German Shepherd Records

German Shepherd Records Presents:

FINDING

Interview by Bob Osborne.

AN INTRODUCTION:

With three new albums coming out on German Shepherd Records between December and February, it seemed like the right time to explore in detail the work of 2 Lost Souls. It feels inappropriate to call them a “band” as there are only two of them and they do not make music in a conventional way. So let’s call them a duo: highly appropriate, given their name. 2 Lost Souls are Ian Moss and Paul Rosenfeld.

Ian, who has featured before in the Eighth Day, is the co-owner of German Shepherd Records, writer, raconteur legend on the Manchester music scene, and a member of countless other bands, and indeed duos, including The Parasite, Unseasonable Beasts, Four Candles, The English Disease and his work with his brother Neil, and they are just the current ones. Previous bands have included The Hamsters, The Stepbrothers, Sicknurse, Kill Pretty, and The Dodos. Ian is currently writing a couple of books, one on hit singles of the 1970s and another a volume of his lyrics. He is semi-regularly featured on the podcast ‘Flowing Backwards’ alongside Four Candles drummer Phil Peak.

After a few aborted attempts to learn to play guitar in his teens with bands, Paul Rosenfeld was recruited to play rhythm guitar in Wythenshawe’s Radioactive Shoulderblades, a band that specialised in recreating mickey take versions of other under performing Manchester bands in order to goad them. Highly unpopular, they managed to be banned from every venue they played becoming adept at filling a tiny car with band and equipment in under a minute, doing a runner efficiently whilst leaving behind the ensuing mayhem. Not being cut out for an early death Paul then decided he wanted a quieter life and began playing in other bands none of which got to the gigging stage but allowed him to improve and work on his songwriting chops. He was then asked to join Manchester stalwarts Dr Filth, who a year or so afterwards recruited Distractions vocalist Mike Finney and renamed as First Circle. Work then took him abroad and he returned, ending up living in London where he played in several bands, the last of these being alt-country outfit Ultimate Behemoth. The band’s main aim was to finance the singer’s desire to move to Spain with his family. Once that had been achieved, it allowed them to disband, much to the relief of the American roots music community of London. Illness prevents Paul from playing live currently and since being hit by his condition, he has been writing tunes for his own enjoyment.

2 Lost Souls’ music is perhaps a little

Ian Moss

more rock/pop/blues oriented than Moss’s usual punk/post-punk output with an emphasis on melody and hooks. Each of the three new albums however has a series of surprises which confounds any attempt to pigeon hole the duo’s work. You are just as likely to find a blues tinged rocker as you are a more reflective ballad amongst the three albums. There are clear political messages in many of the songs as well as Moss’s mini-biographies of famous (and infamous) people.

THE INTERVIEW:

I interviewed the pair virtually in November just before the release of the three albums ...

So how did the project start?

Paul: I contacted Ian via email just to introduce myself after hearing Salford City Radio DJ Stephen Doyle play some of his new music. I had seen Ian in his first band, The Hamsters at the Stuff the Superstars gig in Manchester

Paul Rosenfeld

in 1979 and went to a few more of their gigs as a result.

Ian: Paul’s approach coincided with a ‘Words and Music’ project I was doing [2017] and I invited him to collaborate on a track. From there we continued to work together until the point such was the volume of recorded work it needed its own individual identity which became 2 Lost Souls. The world to me seems to be populated by lost souls and so as there are two of us, it seemed an appropriate title.

How does the writing process work?

Ian: Paul drives the thing sending me tracks electronically, I simply respond with what’s on my mind , some of it written, some of it improvised, but all of it trying to project ideas and opinions, it’s a communique aimed at stimulating thought.

Paul: Due to our locations, we work in isolation of each other, but it doesn’t appear to create any stumbling blocks. The distance may help as it gives us our

own space to operate in. It makes me very mindful that this is a collaboration and so the end result needs to reflect that. I send Ian rough tracks on the whole, he’ll send me a recorded lyric if the track appeals, the vocal delivery and content will drive the direction I take to complete the track. I’ll then approach one of our tame bass players to see if they have time to put down a track. They’re busy people so there are times I’ll have to put a bass line down myself however I’m no bass player. I’m not musically literate, so I have no idea about music theory, keys or modes and one of our bass players, Paul, is especially helpful in breaking down the music that way and putting forward ideas so even if he’s not appeared on a track his feedback has probably been invaluable in the process.

