Taste Test: Shane Leonard emerges as a bedeviling ‘Empire Builder’
The singer-songwriter muses on his life and the journey sweeping out in front of him.
Welcome to Taste Test, a song/video review series of SubmitHub-only gemstones.
This entire existence is a strange little creature. Found between the flaky layers of stagnation and daredevil sorcery, singer, songwriter and musician Shane Leonard has always possessed a wayward spirit and often finds himself daydreaming of what could or should be. “Empire Builder,” which aches with both folk tradition and cement-melting alt-rock, witnesses the astute philosopher waxing romantic about his life and the journey both behind and ahead. “I’ve got a way to go til I can afford that leather jacket / But I’ve got a new car, and I’m gonna take care,” he sings. His voice loom large, often rustling ever-so gently in the breeze, and his musical proclivities for jazz-inflected guitar supply ample wind gusts. “I want a new look, but I’ve gotta get the gust to hack it,” he considers the weight of each life choice. “Keep the mileage low, you’ll never go nowhere.”
Leonard anticipates the release of his new album, Strange Forms, out later this year.
Listen below:
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