Label History

DUBLIN - Polka/ Holt/ UBS

Following a range of limited, handmade cdr only releases, (the first being Agitated Radio Pilot's 'At the First Sign of Frost')the first full length cd on the label was Old Man Polka 'I go to Work to Come home to You.'(truenote004) Old Man Polka is the alias of Dubliner Steve Fanagan, now more noted for his work as Northstation, than OMP. Fanagan had previously appeared on the Chinese Firedrill compilation. The nine track cd, recorded in Ireland over 2002/2003, is now seen as the bridge between Fanagan's solo release 'There is Hope' and his later Northstation guise. Fanagan sketches a series of love notes, tenderly laid across beats, kids toys, cheap keyboards, and whistles. The electro feel is augmented on the record by the track 'heading west to get east' and the rocker 'Flame.' 

Next for the label came the release of Australiana band 'Holt,' and their 2004 release '80 Mile Beach'(truenote006) Having travelled across Australia, both together and separately, 5 piece band Holt was formed in 2002 out of a need to recapture the experience of this vast country in words and sound. In order to recreate the backpacker spirit, they closed themselves off in cottages in Kerry and Wexford over the summer of 2003, surrounded themselves with copious mind-altering substances and occasionally went down the local for quiet pints. From this came the album '80 Mile Beach.' Described by Hot Press as sounding like a 'warmer Johnny Cash,'  The music ranges from wide eyed country, thundering squalls of guitar, wine stained piano and finger-picking. Sad blasts of trumpet and the drone of didjeridu, bleary eyed harmonies and haunting late night sounds prevail, most notably on the radio single 'Before the Chorus,' a track Lisa Hannigan was moved enough to want to cover. Most interestingly Holt also had their music used by RTE to soundtrack adverts for Steve Staunton's first match in charge! 

2006 brought the release of free folk collective United Bible Studies, 'Shore That Fears the Sea,'(truenote007) an album described by MOJO magazine in the UK as,

"...Their first album proper The Shore that Fears the Sea, showcases a shifting, tremulous sound, with textures that move in and out of focus like a distant, fog-shrouded shoreline. While the almost solo Hellical Rising and Columba’s Song share Robin Williamson’s intimacy, it’s clear that United Bible Studies are maturing into a compelling acoustic counterpoint to Sigur Ros. The wraithlike melody of Watching the Rain Reshape Galway rises from a crackling sonic bed that wraps the performance in an ancient-sounding rusticity. The title track encapsulates this approach in an epic fashion. The Shore that Fears.... is a gem" -Kieron Tyler, MOJO 

The album was met with a positive reception across a range of magazines, sites and press, from the Irish Times 'Excellent' to Terrascope online's exclamation for readers not to,'...wait for this record to appear on end-of-year top 10 lists, grab it now!' Recorded in various places throughout Ireland, and featuring a range of guest(and still mystery performers!) the record was mixed in Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. Since the release, UBS have toured the album around the USA, Norway, Italy and the UK, most recently playing the VPRO festival in Amsterdam. Their most recent release is 'The Jonah,' on Australian label Camera Obscura, with a variety of releases planned for this year including the Deadslackstring release 'I am Providence.' 

GALWAY - Agitated Radio Pilot/UBS/ Cjoynes 

Agitated Radio Pilot's World Winding Down (truenote007) was the next release on the label, a 24 track double cd that showcased the talents of UBS vocalist, 'David Colohan.' Since his first early 90s stirrings in the cassette underground, Agitated Radio Pilot has charted a personal vision of folk which happily bleeds in influences from improvisation, blues, psychedelia, country & minimalism. Touring sporadically, ARP has played alongside such acts as Jandek, Jack Rose, Johnny Moynihan, Dr Strangely Strange, and Andy Irvine.  Having released a raft of tapes, cdrs, cds & lathe cuts over the years, World Winding Down is recognized as Colohan's most complete work to date.  

Featuring various collaborators, WWD charts the course of a heart breaking against the background of a city slowly winding down. It's characterised by simple finger picked arpeggios, gentle piano ballads, and some beautiful fiddle and bowed guitar. Roy Harper covers nestle beside ambient sketches and mournful songs reminiscent in tone of Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden. Website Foxy digitalis was moved to write: 

"This album will undoubtedly stand the test of time, the pacing of ambient interludes with incredibly memorable songs is perfect and makes for a listening experience which grows along with the listener. I've had this on repeat since I received it, and I it still continues to move me. 10/10" -- Charles Franklin, Foxy Digitalis on World Winding Down 

A limited edition print was the next release on the label, English Anglo Naive parlour guitar player, CJoynes - 33 (truenote33)Restricted to 100 copies, the now out of print cdr is a great, early example of the 'Bo'Weavil' recording artist. The record features some stunning post-Takoma style playing woven against a tapestry of found sounds from around the world, and features CJoynes notable take on Big Star's 'Kangaroo.' 

