Kiran Leonard - Grapefruit (2016)

Born and raised in Greater Manchester, England, Kiran Leonard trades in a literate, captivatingly awkward version of indie rock inspired in part by Dirty Projectors. Raised in a musical household with multiple guitar-playing siblings and a father who worked in radio and was formerly a professional musician, the multi-instrumentalist had begun playing mandolin by age five. He graduated to the larger guitar at eight, around the time he started writing short, classical-type pieces. By the time he was 13, Leonard was uploading his work to music-sharing site Bandcamp. The precocious teen played over 20 instruments on his debut LP, Bowler Hat Soup, a spontaneous, sometimes rambling set of experimental pop released by Hand of Glory in 2013. The Abandoning Noble Goals EP appeared on Bandcamp in 2015. Ever challenging, Leonard introduced his sophomore album with a 16-minute lead single ("Pink Fruit") before Moshi Moshi Records issued the full-length Grapefruit in the spring of 2016. ~ Marcy Donelson.