Lone Wolf streams final album Lodge in full [Premiere]

27 April 2015, 10:30 | Written by Laurence Day

(News)

(Lone Wolf)

Paul Marshall has spent a tumultuous few years as Lone Wolf, both inside his own head and in the issues beyond his control. It seemed last year that all was said and done for the ex-Bella Union artist, who created stunning works of art in The Devil and I and The Lovers, but grew ditant from the rigours of an industry too constraining and lacking targets with heart; fed up with counting social stats, he escaped. Then, with the birthplace of much of his music, Bridlington studio The Lodge, given only a short time to live, he went back to work for one last time in the only place to provide solace and respite from himself.

We're incredibly proud to be streaming the new, and final, record from Lone Wolf. We spoke to Marshall about the album, where he's going next and why it's his swansong, and you can read our Q&A below.

You've been away from the public eye as Lone Wolf for a while - what made you come back?

It certainly took some convincing, both from myself and others. I've been on a rather bizarre journey over the past few year,s and Lone Wolf has certainly provided me with lots of ups and downs - but generally I find it very hard not to dwell on the downs. That is just the way I seem to be programmed and I've been learning to accept that, and so I felt if I was going to really ever tell anyone how it feels to be me, I needed to write about it - for myself though, I had a lot to get off my chest. All this combined with the fact that The Lodge in Bridlington (James Kenosha's studio) went up for sale meant that I had to ride the 'it's now or never' wave. That room means so much to me and it is truly the only place I feel the burden of anxiety seems to just lift away and I'm free to create. I just needed to have one last dance there.

It was never my intention to 'be back in the public eye' (all 10 or 20 people that have ever heard of me that is...). I was just going to offer this album as a free download on my website, but two of the kindest chaps I've ever met contacted me from the USA and offered to release it for me (SNWF Records). It's almost like an entire pledge campaign rolled into just two extremely kind people, and that's the real way to release music.

Do you still feel very much the 'Lone Wolf', so to speak?

In the proverbial sense yes, but now I feel like I have said all there is to say as Lone Wolf. I now feel very much like Paul Marshall.

Why did you feel you needed to make this particular album?

Well this was the first time in my life that I realised I have nobody to make music for but myself. The Devil and I and The Lovers were both written very much with a label in mind, and so I feel like that actually had some form of influence over my writing. I've always tried to be as honest as I can with my music which is why I cannot allow two of my records to sound the same sonically, but this time, I really, truly, genuinely wrote this record for myself - which was something I feel like i've always needed to do, but have never really had the guts to do it.

What has had the biggest impact on your musical life since The Lovers?

If you are asking in an influential sense, strangely the spark that ignited Lodge for me was actually in the form of imagery. One night i had far too much to drink and was sitting on the couch watching a documentary about the strangest abandoned places on earth, and there was a feature all about Pripyat, the now-ghost town outside Chernobyl. I am constantly fascinated by us as a species, and more often than not confused by us. I found something so strangely profound and beautiful about the way that town is inhabitable, yet it remains untouched like some kind of timestamp of our own self destruction. This got me making comparisons to the anxiety that had taken over my life and caused me to lock the doors to the outside word. Oddly, these images immediately started writing the album for me, and i just had no choice but to go with it.

What do you want people to take away from this album?

I'd like people to feel that they had sat down with me and allowed me to talk to them for a while and get things off my chest. I don't want it to be a burden I'd like the listener to feel that I'd opened the door to my house and allowed them in to see who I really am. I'd also like them to hear how important silence can be in music. For me on this record, it's almost more important than the notes themselves. Also, there are a lot of other people out there who are at the mercy of their anxiety/depression. Perhaps they might be able to relate to me a bit, and hopefully take some comfort from it. You are not alone.

Was it easy to write?

Actually, yes. I never thought I could say that about anything I've done. The only reason it was easier is for the aforementioned reasons of writing it for myself. It therefore meant that I didn't ever have to consider what 'so and so' is going to think of it. It was all about retaining the ethos of me and a room, as opposed to layering the soul out of it.

If you just one piece of advice for new musicians starting out, what would that be?

I'm a bit of a cynical person to ask after the ride I have been on. I guess just always trust your gut feeling and don't feel like you have to write for the listener. The listener wants to hear YOUR compositions, not to be spoonfed. Well, I hope so...

What does the Lodge (studio) symbolise to you - why is/was it such an important place?

