A journey that's far from done; TATLMTTW is an unconventional folk trio.

Byline: Scott McLennan

COLUMN: SCOTT MCLENNAN

While folk music implies a certain straightforwardness by definition, that definition is certainly apt to draw plenty of interpretations.

For songwriter and musician Mark Mandeville, "folk" exists as simply unamplified music.

"There are no cables when we play," Mandeville said.

That "we" includes bass player Zack Ciras and guitarist, clarinet player and singer Raianne Richards, who with Mandeville make up The Accident That Led Me to the World.

"We prefer to play small, intimate places," Mandeville said. "It's best when the upright bass stands on the ground so when he bows it, you feel it."

To celebrate the release of its sophomore record, "The Island Gospel," The Accident That Led Me To The World is performing Thursday in the intimate confines of The Q, 362 Chandler St., Worcester. The show begins at 8 p.m.

Though few in number, The Accident That Led Me To The World is big in sound, drawing on elements of traditional country and folk while applying a free-thinking twist to the mix. Sure it fits under the folk umbrella, but listen to the melancholy arrangements that on occasion open up to a lonely clarinet line or to the delicate lyric patterns, and it is clearly not the work of a Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Still, it is folk.

The indie-music vibe surrounding TATLMTTW has been a mixed blessing. While certainly a lure for younger audiences as supportive of Bright Eyes as of Bob Dylan, the indie tag has hampered the trio's ability to reach out to a more traditional folk camp, Mandeville said.

"Some just make it past the name," Mandeville said. "These songs fall into the tradition of folk."

But Mandeville has to concede that his approach is not exactly traditional. Sure he invokes sounds common in Appalachian music and in country music. But the trio does not offer purely distilled sounds. The tune "Hole of Doubt," for example, invokes gospel, chamber music and country in one subtle, heady concoction.

The 10 songs on TATLMTTW's "The Island Gospel" all more or less work that way, pulling together sounds to create dramatic moods and feelings. The record is the next chapter in a parable begun with the trio's self-titled debut album.

The tale told through song is about a journey of self-discovery. The first album dealt with the chemistry of desire mixed with reality. The new album is based on the main character's withdrawal from the world and chronicles his period of self-examination.

"He's on this island damning everything," Mandeville explained. "But he comes to realize solitude is not the answer."

But it certainly is a good jumping-off point for an album. Mandeville's lonely songs mull over all sorts of ideas about family, relationships and expectations. The final song's sentiment that everything is perfectly broken suggests a certain resignation to the fact that the expectation of perfection in all aspects of life at all times is a punishing belief to hold.

Mandeville will have his protagonist rejoin society on a third album, but the journey will have to supply the details.

As for its own journey, TATLMTTW took shape four years ago in a coffee shop in Webster. Mandeville, Richards and Ciras met through their participation at an open-mic. Mandeville's songs easily lend themselves to the ethereal arrangements conjured by Richards and Ciras. Mandeville contributes to work as a solo artist, but with the trio has come upon a way to work through a central concept.

"It wouldn't be the same if one of us was not involved," he said

The release of "The Island Gospel" on the independent Nobody's Favorite Records sparked a new round of touring for TATLMTTW.

In addition to playing at The Q on Thursday, the trio will be at the Notlob Parlor Series held in the Loring-Greenough House, 12 South St., Jamaica Plain. The show is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in a co-bill with The Tornado Riders Band. The remainder of the TATLMTTW tour brings the group around New England and into New York and Pennsylvania.

As for the unwieldy name the trio took for itself, Mandeville explained that the term simply reflects exactly what the band hopes to express through its music.

"The most important things in life happen by accident," he said.

Scott McLennan can be reached at [e-mail]

The Accident That Led Me To The World

When: 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: The Q, 362 Chandler St., Worcester

How much: Free

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: The Accident That Led Me To The World, from left:Mark Mandeville, Raianne Richards and Zack Ciras.