CORK - Robert Sarazin Blake 

The next full length release was the 2008 release of Robert Sarazin Blake's ' Northwest Corner - An introduction to(truenote012) Based in Bellingham, Washington Blake has toured throughout Ireland in the noughties, and met up with Deadslackstring at the deserted village festival in Co. Longford, 2005. Blake's musical and spiritual roots are in being a folksinger. He unashamedly draws from folk sources and at the same time brings a careful modern appraisal to the process. His music stems from old style influences from Woody Guthrie to the plaintive Leonard Cohen, Dylan, some Billy Bragg, some John Darinelle, and something Irish, but mostly your going to hear Robert Blake. Adorned with some stunning dobro playing, Northwest Corner compiles the recordings from Blake's American releases on Same Room Records, highlights are 'Zoe,' 'In your Attic Room,' and 'Sweet and Easy.' Blake is due to release his Belfast Sessions, a recording from 2009 with uileann piper John McSherry, on Deadslackstring in Summer 2010. 

Blake is notable for his success with a top ten single on the Irish download chart in 'Zoe' and being the last musician to tour all the HMV stores in Ireland, going top 10 on their charts. 

Following this album the ultra limited release of the UBS tour sampler 'The Sorrowful Mysteries Of'(truenote011) a record only available on the UBS tour of America 2008. The Phoenix Cube ep ’Ashen Skies’ was also released during this period in Cork, again on limited edition cdr. 
 
BELFAST - Richard Moult/ Plinth / Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree 

2009 saw a move to Belfast for the label, and a pause in all releases. In summer 2009 Deadslackstring had the privilege of co-promoting, alongside 5MA, Texas cult musician Jandek's first ever tour! (Around NI nonetheless.) 

Since then, there has been a heightened sense of activity with the label, with 5 releases planned for 2010. The first of these is Richard Moult's 'Ethe.' (truenote014) Richard Moult is an English musician, artist and poet who currently resides in remote, rural western Scotland.  Moult has performed as part of an ensemble, or solo for over a decade. 

'Ethe' is Moult's first full length cd release. Ethe was recorded live on piano in July 2008 in St Leonards Parish Church in Hastings, England. Composer and musician the.bricoleur was responsible for additional 'lysergic morphing' on the release. Moult provides all the original artwork for the release. Ethe consists of 9 tracks of solo piano, the first five tracks named 'the five daughters,' 1-5.  

Closest in tone to Moult's piano work on Agitated Radio Pilot's 'World Winding Down,' Ethe showcases Moult's ability to create gentle tension with melodic and rhythmic gentility. It has been described by Jeanette Leech of Shindig magazine as being    'achingly lovely.' 

The next release on the label is the Plinth cd 'Albatross'(truenote015) Based around the Peter Green Era Fleetwood Mac track, 'Albatross' Plinth casts a gentle spell upon the listener with this ambient masterpiece. More spacious and reductive than his other releases, Albatross brings to mind bands such as Charalambides, and Labradford, and labels such as ‘Table of The Elements’ in it's raw simplicity. 

February/March 2010 has also seen the release of the double cd 'The Soup and the Shilling'(truenote015) by the Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree as a split release with Deserted Village. A compilation of out of print releases from the Irish folk group, the album has met to widespread acclaim for it's rawness,and the manner in which it serves to interpret traditional songs in a unique manner. As Norman Records describe it,  

"The Magickal Folk Of The Faraway Tree is a collective dedicated to researching & re-arranging their heritage (traditional Celtic & Anglo-folk oddities) in the most intriguing & earthy manner, be it writing brand new music to hearty traditional lyrics or just altering the arrangements to suit their own agenda. The results are glorious & evocative, spread thickly over two full CD albums, hopefully they'll convert a new generation to the swaying beauty of these bolshy songs!" 

Now firmly based in Belfast, Northen Ireland, the label has committed to releasing a further two albums this year, by Robert Sarazin Blake, and United Bible Studies. It is always on the lookout for new, inspiring musicians to release and support, whether it be folk, electro, psych or those who aim to 'play a true note on a dead slack string.'