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The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
. The band currently consists of
Wayne Coyne Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips. Early life Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
(vocals, guitar, keyboards),
Steven Drozd Steven Gregory Drozd (born June 11, 1969) is an American musician and actor. He is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the Flaming Lips, Electric Würms, and other projects. Early life Drozd was born in Houston, Texas, and gre ...
(guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyboards, guitars, percussion), Matt Duckworth Kirksey (drums, percussion, keyboards) and Nicholas Ley (percussion, drums). Following the departure of long-time bassist
Michael Ivins Michael Lee Ivins (born March 17, 1963, in Omaha, Nebraska) is the former bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and founding member of The Flaming Lips. Along with Mark Coyne and Wayne Coyne, he formed The Flaming Lips in 1983 in Oklahoma Ci ...
in 2021, Coyne has remained the band's solo consistent member. The group recorded several albums and EPs on an indie label, Restless, in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, they released their first record with Warner, '' Hit to Death in the Future Head'' (1992). Their 1993 album ''
Transmissions from the Satellite Heart ''Transmissions from the Satellite Heart'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released in 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. The album marked the departure of Jonathan Donahue (to Mercury Rev) and Nathan Roberts, and the ...
'' included the hit single " She Don't Use Jelly" which broke the band into the mainstream. They later released ''
The Soft Bulletin ''The Soft Bulletin'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released by Warner Bros. Records on May 17, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on June 22, 1999, in the United States. The album was released to widespread acc ...
'' (1999), which was ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' magazine's Album of the Year, followed by the critically acclaimed ''
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporat ...
'' (2002). In February 2007, they were nominated for a
BRIT Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
for "Best International Act". The group has won three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. They were placed on ''
Q magazine ''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series '' The Old Grey Whistle Test''. ...
''s list of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die" in 2002.


History


Early history and releases (1983–1990)

The Flaming Lips formed in
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
in 1983 with
Wayne Coyne Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips. Early life Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
on guitar, his brother
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...
singing lead vocals,
Michael Ivins Michael Lee Ivins (born March 17, 1963, in Omaha, Nebraska) is the former bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and founding member of The Flaming Lips. Along with Mark Coyne and Wayne Coyne, he formed The Flaming Lips in 1983 in Oklahoma Ci ...
on bass and Dave Kotska on drums. The band debuted at Oklahoma City's Blue Note Lounge. After they hired Dave Kotska as the drummer, Richard English joined the band in 1984. That same year they recorded ''
The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...
'' EP, their only release with Mark singing lead vocals. There are several theories as to how the band chose their name. One possibility is that it was inspired by the 1953 feature film '' Geraldine'', in which comedian Stan Freberg sings several songs, including one named "Flaming Lips". Another possible source is from the 1964 Shirley MacLaine film ''
What a Way to Go! ''What a Way to Go!'' is a 1964 American black comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Bob Cummings and Dick Van Dyke. Plot In a dream-like pre-credit sequ ...
'' in which Gene Kelly's character stars in a film titled ''Flaming Lips''. However, according to an article in the September 16, 1993 issue of
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
, Mark and Wayne came up with the name as a reference to a rumor about a classmate who contracted
genital herpes Genital herpes is an infection by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) of the genitals. Most people either have no or mild symptoms and thus do not know they are infected. When symptoms do occur, they typically include small blisters that break open ...
after receiving
cunnilingus Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed by a person on the vulva or vagina of another person. The clitoris is the most sexually sensitive part of the human female genitalia, and its stimulation may result in a woman becoming sexually aroused ...
from a partner with active
cold sores Herpes labialis, commonly known as cold sores or fever blisters, is a type of infection by the herpes simplex virus that affects primarily the lip. Symptoms typically include a burning pain followed by small blisters or sores. The first attack ...
. Wayne elaborated:
When Mark and I were in, I think it was
Junior Year A junior is person in the third year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In United States high schools, a junio ...
in High School, there was a rumor about this girl who got herpes from this guy at a party. He went down on her with a cold sore. I don't think we knew the girl, and I'm not sure if she even existed, you know how kids just spread
bullshit ''Bullshit'' (also ''bullshite'' or ''bullcrap'') is a common English expletive which may be shortened to the euphemism ''bull'' or the initialism B.S. In British English, "bollocks" is a comparable expletive. It is mostly a slang term and a ...
. But when we were thinking of band names one night over a pack of Schlitz and some left-handed cigarettes and remembered how we joked that they both had "Flaming Lips" and it just stuck.
After his brother's departure, Wayne assumed the vocal duties and the band released their first full-length album, '' Hear It Is'', on Pink Dust Records (the psychedelic-rock imprint of
Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/d ...
) in 1986. This line-up recorded two more albums: 1987's '' Oh My Gawd!!!'' and 1989's '' Telepathic Surgery'', the latter originally planned to be a 30-minute sound collage. Drummer Nathan Roberts replaced English and guitarist Jonathan Donahue (also a member of the alternative rock band
Mercury Rev Mercury Rev is an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York.
 Original personnel were In a Priest Driven Ambulance'', their first album with producer
Dave Fridmann David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. Career From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...
, was recorded at the State University of New York in Fredonia for $5 an hour on a $10,000 budget. The album was host to a marked expansion in the band's sound and their previous experiments in
tape loops Tape or Tapes may refer to: Material A long, narrow, thin strip of material (see also Ribbon (disambiguation): Adhesive tapes * Adhesive tape, any of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive * Athletic tape, pressure-sensiti ...
and effects were given a more prominent role. During this period, Coyne made his transition to a higher, more strained vocal style akin to
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...
, which he first used on '' Telepathic Surgery's'' "Chrome Plated Suicide" and has employed ever since. In 1990, the band caught the attention of
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
and was signed promptly after a label representative witnessed a show at which the band almost burned down the venue (American Legion Hall in Norman, Oklahoma) with the use of pyrotechnics.


