Crippled Black Phoenix

200 Tons Of Bad Luck could be the soundtrack for a nature video documenting the re-growth of plant life after a fire. Running with a dark and vibrant intertwining of diverse instrumentation presented in new ways, 200 Tons Of Bad Luck translates the universal spirit of life into music that could aid a heart's recovery from melancholy. UK-based Crippled Black Phoenix are a multi-member collaborative of musicians formed originally by Justin Greaves of Iron Monkey and Dominic Aitchison of Mogwai. In the musical family of Spacemen 3 or early Mercury Rev, the act express power through guitar, with fluctuations of speed and intensity throughout. The collection of songs opens with "Burnt Reynolds," a slow-building rock anthem containing raucous tribal yells. "Littlestep" sounds like the missing post-rock rarity from Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon. And "Time of Yer Life/Born for Nothing/Paranoid Arm of Narcoleptic Empire" is an 18-and-a-half-minute trilogy containing from-the-heart advice spoken by legendary stuntman Evil Knievel. Make today the best day of your life. In a word: epic.