Strange Forms by Shane Leonard

Borne out of an intense two-year period in which Leonard lost his father and then became a father and husband himself, Strange Forms delivers candid ruminations on the themes of rebirth and vulnerability. "I was thirty once / but now I'm thirty-one / I wonder / will I ever feel that I have reached dry land" Leonard ponders over a backdrop of gritty electric guitars and blown-out backbeats. The tones ring like Revolver era Beatles and early Beck; the boldly sincere lyrics recall Ben Gibbard's earnest pen. For roughly a year, two best friends orbited a collection of vintage equipment in a small room, Leonard playing all the instruments and engineer Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Paul Simon) capturing whatever sounds excited them. A 1950's student model bass drum adorned with a hand-painted bald eagle. Cantankerous guitars pushed through the preamps of a Tascam 4-track cassette recorder. Vocals sung into a smashed-up handheld microphone inherited from Doc DeHaven, the once legendary jazz trumpeter of Madison, Wisconsin. In embrace of innocence and weathered by experience, Leonard confides to his newborn daughter, "ever since the day you were born / time accelerates / already each season feels like / the passing of a day / much as I'd like to be still with you / I know you'll never be the same".

Shane Leonard is a producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter living in Eau Claire, WI. He's produced and played with bands like Mipso, Field Report, Rose Cousins, Humbird, Oh Pep!, J.E. Sunde, Anna Tivel, Sean Rowe and many more. His most recent solo album, Strange Forms, was released in May 2019.

shaneleonardmusic.com
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