Signed to Warner Bros. (''Hit to Death in the Future Head'' to ''Clouds Taste Metallic'') (1991–1996)

In 1991, the band started recording their major label debut '' Hit to Death in the Future Head''. The album's release was halted for nearly a year because of the use of a sample from Michael Kamen's score for the film ''
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
'' in the track "You Have to Be Joking (Autopsy of the Devil's Brain)", which required a lengthy clearance process. After the recording of this album, Donahue left the band to concentrate on Mercury Rev, and Roberts left the band as well, citing creative differences. They were replaced by Ronald Jones and
Steven Drozd Steven Gregory Drozd (born June 11, 1969) is an American musician and actor. He is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the Flaming Lips, Electric Würms, and other projects. Early life Drozd was born in Houston, Texas, and gre ...
, respectively. In 1993, they released ''
Transmissions from the Satellite Heart ''Transmissions from the Satellite Heart'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released in 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. The album marked the departure of Jonathan Donahue (to Mercury Rev) and Nathan Roberts, and the ...
''. This was the only studio album since ''In a Priest Driven Ambulance'', to date, in which
Dave Fridmann David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. Career From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...
has not been involved. Because of the success of the album and the single " She Don't Use Jelly", the band was featured on four popular television series: ''
Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...
'', '' Late Show with David Letterman'', '' Charmed'' and '' Beavis and Butt-head''. The success of this record led to long stints of touring, opening for bands including
Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
and
Candlebox Candlebox is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since its formation in 1990, the group has released seven studio albums, several charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD. Candlebox found immediate success with the release of ...
. '' Clouds Taste Metallic'' was released to much critical fanfare in late 1995, though it did not achieve the commercial success of its predecessor. The strain of the year-long ''Clouds'' tour, added to the stress from the three years touring in support of ''Transmissions'', was a major factor in the departure of Jones in late 1996. He was said to be suffering from a severe case of agoraphobia, although the documentary '' Fearless Freaks'' states that he left because of his growing concerns over Drozd's drug use. In September 2014, the band paid tribute to Jones and the impact his music had on their developing sound by performing ''
Transmissions from the Satellite Heart ''Transmissions from the Satellite Heart'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released in 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. The album marked the departure of Jonathan Donahue (to Mercury Rev) and Nathan Roberts, and the ...
'' live at First Avenue. In February 2015, they performed '' Clouds Taste Metallic'' at the same venue. Later, in December, a 20th anniversary box set called '' Heady Nuggs: 20 Years After Clouds Taste Metallic 1994–1997'', was released.


''Zaireeka'' (1997–1998)

The departure of Jones and a general dissatisfaction with standard "rock" music led to the three remaining members of the group redefining the direction of the band with the experimental '' Zaireeka'' (1997), a four-CD album which is intended to be heard by playing all four CDs in four separate CD players simultaneously. The music incorporated both traditional musical elements and "found" sounds (as in musique concrète), often heavily manipulated with recording studio electronics. As part of the development of this project, the band conducted a series of "parking lot experiments" and then later, "boombox experiments". In the parking lot experiments up to 40 volunteers were given cassettes created by the band to be played at a parking lot in their cars' stereo systems simultaneously. In the "boom box experiments" an orchestra composed of up to 40 volunteers with modified "boombox"-type tape players was "conducted" – directed to vary the volume, speed or tone of the tape they were playing (again composed by the band) – by
Wayne Coyne Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips. Early life Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
. Meanwhile, a series of unfortunate events (recounted in the 1999 song "The Spiderbite Song") beset the band. Drozd's arm was almost amputated needlessly because of what he claimed was a
spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
bite (it turned out to be abscessed as a result of Drozd's heroin use), Ivins was trapped in his car for several hours after a wheel spun off of another vehicle into his windshield, and Coyne's father died after a long battle with cancer.