Based on the previous track we’ve done, I will try to take a completely different tack with my next idea to avoid repeating ourselves. I can’t translate what’s in my head into my fingertips so I have a process where I’ll sit down with the guitar play a few chords and get a sound I like and then in a figurative way extend an aerial and try to pick up ideas floating around in the ether, it certainly feels that way. I’ve also tried to come up with music based on an original written piece Ian has published. He’s also sent me completed vocal tracks for me to then put music to. These latter methods for me are more of a challenge and probably the most rewarding when I can make it work. I’ve discovered that Ian’s got an incredible innate musicality because on those tracks he’s recorded before the music has been done his timing is unerringly accurate, there’s clearly a very natural drummer inside of him to be able to do that.

Although they are a duo there is the occasional guest spot for a couple of bassists, and other collaborators.

Paul: Paul O’Sullivan is one of my oldest friends from my days in Manchester, we met at a pub in the city where everyone went to hear rock music and was underage! We played in bands together in the late ‘70s, early

‘80s performing our own compositions and played in one of the bands I was in in London. He’s now in demand as a session player in Manchester. Renato is a friend of a friend who I contacted to work on a track on our first album, that started our direct friendship and he’s become a real admirer of Ian’s lyrics and vocals. Another credit should go to Lee Roberts [www.goldmoss.com] who has done some original artwork for us and designed our logo as well as giving feedback for the album artworks.

The three new albums from 2 Lost Souls are being released between December and February. I asked Ian and Paul about them …

There are 38 songs on the new albums, with a variety of subject matters. Where do all the ideas come from, both musically and lyrically and what are your favourite songs from each album?

Ian: My inspirations are myriad and tend to come from whatever I’m reading, films I watch, news reports or conversations I’m involved in or overhear. From the first release [‘.....the very last city’], I like the rock ‘n’ roll track ‘Undisputed Mayor of Trumpton’, it’s about a man who lusts after power and believes he is better, in every sense, than the rest of humankind. Think Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Ian Duncan Smith, Rasputin, Ghengis Kahn ... and Morrissey.

The second album [‘Ooby Dooby’] features ‘Slaughterhouse Dan’, which is about people being self-righteous and judgemental in our world of black and white without grey areas. In this story, Dan a man forced into work he doesn’t enjoy to support his family, he is targeted and murdered by a radical vegan faction who’s cause he has much sympathy for, his body is then butchered by his bosses and sold for top dollar as ‘special meat’.

From the third album [‘Another’s Insomniac Dreams’], I particularly like ‘Derangerous’, which is a piece of ‘Phony Punk’ bashing based on an unpleasant conversation I had with a

member of one of the early Mancunian bandwagon jumpers who to put it bluntly hadn’t got a clue. He was odious and as the song states, “the problem and not the solution”.

Paul: Ian and I are in regular contact either by phone and email and through that, I think we have a good understanding of each other, especially when it comes to political, personal and musical opinions. I’m not confident in my lyrical ability, I don’t have any! I think I’ve only contributed to one set of lyrics, a song called ‘Soulless’, which was an angry reaction to the political situation and that needed Ian to amend and edit.

When it comes to the music, I have been given a free reign with ideas, Ian therefore has full control over the lyrical content and vocals. I’ve spent too much time with the music, so I analyse the tracks rather than listen to them. Our singles tend to have been created much more spontaneously unlike the album tracks. The track ‘Undisputed Mayor of Trumpton’ on ‘….the very last city’ is more like one of our singles.

What music other than your own are you currently listening to?

