The Walnut Room

200 Million Years

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Like most atmospheric bands of the last decade and a half, 200 Million Years definitely learned a thing or two from Radiohead’s penchant for mixing ambitious pop music with a deep experimental streak. The act also probably gleaned a bit from Sigur Rós and its ability to blur the line between a sense of dreaming and the rush of wakefulness. Wherever these guys are coming from, their means of transporting the listener there is uniquely crafted, incorporating the aesthetics not only of music, but of cinema — underscored by the fantastic videos the band has posted on its site in lieu of conventional music tracks. For this show, the band is releasing a new album filled with an intensely contemplative yet immediate soundtrack for a saner pace of life. The rarely sighted trio, 200 Million Years, hasn’t played a live show in about six months, but that doesn’t mean its members haven’t been busy. The band’s singer and multi-instrumentalist Ellison Park is working on the full-length follow-up to his debut EP, “When Head Killed Heart.” Drummer Carl Sorensen is busy making recordings and playing live with a dizzying array of Colorado musicians, including John Common, Andrea Ball, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Eleanor and many more. Among the latest efforts by founder/singer/guitarist/primary songwriter Zale Hassler is singing backup vocals for a track on “In Memory of Loss,” the latest album by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Wheel. But the group has also been busy with its own music, and will be sharing it on a four-song EP to be released this Friday at the Meadowlark. 200 Million Years’ recorded debut — recorded with Sam Glover of Natural Selection and mastered by Andy Hamilton of Houses — will include “No Good News,” the track you can steal below. Starting off as a rich, orchestral composition, the tune patiently evolves into a hypnagogic, Pink Floyd-esque stoner ballad. It only lingers in that territory for about a minute, though, before transforming into a whimsical, organ-driven rocker that is surprisingly soulful. The lilting melody, compositional ambition and layered arrangement of “No Good News” suggest a group with boundless creativity, diverse influences and the potential for some very fresh sounds.