Mainstream breakthrough (''The Soft Bulletin'' and ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'') (1999–2002)

Though their experimental endeavors received some press coverage, their real breakthrough came with the 1999 release, ''
The Soft Bulletin ''The Soft Bulletin'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released by Warner Bros. Records on May 17, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on June 22, 1999, in the United States. The album was released to widespread acc ...
''. Marrying more traditional catchy melodies with synthetic strings, hypnotic, carefully manipulated beats, booming cymbals and oddball but philosophical lyrics (sung much more strongly than on earlier releases), the album quickly became one of the underground hits of the year, even widely considered to be one of the best albums of the entire decade. Compared by many music critics to
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...
' ''
Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the 11th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the ...
'' because of its inclusion of harmonies and orchestrated sounds, ''The Soft Bulletin'' also featured greater use of synthesizers, drum machines, sound effects and more studio manipulation. After this album was released, Coyne stated that, "if someone was to ask me what instrument do I play, I would say the recording studio." As the band considered an attempt to recreate this complex album live solely with additional musicians to be complex and expensive, they decided to tour as a three-piece and make extensive use of pre-recorded music to fill out those parts that were not performed live by the members of the band. This led to the decision to have the drummer Drozd play primarily keyboards and guitar live instead of the drums. This, in turn, led to a decision to utilize video recordings and projections of Steven playing the drums for some of the band's older songs, so the band added Kliph Scurlock on drums and percussion, Drozd focused on guitars, keyboards, bass (when he plays bass, Ivins plays keyboards), drums and occasional vocals, when he sings, Coyne plays guitars, keyboards and
theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
. To enhance the live experience for their audience and to accurately reproduce the sound of ''The Soft Bulletin'' live, the Lips devised the concept of the "Headphone Concert". A low-powered FM transmitter was set up at shows, and the concert was simultaneously broadcast to small
Walkman Walkman, stylised as , is a brand of portable audio players manufactured and marketed by Japanese technology company Sony since 1979. The original Walkman was a portable cassette player and its popularity made "walkman" an unofficial term for p ...
-style receivers and headphones made available for free to audience members. This would, in theory, allow the audiences greater sonic clarity while still feeling the power of a full live P.A. This concept was debuted in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, and at the South by Southwest conference in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, in March 1999, and was subsequently used on the ''International Music Against Brain Degeneration Revue'' tour. This tour featured Japanese band Cornelius,
Sebadoh Sebadoh () is an American indie rock band formed in 1986 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Eric Gaffney and Lou Barlow, with multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein completing the line-up in 1989. Barlow co-created Sebadoh as an outlet for hi ...
,
Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing the ...
, Sonic Boom's E.A.R. and
IQU IQU (pronounced 'ee-koo', and originally named ICU) is an American lo-fi music group from Olympia, Washington, United States. History The band formed in Olympia, initially as ICU,Richard-San, Mark (1999)IQU ''Girls on Dates'' EP, Pitchfork Media ...
. Three years later, in the summer of 2002, the Flaming Lips joined bands Cake and Modest Mouse on the Unlimited Sunshine Tour. They also released the full-length ''
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporat ...
'' to much critical acclaim. Featuring guest musician
Yoshimi P-We Yoshimi (born on February 18, 1968) is a Japanese musician best known for her role as the longest consistent drummer in the Japanese rock band Boredoms. Alongside her drum playing skills with Boredoms, she performs the vocals for the all female ...
(who inspired the album's title track) and demonstrating more use of electronic instruments and computer manipulation than ''The Soft Bulletin'', ''Yoshimi'' is widely considered to be the Flaming Lips' first critical ''and'' commercial success after nearly twenty years as a band. The final track on the album, " Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)" earned a 2003
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, and the album was certified gold on April 10, 2006. In March 2007, the band revealed that they had recently teamed up with screenwriter
Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime ...
to produce a Broadway musical based on the album. In January 2012, Pitchfork TV released a forty-five-minute documentary on ''
The Soft Bulletin ''The Soft Bulletin'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released by Warner Bros. Records on May 17, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on June 22, 1999, in the United States. The album was released to widespread acc ...
''. The documentary featured several rare archival photos and videos along with interviews from the members, producer
Dave Fridmann David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. Career From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...
, and manager Scott Booker. The same year, ''
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporat ...
'' was adapted into a musical after being in development for years after the album's release. Both ''
The Soft Bulletin ''The Soft Bulletin'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released by Warner Bros. Records on May 17, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on June 22, 1999, in the United States. The album was released to widespread acc ...
'' and ''
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporat ...
'' have been released on
DVD-Audio DVD-Audio (commonly abbreviated as DVD-A) is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format. The st ...
. Following the success of "Yoshimi", Steven Drozd completed rehab for heroin addiction. This decision was spurred by a physical altercation between Drozd and Wayne Coyne.