Ian: I’m currently writing a book in praise of the seven inch singles of the seventies, which necessitates some pleasant research. Today, I’ve listened several times to ‘Motörhead’ by Motörhead [‘Motörhead’, 1977], which is such a bone jarringly liberating piece of music. Lemmy was taking rock ‘n’ roll to an extreme with that one. Also this morning, I listened to Culture’s ‘Two Sevens Clash’ [‘Two Sevens Clash’, 1977]. What an amazing song. Sweetly delivered but totally apocalyptic, it had such an impact in Jamaica that on the day of prophesied doom, large parts of the community locked themselves indoors, businesses and schools didn’t open and the streets were silent. To give myself a break from the book, I’ve just listened to Miles Davis’ ‘In a Silent Way’ [1969], which I get consumed by and find myself lost to the world whilst in its

grip. It has an almost narcotic hold over me for its duration and I need a period of readjustment after the final notes have sounded.

Paul: I have to do daily exercises for a medical condition. I have headphones to keep out extraneous noise and play music through them. It’ll be a mix of ‘60s Motown and Atlantic soul, ‘80’s indie, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s pop, ‘70s funk, country/Americana and whatever tracks we’re working on. My other half has Radio 2 on all the time at home. Friends will post music that they think I’d like and there’s also radio shows like Stephen Doyle’s ‘Sonic Diary’ [Salford City Radio] to hear new music.

In respect of 2 Lost Souls music, what would you say inspires the sounds and structures of the songs?

Paul: I probably don’t have an original bone in my musical body. I’m very much the sum of my influences. I think there is a 2 Lost Souls sound, but Ian takes the lion’s share responsibility for that because I don’t know anyone else who sounds like him or is prepared to tackle the subject matter he does. When I am working on a vocal from Ian, it’s not unusual for the hairs on the back of my neck to stand to attention, which provides the motivation to do the very best I can do to match that.

A backing track will constantly evolve. A recent example would be a slow piece of Americana that I sent Ian, who came back with the vocal, which I felt to do justice to needed electronic loops, therefore re-imagining the sonics completely in order to make the song work.

I write pop songs. Neither Ian or I think pop is a dirty word and it does give us unlimited scope to try anything in pursuit of a tune. I’ve no interest in impressing anyone with my virtuosity, I have none and so it’s all about the song. When we’ve completed a piece and we like it enough to release, we know we have something of worth.

You have been very productive so

far, but I hear there are more albums and songs in the pipeline. What can we expect?

Ian: The well has not yet run dry and since the completion of these albums, several more have been recorded with perhaps more emphasis on melody. I know I’ve found myself almost singing sometimes, although we haven’t entered John Denver territory yet!

Paul: In July / August of last year, Ian casually asked how many tracks we had. It amazed us to see that there were over 40. Some of those needed to be cut as they just weren’t of a good enough standard. COVID has been a factor for us in producing more music. As our movements have been restricted, just as Ian’s live music work has sadly had to be put on hold also, so I’ve spent time everyday trying to come up with ideas for songs as well as learning new ways for me to make sounds and to record it, so we keep evolving. We’ve continued to work whilst getting the album tracks done, so there could be at least a new single ready for release later this year! There’s no pressure on us to produce, if an idea we have is good enough to work on it and if not it gets discarded.

DISCOGRAPHY:

All available from German Shepherd Records:

www.germanshepherdrecords. bandcamp.com

‘Cellar Dweller’ (from Ian Moss & Friends - ‘Music & Words’, 2017) ‘Borderline Racist’ (as Mistletoe, 2019) ‘Cords and Digits’ (album, 2019) ‘Coltrane’ (single, 2019) ‘Soho’ (single, 2020) ‘Liquorice Flavour’ (single, 2020) ‘Rules’ (single, 2020) ‘Don’t You Call it Love’ (single, 2020) ‘Dead As A Dodo’ (single, 2020) ‘....the very last City’ (album, 2020) ‘Ooby Dooby’ (album, released 29th January 2021) ‘Another’s Insomniac Dreams’ (album, released 19th February 2021)

A COMPETITION:

To celebrate the release of the three new albums by 2 Lost Souls, Paul has commissioned the creation of bespoke face masks, which represent each of the releases.

The first ten people who email Two_Lost_Souls@outlook.com with their postal address will get an exclusive face mask and free download links to the digital version of the ‘.....the very last city’ album. Anyone else who mails after the first ten winners have been picked will get a free download link to the digital versions of the ‘.....the very last city’ album.

The closing date for the competition is 1st February 2021.

germanshepherdrecords.com/ artists/two-lost-souls