The Flaming Lips

For most bands, psychedelia is a temporary if life-altering phase. But for Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips, it’s a forever home they have consistently refashioned since their formation in Oklahoma in 1983. The alienated acid punk and Fortean weirdness fuelling early records like 1989’s Telepathic Surgery evolved into the cracked songcraft and surrealist fun encapsulated in the hit “She Don’t Use Jelly”. These, in turn, gave way to the world-building expanses and metaphysical reflections on 1999’s The Soft Bulletin and 2002’s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. The latter’s pivot toward cosmic electronic music triggered a seismic shift in indie rock. It also unveiled “Do You Realize??”, a hymn about beauty, love and mortality that cemented the perception of Coyne as a mystic raised not on religion but psych rock. And while the group’s multimedia concerts certainly amplify this sense of lysergic wonder, it’s releases like 2013’s The Terror that play the important if challenging role of revealing the shadow side of their vision.