Continued success (''At War with the Mystics'') (2002–2006)

Shortly after ''Yoshimi'' and ''The Soft Bulletin'', the Flaming Lips released two EPs in the same vein of their previous album's robotic theme which contain remixed songs from ''Yoshimi'', '' Fight Test'' and ''
Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell ''Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell'' is an EP by The Flaming Lips, released on Warner Bros. Records in late 2003. It was released while ''At War With the Mystics'', the full-length follow-up to ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Bat ...
''. They also appeared on the track "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)" on the
Thievery Corporation Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop and Brazilian music, including bo ...
album ''
The Cosmic Game ''The Cosmic Game'' is the fourth studio album by American electronic music duo Thievery Corporation, released on February 22, 2005, by ESL Music. After the success of their previous album ''The Richest Man in Babylon'' (2002), the guest artist ...
''. In 2002 they were invited to work with
The Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons in Manchester in 1989. They were pioneers (along with the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, and other acts) in bringing the big beat gen ...
. Steven Drozd performed lead vocals, while Wayne Coyne performed harmony vocals, on the single " The Golden Path", which was included on The Chemical Brothers compilation album, '' Singles 93-03''. In 2002, they performed as the opening act, as well as the backup band, for singer Beck on his '' Sea Change'' tour. In the summer of 2004, it was announced that the Flaming Lips would appear among the headliners on the 2004 Lollapalooza tour, alongside such artists as Sonic Youth and Morrissey; however, the tour was canceled because of lack of revenue. Also in 2004, the band recorded the song "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" for the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
of ''
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is a 2004 American live-action/animated adventure comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. The film was directed, co-written, and produced by series creat ...
''. Following the concerts' cancellation, the band entered Tarbox Road Studio with producer
Dave Fridmann David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. Career From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...
and began work on their eleventh album, the more organic-sounding ''
At War with the Mystics ''At War with the Mystics'' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on April 3, 2006 by Warner Bros. Records. The album is more guitar-driven and features more politically themed lyrics than the band's previou ...
''. The record, aimed to be a more guitar-based and heavier effort than recent albums, featured more politically conscious lyrics than any of their previous releases, and was released in April 2006 to a mixed yet mostly positive reception. In 2005 the band was the subject of a documentary called '' Fearless Freaks'', featuring appearances by other artists and celebrities such as
Gibby Haynes Gibson Jerome Haynes (born September 30, 1957) is an American musician, radio personality, painter, author and the lead singer of the band Butthole Surfers. Early life and career Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Gibby Haynes is the son of actor ...
,
The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wit ...
, Beck, Christina Ricci,
Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...
, Juliette Lewis,
Steve Burns ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...
, Starlight Mints, and
Adam Goldberg Adam Charles Goldberg (born October 25, 1970) is an American character actor, filmmaker, musician, and photographer. Known for his supporting roles in film and television, Goldberg has appeared in films such as '' Dazed and Confused'', '' Saving ...
. In that same year, the Flaming Lips contributed a version of "
Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack o ...
" to the album '' Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen''. Also in this year, the Flaming Lips released the DVD ''
VOID (Video Overview in Deceleration) ''VOID (Video Overview in Deceleration)'' is a 5.1 surround sound DVD by The Flaming Lips released on August 23, 2005. It contains new commentary by the band and nineteen music videos made by the band throughout their musical career. Track listi ...
'', which chronicles all of their ventures into music video that have been produced since they signed with Warner Bros in 1991. In October 2005, the Flaming Lips recorded a cover of "If I Only Had a Brain" for the soundtrack of the video game '' Stubbs the Zombie'', which features modern rock bands covering songs from the 1950s and 1960s. Additionally, the band released one new song, " Mr. Ambulance Driver", for the soundtrack of the
2005 film 2005 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts. Evaluation of the year Renowned American film critic a ...
''
Wedding Crashers ''Wedding Crashers'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin, written by Steve Faber and Bob Fisher, starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken with Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper and Jane Seymou ...
'' (a slightly edited version of the song found its way onto the new record). The band released two singles from ''At War With the Mystics'': "The W.A.N.D.", which was featured in a Dell commercial and which was originally put out as a download-only single in early 2006, and "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song", which became their highest-charting single on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, peaking at No. 16. A 4-track EP, entitled '' It Overtakes Me'', was released later in the UK that year. The only instrumental on the album, "The Wizard Turns On... The Giant Silver Flashlight and Puts on His Werewolf Moccasins", earned a 2006
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, making it twice in a row the Lips have been nominated in that category and won. Following the April 4, 2006 release of ''
At War with the Mystics ''At War with the Mystics'' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on April 3, 2006 by Warner Bros. Records. The album is more guitar-driven and features more politically themed lyrics than the band's previou ...
'', the band began a tour to support the album in the United Kingdom, including a finale at the Royal Albert Hall and performances at the
O2 Wireless Festival The Wireless Festival is a rap and urban music festival that takes place every year in London, England. It is owned and managed by Live Nation. While it started as primarily a rock and pop festival, in recent years it has focused on hip hop and ...
. At the Leeds England date of the festival, the band opened for
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, of whom they are long standing fans. The band continued to tour throughout the fall of 2006 stopping in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, the Virgin Festival on the Toronto Islands, Atlantic City's House of Blues, The
University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...
in Burlington, their hometown
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
, the
Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-base ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, and New York City, NY as well as several other cities. The homecoming show in Oklahoma City was performed at the
Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...
Amphitheater and included the unveiling of a new
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
stage prop, and would provide footage for the U.F.O.s at the Zoo concert DVD. On December 5, 2006, Oklahoma City honored the band with a downtown alley named after the band.
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...
and
Charlie Christian Charles Henry Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American swing and jazz guitarist. Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar and a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained nat ...
were also given street names by the city. Flaming Lips Alley is at the center of Oklahoma City's entertainment district, Bricktown. At the official dedication in 2007, Coyne said of Oklahoma City, "...We're on the way to becoming, I think, the fucking coolest city in America."


