baD kARmA INk

Ever have one of those days where you try to bend your mind around a thought or concept and it just doesn’t seem to want to work?

I’m feeling a bit like that today.  You see, today is *supposed* to be music day, or at least some reasonable facsimile thereof.  I am supposed to be going through here and offering a little tidbit to look over, a little musical morsel to sink your teeth into.  However, I just don’t think I want to do that today.  I’m feeling a bit lazy…somewhat lethargic…and am sorely tempted to just phone the article in for today’s Harmonic Vicissitude.

You see, if I was actually feeling up to it, I would be telling you about an acoustic trio located in Seattle, WA currently called Until It Breaks.  I would be telling you that the band consists of  Ember Knight – Rhythm/Vocals, Kolen Graving – Guitar and Marko Scott – Bass.   I would probably also be telling you that the band was formerly known as The Hollowbodies, with the only change being that the role of upright bass was filled by Wes Amundsen, who Marko Scott had replaced when the band changed names.  Right about now, I would be mentioning that both band names have MySpace sites, which clever people would have realized have already been linked to, since that is just how I would be rolling.

If I wasn’t having just a brain drain today, I would be mentioning how the musical stylings that I have heard are definitely jazz-influenced.  I would also most likely be mentioning that the vocalizations of Ember Knight are rather hypnotic…a fusion of jazz, folk and pop that is a draw for anyone claiming themselves to be a fan of alternative music.  I would be drawing comparisons with bands just as 10,000 Maniacs, how Ember’s voice reminds me of a young Natalie Merchant with the guitars and bass offering the perfect accompaniment and how the songs themselves seem to take a cue from classic alternative bands such as 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M.  If I was writing this correctly, I would have YouTube links to a couple of songs for you to listen to, such as The Cowboy Song and Hymn.  I would also lament the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any internet site offering songs for sale, such as iTunes or LaLa.  I would most likely urge people that, if they happen to be in Seattle, WA, to check out the band for me and, if at all possible, keep me informed of any potential albums so that I may be able to do a more thorough review in the future.

If today was an ideal day, I would be re-iterating that Ember and her group Until It Breaks is definitely worth a place in anyone’s music collection.  I would be prompting you to check out the two MySpace links that would have been previously referred to and listen to the streaming MP3 selection to judge for yourselves.  I would probably end with some clever little play on words, like how I will continue to twist and manipulate your musical taste until it breaks.  Yeah, I would probably do something silly like that, if I was able to concentrate long enough to do so.

So, allow me to apologize for the somnolent posting.   It seems that I just wasn’t able to push a coherent thought through the mental block today.  I promise I’ll keep plugging away at the mental dam until it breaks and post something entertaining here for your perusal when that time comes.