You know, I don’t really have all that much of a penchant for the really nitty-gritty Americana stuff. I usually listen to hardcore folkies and rootys country artists and compare them to the oodles of acts that they are endlessly emulating. And man, it’s gotta be hard to do those genres. Try something new in folk music and all of a sudden you’ve branded yourself “antifolk”. Or even worse? Freak folk. :::shudder:::

That’s why a group like The Accident That Led Me To The World is so damn enjoyable for me. Not only is it music made by and for true-blue “walk-it-like-they-talk it” country folk musicians, but the songs are just absolutely stunning. And the fact that the tunes are so good really is more important than you think. A lot of folk/country artists nowadays are so content to write the *sound* of the genre - or worse, simply relying on renditions of the classic songs that influenced them in the first place - that they almost totally forgo the idea of understanding the fundamental mechanics of songwriting. Take the nineties country phenoms Freakwater, for example. I like those gals as much as the next guy, and some of their reinterpretations of classic country tunes were really sweet. (Anyone that has ever heard their breathtaking reading of “You’ve Never Been This Far Before” would have a hard time arguing against that). But seriously… if you can’t give me a damn memorable song, you’re doing nothing but invading the dangerous “side project” territory that so many of these groups tend to end up as.

Basically, not enough indie bands today take the time to get folk and country songwriting right, but that ain’t the case with The Accident That Led Me To The World, who we’ll be referring to as TATLMTTW from here on out. Their newest album, The Island Gospel, comes across on first listen as a simple easy breezy half hour of mellow folk leanings. Further review reveals some truly haunting melodies, (seriously, don’t listen to “Caves” right before bed), wonderful boy/girl vocal interplay… and not a damned bit of percussion in sight. The instrumentaion stays stripped to the bare essentials: guitar, upright bass, banjo… and occasionally some clarinet for color.

The Island Gospel is record that should be getting more attention than it already is. It’s not only full of ten phenomenal songs by a band that has their identity perfectly realized, and it’s not just wonderful for late night mood listens… it’s just good in general. So good that I wish that I didn’t have to go on a tangent about genres in the beginning of this review. Don’t be scared away by your ideas of the 2008 model of “folk” or “alt-country”. Instead, try out TATLMTTW as their own thing and be rewarded with the rich sparseness of The Island Gospel.

The Accident That Led Me To The World - Hole Of Doubt.mp3
The Accident That Led Me To The World - Caves.mp3

Buy The Island Gospel directly from Nobody’s Favorite Records!