''Christmas on Mars'' (2008)

In 2001, the Flaming Lips began filming a low-budget
indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...
film entitled '' Christmas on Mars''. Filming for the movie ended in late September 2005 and premiered on May 25, 2008, at the Sasquatch! Music Festival. The film tells the story of the first Christmas of a colony set-up on the surface of Mars and was written by Wayne Coyne, and co-directed by Wayne Coyne, Bradley Beesley and George Salisbury, with the band and their friends acting in the movie. The band brought the film to rock festivals across America during the summer of 2008 and screened it in a large circus tent they had bought for that purpose. The film was released on DVD on November 11, 2008, along with a soundtrack written and performed by the Flaming Lips. The band released their first live concert DVD, ''UFO's at the Zoo: The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City'', on August 7, 2007. The band also contributed original songs to the soundtracks of several 2007 films, including "The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How to be in Love" for '' Spider-Man 3'', "I Was Zapped by the Super Lucky Rainbow" for '' Good Luck Chuck'', "Love the World You Find" for '' Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium'', and "Maybe I'm Not the One" and "Tale of the Horny Frog" for '' The Heartbreak Kid''.


Official rock song of Oklahoma (2009)

In March 2009 "
Do You Realize?? "Do You Realize??" is a song by the Flaming Lips, released as the first single from their 2002 album '' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots''. It is widely considered to be one of the group's most accessible and popular songs. It reached No. 32 in th ...
" was announced as the official rock song of Oklahoma. Ten choices were put to a public vote, and out of 21,000 votes cast nearly 51% were for "Do You Realize??" The Oklahoma Senate approved this choice unanimously. The Oklahoma House of Representatives failed to confirm the choice after Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City attacked the band for its use of offensive language, and Rep. Corey Holland, R-Marlow said he had been "really offended" when Michael Ivins came to the announcement ceremony in March wearing a red T-shirt with a yellow hammer and sickle. However, that evening, Oklahoma governor Brad Henry announced he would sign an executive order naming the song the official rock song. Henry said that for more than 20 years the Flaming Lips have produced "creative, fun and provocative rock music." "The music of the Flaming Lips has earned Grammys, glowing critical acclaim and fans all over the world", the governor said. "A truly iconic rock n' roll band, they are proud ambassadors of their home state... They were clearly the people's choice, and I intend to honor that vote." However, it was revealed in 2013 that
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Governor
Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...
removed this designation by not renewing Brad Henry's executive order upon taking office in 2011. An alley in Oklahoma City had been named for the band in 2006.


''Embryonic'' and ''Dark Side of the Moon'' (2009)

In 2009, the band released their twelfth studio album and first double album, ''
Embryonic Embryonic may refer to: *Of or relating to an embryo * ''Embryonic'' (album), a 2009 studio album by the Flaming Lips *''Embryonics ''Embryonics'' is a double-CD compilation of tracks by the Australian progressive metal band, Alchemist. It w ...
''. The album, which was the band's first to open in the ''Billboard'' top 10, was widely critically acclaimed for its new direction; late in the recording the band added Derek Brown on keyboards, percussion and guitar. In December of the same year, the band released their second album of the year and thirteenth overall, '' The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon'', a track-for-track cover of Pink Floyd's ''
The Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of ...
'', which was recorded with Stardeath and White Dwarfs and features guest appearances from
Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Roll ...
and
Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...
. The album was released physically on vinyl and CD in 2010. In 2010, the band performed "I Can Be a Frog" on the Nick Jr. television series ''
Yo Gabba Gabba! ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...
''.