I have pretty much recorded everything I have ever done there with the exception of The Devil and I (which was mixed there though). While I am there I eat, sleep, drink, write and perform. It is total and utter immersion therapy. Like I mentioned before, (I'm trying not to dwell on it, but it really was the catalyst for this record) I'm not the least anxious person in the world, and I tend to have a horrific phobia of completion. I write half a song that I think is going really well, then I won't touch it again in case I finish it and it ends up terrible. I can sit at my piano and end up smashing my head into it and giving myself a black eye because I just cannot write anything. But all of this seems to lift when I am in that room. It's like I'm never there long enough to record all of the ideas I have. Some of the things on this album have come from iPhone recordings I made when I was in there before that didn't even come close to being recorded on previous records. It is a very, very sad feeling knowing I can never go back there, but at least it will always be cemented firmly in my history on this record.

Why was it so important to be organic and not use 'studio trickery'?

For aforementioned reasons really. If I am going to make a record that is all about myself and that room, then really they are the only things that you should be hearing. Naturally there isn't a 25sec delay or cavernous reverb in that room, so therefore, there will not be one on the record. Ultimately, I wanted it to sound like four people in a room (who all happen to be me) playing live, and I think i've achieved that.

How is it performed live? How do you make sure it's retained the energy?

It's not easy let me tell you. You'd think the more stripped back it is, the easier it would be to perform - complete opposite. I've never felt more naked in my life. I used to be able to make a bit of a fuck up on stage and the band would cover it, but sadly those days are over. Sadly this is one thing that I really have a hard time with. I used to love playing live, then this blanket of fear came over me one day and I've never really been able to shake it. It's why I don't play live too often. Not a single gig goes by where I don't stand backstage before walking on and say to myself "why are you doing this to yourself?"

How do you feel about The Lovers and The Devil and I? Do you revisit them?

The Devil and I will always feel like my evil twin for me. There are some songs on there that I can never let go, but that record holds so many memories for me I find it hard to go back to it. The Lovers on the other hand, although the whole Bella Union thing happened around then, I came out on the other side with a wonderful pledge campaign that was really life affirming. It's quite a feeling to see people that willing to put their faith in you and keep you going.

Where does the album fit into your canon? Is the the 'wrapping up' of a trilogy?

Absolutely. The Devil and I was me telling stories and hiding everything behind them. I started to open up a bit on The Lovers talking about my sleep anxitey, but now I've kind of said, 'Lone Wolf' really is just a pseudonym for a human being who has been hiding away. Lone Wolf is actually Paul Marshall. This is where the Lone Wolf story ends.

You described your passion as "terminally ill" - has that changed? Have you found a cure?

It was never really a passion to create that was floundering, it was my desire to be a part of the 'industry'. I hate the fact that if you want to show the world your music, you get caught up in this horrible world of unimportant stuff like assets/how many facebook likes you've got/how many YouTube views/campaign momentum blah blah blah blah blah... I really just want to make music and let people hear it. That's it really. It's the only thing really important to me in the whole process. So 'the cure' was to do it my way. I sail close to the wind a bit sometimes and I feel my gut tightening, but I feel like I owe it to the record and my loyal followers to go out and be Lone Wolf one last time.

What does the future hold for Lone Wolf?

Honestly... nothing. I don't think it is possible to write another Lone Wolf record after this one. I have well and truly laid my cards on the table and told you everything. It feels truly life affirming. I don't think Lone Wolf as a pseudonym has anything more to say. I am going to play a few shows this year, but once they are done, I like to think I'm going to leave it having said what i needed to with this record. So if you want to see a Lone Wolf show, I wouldn't dilly-dally getting tickets as this could be your last chance.

Paul Marshall on the other hand... that guy that keeps popping up. I think I have come to realise that it is time to go back to writing under my own name again. So I'm not going to disappear completely, I just think it's time to attempt to be comfortable in my own skin, and I'm more excited about that than anything else - and I don't think I could have got to this place mentally without writing Lodge. It's truly the most important thing to me that I have ever written.

What about Paul Marshall? What are your plans next? You've worked on films... is that something you'd be keen to explore?

Paul Marshall is a person I'm really excited to get to know again. I'm already writing new material and so I guess... 'watch this space'. As for soundtrack stuff, I'd be absolutely thrilled to work with Nejib Belkadhi again, but in general, I'm for hire. Just gimme a call. I hope you can see from this record, I'm just a human being.

Lodge is out on SNWF Records on 11 May.

Stream the record in full below. You can check out his upcoming tour dates in full afterwards.