, he uses electronics to highlight thematic rubato sections, and an improvisational quality to Nishimoto's playing echoes the warmth and soulfulness of Andrés Segovia. A demonstration of exceptional textural production as mush as composition, Lavandula is a sylvan and affecting work that carries more weight than its delicate framework might immediately reveal.