2011 releases

In January 2011, the Lips announced their intention of releasing a new song every month of the year. In February, they released the first track titled "Two Blobs Fucking". The song exists as 12 separate pieces on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
and must be played simultaneously to be heard as intended. In March 2011, the Lips released the EP '' The Flaming Lips with Neon Indian''. In April, the band released the ''
Gummy Song Skull ''Gummy Song Skull'' is an EP released by The Flaming Lips as part of the '' Flaming Lips 2011'' series of monthly music releases. This was a limited release contained on a USB keydrive and placed inside a brain-shaped gummy which was further enc ...
'' EP, a seven-pound skull made of gummy bear material with a gummy brain, which contained a flashdrive with 4 songs on them. This release was extremely limited, but was soon leaked on the internet shortly after its release. In May, the band released its second collaboration EP titled ''
The Flaming Lips with Prefuse 73 ''The Flaming Lips with Prefuse 73'' is a four-track collaboration EP between the Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (voc ...
''. It contains four songs and was released in a similar way to the earlier Neon Indian EP, in that the run was extremely limited and consisted of randomly colored, one of a kind discs. This EP was briefly available on the band's official website but sold out shortly after it was put up for sale. June saw several releases by the band, the first being ''The Soft Bulletin: Live la Fantastique de Institution 2011'', a live-in-studio recording of the band's 1999 album ''
The Soft Bulletin ''The Soft Bulletin'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released by Warner Bros. Records on May 17, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on June 22, 1999, in the United States. The album was released to widespread acc ...
'' which was on a flash drive embedded in a marijuana-flavored brain inside a strawberry flavored gummy skull. This was only released at the band's two night show at the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...
on June 14 and 15. This show was a special two-night, one morning event in which they played the entirety of The Soft Bulletin one night and a new revamped version of ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' and collaborated with
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American folk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. The group is led by singer Alex Ebert. The band's name is based on a story Ebert wrote in his youth, about a messianic figure named E ...
for a performance of "
Do You Realize?? "Do You Realize??" is a song by the Flaming Lips, released as the first single from their 2002 album '' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots''. It is widely considered to be one of the group's most accessible and popular songs. It reached No. 32 in th ...
" at dawn of the second day. Also included on this flash drive was a best-of compilation titled ''Everyone You Know Someday Will Die''. It included songs from every portion of the band's career as well as a newly recorded intro. The final June release was the ''
Gummy Song Fetus ''Gummy Song Fetus'' is a three-track EP by the Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven ...
'' EP which consisted of three songs on a flash drive embedded in a bubblegum-flavored fetus made of gummy bear material. In July, the band released ''The Flaming Lips with Lightning Bolt'', a collaborative EP with experimental rock group Lightning Bolt, featuring the songs "I Wanna Get High But I Don't Want Brain Damage" and "Working at NASA on Acid". This EP was released on randomly colored vinyl as with the previous two collaborative EPs. In late August, the band announced that it would be recording a six-hour-long song titled "I Found a Star on the Ground". This, along with two other songs, was released in September packaged with a set of spinning discs with animations on them. This release is officially called '' Strobo Trip''. Featured in "I Found a Star on the Ground" is
Sean Lennon is an American–British musician, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, The ...
who, with his band, opened for the Lips in early 2011. In the song Lennon reads off several lists of names of people who donated $100 to the Oklahoma City SPCA and Academy of Contemporary Music at University of Central Oklahoma. 212 names are featured in the song. At midnight October 31, 2011, a 24-hour song was released titled "
7 Skies H3 "7 Skies H3" is a composition by American experimental rock band The Flaming Lips, released on October 31, 2011. Info "7 Skies H3" is a single, 24-hour-long song contained in an EP, ''24 Hour Song Skull''. Although compiled as a contiguous, day-l ...
". The song played live on a never-ending audio stream on a special website set up by the band and was made available for purchase as a hard drive encased in an actual human skull, limited to 13 copies. The band's last release of 2011 was a 12" EP collaboration, The Flaming Lips with Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, sold only at the band's annual New Years shows in Oklahoma City.


''Heady Fwends'', Guinness World Record and other collaborations (2012)

With their previous contract with
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
having expired in 2011, the band re-signed to Warner Bros. for the United States and to
Bella Union Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde. History After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twin ...
in Europe in early 2012. The first release under these new deals was '' The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends'', initially released as a limited edition vinyl-only package for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
on April 21. The album features collaborations with artists such as Kesha, Nick Cave, and
Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...
. In an interview with
American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...
, Coyne stated that "Since we were releasing music every month, we thought it would be a little bit boring for us each month to say 'Well here's four more Flaming Lips songs.' We just thought 'Well we'll get some of our friends, and we'll do collaborations and see what happens.'" The album later received a wider release on CD and digitally on June 26 in the US and July 30 in Europe. The Flaming Lips broke Jay-Z's Guinness World Record for the most live concerts (8) in 24 hours, on June 27 and 28, 2012. The attempt was part of the
O Music Awards The O Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the OMAs) is an awards show presented by MTV to honor music, technology and intersection between the two. The 1st O Music Award ceremony was held on April 28, 2011 on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Veg ...
, and was
Livestream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but ...
ed online for the entire 24 hours. The attempt started in
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
on the afternoon of June 27 and ended in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
on the afternoon of June 28, with 20 minutes to spare. The band played with guests including
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are an American rock band from Vermont, formed in 2002 in Waitsfield by drummer Matt Burr, guitarist Scott Tournet, and singer Grace Potter. They began their career as an indie band, self-producing their albums a ...
,
Neon Indian Neon Indian is an American electronic music band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo (born July 24, 1988), who is also known for his work with the band Ghosthustler, and as the solo artist VEGA. The project has b ...
, Linear Downfall and Phantogram and HOTT MT, among others. The concerts, which were required to be at least 15 minutes long, as per Guinness rules, featured a mix of special covers, songs rarely or never performed live by the band before, and new songs from '' Heady Fwends''. In November 2012 the band's Lovely Sorts of Death Records released a collaborative track-by-track reinterpretation of
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
's ''
In the Court of the Crimson King ''In the Court of the Crimson King'' (subtitled ''An Observation by King Crimson'') is the debut studio album by English rock band King Crimson, released on 10 October 1969 by Island Records. The album is one of the earliest and most influentia ...
'' with Stardeath and White Dwarfs, Linear Downfall, New Fumes, and Space Face entitled ''Playing Hide and Seek with the Ghosts of Dawn'' on vinyl and on their own 'Satellite Heart Radio' website. They also worked on Kesha's ''Warrior'' album (on "Past Lives") and ''Lipsha''. She also featured on their collaborative albums.


