Local Man Records Album

[Local Man]

The TLDR version of this post is below but the short version is that I am very excited to say that I have self released my first full length album and here it is!

Listen here:
https://soundcloud.com/localmanmakesmus ... =clipboard

Or here:
https://open.spotify.com/album/724hXFqT ... CV1qo3lGlQ


The long version is that this is the result of a long and tortuous journey for me and I feel proud but also very anxious about offering this little thing to the world. First off I feel a bit pretentious even calling this an "album" or a "release." I have had the idea of "releasing an album" as a life goal for so long that the concept has lost some of its meaning for me.
To be clear this is not that mythical release that I have been chasing for so many years.
Ultimately my perfectionism got the better of me and I was never able to get to the point with former attempts where I felt that I was satisfied that I had done all that I could do and that the work was "finished."
So what is this here?
This is the result of a huge change in mindset and ultimately a productive change in approach. Stylistically the music is a blend of 90s era hip hop beats, contemporary electronica, and an eclectic mix of traditional song craft, ranging from indie rock to romantic era classical music. At the center of my production style are 'slice of life' samples that often fill the space where traditional vocals would normally reside. The result is a ramshackle mix of sounds and styles that I hope is able to connect with listeners on an emotional level even if it is a bit more abstract than most traditional songwriting.
Since perfectionism was my downfall in the past, with this project I have decided to face my demons head on and waded knee deep into the world of the imperfect. But on my own terms. As a result I feel like I have stumbled on to a style and a workflow that works for me as an artist.
That said I am still rife with anxiety as I put this (and by extension myself) out there. My fear is not that it will be disliked or disparaged but far beyond that my worst fear is that it will be ignored. I have released a handful of tracks here and there in the past but by releasing a full (if relatively short) album, never before have I asked so much of the music loving strangers of the world.
To you reading reading this I do ask with humbleness and sincerity that you please give this work a chance in its entirety. Again, I know that is asking a lot but my hope is that you will be moved by this (in one way or another).
And to those of you that are generous enough with your time and spirit to give this a fair shot, I would obviously love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Positive or negative, I would just be happy to know that someone listened.
This is the result in general of years of dedication to this craft and in particular with this album many months of molding and shaping and agonizing over tiny details.
My hope is that all of that work was at least for something.

And for those of you that do find something to like in these tracks please follow me on Spotify, SoundCloud, or Twitter(@LocalManMusic44) because now that I have found the right approach I hope to keep a pretty prolific release schedule in the future with a mix of originals as well as some wildly reimagined covers (of which I have a few that I will be releasing in the very near future).
Links for the various streaming platforms can be found on my website:
http://www.localmanmakesmusic.com

Anyway, I've rambled for much too long already. Thanks for your time and please take care of yourself in these crazy days.
-Local Man

[tl]

Thanks for your time

Thanks for the opportunity to spend my time listening to this album.

in particular with this album many months of molding and shaping and agonizing over tiny details.

So well done. The single parts, individual sounds, phrases, rooms, ideas, even styles don't seem particularly new but they're arranged and combined in such a coherent, well-balanced and still eclectic way. Striking production skills.

my hope is that you will be moved by this (in one way or another).

To me this hope is so well-founded. The tracks give me strong feelings of closeness and familiarity and invite to focus on all the little details while riding the laid back groove.

IMO you succeeded in creating something very substantial. Having listened to the most single tracks you published in the past months I feel this is YOUR album. Thank YOU for that.

Please think about releasing it via Bandcamp (my preferred online distribution service).
I'd buy and enjoy it.

Great work.

Regards,
tl.

[silenthill2006]

Listening to this right now. Thanks for opening up and being vulnerable. Creating music can be a very stressful endeavor especially for people who struggle with anxiety and perfectionism. I can definitely sympathize with that. I'm not far into the album, but I am really enjoying it so far. Great work!

[Local Man]

Thanks for your time

Thanks for the opportunity to spend my time listening to this album.

in particular with this album many months of molding and shaping and agonizing over tiny details.

So well done. The single parts, individual sounds, phrases, rooms, ideas, even styles don't seem particularly new but they're arranged and combined in such a coherent, well-balanced and still eclectic way. Striking production skills.

my hope is that you will be moved by this (in one way or another).

To me this hope is so well-founded. The tracks give me strong feelings of closeness and familiarity and invite to focus on all the little details while riding the laid back groove.

IMO you succeeded in creating something very substantial. Having listened to the most single tracks you published in the past months I feel this is YOUR album. Thank YOU for that.

Please think about releasing it via Bandcamp (my preferred online distribution service).
I'd buy and enjoy it.

Great work.

Regards,
tl.

Wow, that really means a lot to me to hear you say that.
Can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to listen and share such kind words.

As for Bandcamp, I will definitely look into it.
For whatever reason I've never really explored that platform but it's definitely time for me to do so.

[Local Man]

Thanks for opening up and being vulnerable.

Thanks. It's not usual for me to allow myself to be vulnerable or open up like that but for whatever reason I felt motivated to do so. I usually have my guard up because I feel sometimes people can be put off by vulnerability or signs of what they perceive as weakness. So I appreciate you commenting on that.

Thanks for listening and I'm glad you liked what you heard.

[Frantz]

Nice job with this! Some of these tracks seem like they would work very well as songs with vocals but I think they hold up as instrumentals too.

[Local Man]

Nice job with this! Some of these tracks seem like they would work very well as songs with vocals but I think they hold up as instrumentals too.

Thanks for listening!
I'm glad you think they do hold up as instrumentals.
It's hard to connect with listeners and make something that sounds coherent and complete without vocals. The human voice is just so good at that.
My next full release will probably feature a couple of songs with vocals but I do really enjoy the art form and the challenge of making instrumental music.

[Local Man]

I'd like to ask a quick favor of those of you who have listened to or will listen to this album.
What genre (or subgenre) would you say this music best falls into?
I've always been terrible with genre distinctions and when I share my music online it's often necessary to categorize it by genre and I really don't know what to put that would best represent my sound.