''The Terror'' (2013–2014)

The band's next studio album, titled ''
The Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
'', was originally due for release on April 2, 2013, in the US and on April 1 in Europe, the tour began with a new member: keyboardist and guitarist Jake Ingalls, Derek Brown focused on percussion and additional guitars and keyboards. Because of a corruption while mastering the record on vinyl, the US release was delayed for two weeks, until April 16. In anticipation of the album's release, their song, "Sun Blows Up Today", was featured in a Hyundai
Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
commercial. The band also released a lyric video on for "Sun Blows Up Today" with animations created by long-time Lips collaborator George Salisbury. The band premiered the new album live at a free outdoor concert at SXSW on March 15, 2013. Critical reception of the album has tended to focus on its thematic bleakness and the turgid noisiness of its instrumentation. Like the three albums often referred to as "a trilogy" accounting for the majority of the band's mainstream production over the past 15 years (consisting of ''The Soft Bulletin'', ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'', and ''At War With the Mystics''), ''The Terror'' adheres to the love story/space opera narrative structure while taking a much darker approach. As noted in a review by Pitchfork, "''The Terror'' deals in more personal turmoil– loneliness, depression, anxiety... Perhaps not coincidentally, the album was preceded by news of Coyne's separation from his partner of 25 years, Michelle, and of multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd relapsing temporarily."
Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' summarized the thematic content of the album fairly succinctly when he wrote, "The lyrics f 'The Terror'find cosmic repercussions in a lovers' breakup; loneliness turns to contemplation of grim human compulsions and the end of the universe." Another critic goes so far as to say that the album underlines the Lacanian psychodynamics structurally inherent in the conventions of the space opera. Wayne Coyne's own description of his process or the theme of the album jibes well with this critical diagnosis: "We want, or wanted, to believe that without love we would disappear, that love, somehow, would save us that, yeah, if we have love, give love and know love, we are truly alive and if there is no love, there would be no life. The Terror is, we know now, that even without love, life goes on... we just go on... there is no mercy killing." In November 2013 they produced and curated "The Time Has Come To Shoot You Down…What A Sound," a reworking of the Stone Roses' debut album featuring New Fumes, Spaceface, Stardeath and White Dwarfs,
Foxygen Foxygen is an American indie rock duo from Westlake Village, California, formed in 2005. The band consists of multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rado and vocalist Sam France. They have released six albums and a number of self-released EPs. History R ...
,
Peaking Lights Peaking Lights are a husband-and-wife music duo who met in San Francisco in 2006 and moved to Spring Green, Wisconsin in December 2007 where they lived until 2009. The couple then moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where they stayed until their return ...
,
Poliça Poliça (often stylised in all caps) is an American pop band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 2011. The band consists of Channy Leaneagh (vocals, synth), Chris Bierden (bass), Drew Christopherson (drums) and Ben Ivascu (drums), with Ryan ...
and others. In March 2014, longtime drummer and percussionist Kliph Scurlock left the band, and was replaced by drummer, percussionist and keyboardist Matt Duckworth Kirksey and percussionist and drummer Nicholas Ley. Derek Brown began focusing on guitars, and occasional keyboards and percussion. In May, Scurlock claimed he had been fired for negative comments about Wayne Coyne's friend
Christina Fallin Christina Marie Fallin (born March 18, 1987) is the daughter of former Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. She is a lobbyist and a singer. Background Fallin was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is the eldest child and only daughter ...
, the daughter of Oklahoma's governor and leader of a band called Pink Pony. Fallin had recently been criticized for cultural appropriation after she wore a Native American headdress in a publicity photo. According to Scurlock, his criticism of Fallin's actions led to conflict with Coyne and his dismissal. In response, Drozd said, " is Lips/Kliph bullshit has gone too far. We parted ways because of the usual band musical differences. The rest has been blown way out." Coyne went even further, calling Scurlock a "pathological liar" and stated that he never meant his defense of Fallin, which included posting a photo of his dog in a feathered headdress, to be offensive but that he was "very sorry, to anybody that is following my Instagram or my Twitter, if I offended anybody of any religion, any race, any belief system. I would say you shouldn't follow my tweets; you shouldn't even probably want to be a Flaming Lips fan because we don't really have any agenda."


''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' (2015)

On August 30, 2015, after hosting the
2015 MTV Video Music Awards The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2015. The 32nd installment of the event was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Miley Cyrus. Taylor Swift led the nominations with a total of ten, follo ...
,
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
announced that ''
Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz ''Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus. It was originally released independently on August 30, 2015, but was later released commercially on iTunes and other streaming platforms und ...
'', the free, 23-track experimental album that Cyrus and the Flaming Lips wrote and recorded together, was available via
online streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
. The album is described by Coyne as a combination of Pink Floyd and Portishead and "a slightly wiser, sadder, more true version" of Cyrus' pop music output.


''Oczy Mlody'', ''King's Mouth'', and ''American Head'' (2016–present)

According to the Tarbox Roads Studio's website, the Flaming Lips began recording a new album with Dave Fridmann on January 27, 2016. In a June interview with Danish music blog Regnsky, Wayne Coyne said that a new album would come out in January 2017, even though they had originally planned for it to be released in October 2016. Wayne Coyne later confirmed in a September interview with ''Consequence of Sound'', that they would release a new album at the beginning of 2017. On October 20, the band confirmed the January 2017 release date for the album. The band embarked on a tour in support that was described as "rock's greatest acid punch party" with "balloons, confetti cannons and rainbow visuals". On January 13, 2017 the fourteenth Flaming Lips album '' Oczy Mlody'' was released, and featured a guest appearance by Miley Cyrus. The album charted in both the UK and US. On
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
, April 22, 2017, the Flaming Lips released ''Onboard the International Space Station Concert for Peace'', a re-recording of seven tracks from ''Oczy Mlody'' in a faux live setting. The band's next studio album, '' King's Mouth'', was released on April 13, 2019, for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
. Mick Jones of
The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
and Big Audio Dynamite narrates the album; Wayne Coyne said of Jones that "he’s on almost every song... it really is quite unbelievable." In late 2019, Coyne and Drozd collaborated with garage rock duo
Deap Vally Deap Vally are an American rock duo, formed in Los Angeles, California in 2011. The group consists of Lindsey Troy (guitar, vocals) and Julie Edwards (drums and vocals). They have released three albums, an EP and a number of singles. Both albu ...
to form a new band, Deap Lips. The project's self-titled debut album was released on March 13, 2020. On March 23, 2020, Drozd announced that the band's sixteenth studio album, '' American Head'', is due for release in the summer. The band officially announced the album's release date as September 11, 2020, along with the single "My Religion Is You" on June 6, 2020. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the band performed a concert in their hometown of Oklahoma City on October 12, 2020, while entirely encased within inflatable human-sized bubbles. Audience members were also protected by plastic bubbles. They performed in this fashion on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and again in 2021. On August 16, 2021, Ingalls announced on his Instagram page that he left the band on amicable terms. Also in August, Coyne commented on his Instagram that Ivins was no longer in the band, leaving Coyne as the only original member. Micah Nelson has been on bass for recent live performances. In November 2021, the band released an album of nine Nick Cave cover songs with the young Canadian musician Nell Smith. Smith and The Lips recorded the album remotely during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.


Members

Current members *
Wayne Coyne Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips. Early life Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
 – lead vocals (1985–present), guitars, keyboards,
theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
(1983–present), backing vocals (1983–1985, 1991–present), bass guitar (2021–present) *
Steven Drozd Steven Gregory Drozd (born June 11, 1969) is an American musician and actor. He is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the Flaming Lips, Electric Würms, and other projects. Early life Drozd was born in Houston, Texas, and gre ...
 – guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, backing and lead vocals (1991–present) *Derek Brown – keyboards, guitars, percussion, backing vocals (2009–present) *Matt Duckworth Kirksey  – drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals (2014–present) *Nicholas Ley – percussion, drums, samples (2014–present) Current touring musicians *Tommy McKenzie – bass (2021–present) Former members * Mark Coyne – lead vocals (1983–1985) *Dave Kostka – drums (1983–1984) *Richard English – drums, keyboards, backing vocals (1984–1989) *Nathan Roberts – drums (1989–1991) * Jonathan Donahue – guitars, backing vocals (1989–1991) *Jon Mooneyham – guitars, backing vocals (1991) *Ronald Jones – guitars, backing vocals (1991–1996) * Kliph Scurlock – drums, percussion (2002–2014) *Jake Ingalls – keyboards, guitars (2013–2021) *
Michael Ivins Michael Lee Ivins (born March 17, 1963, in Omaha, Nebraska) is the former bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and founding member of The Flaming Lips. Along with Mark Coyne and Wayne Coyne, he formed The Flaming Lips in 1983 in Oklahoma Ci ...
 – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1983–2021) Former touring musicians *
Ray Suen Ray Suen (born July 5, 1985) is an American musician based in Los Angeles, California, best known for his work with Childish Gambino, Lorde and Mariachi El Bronx. Career Raised in San Diego, California and classically trained, Suen began playi ...
 – percussion, violin, harp, keyboards (2009–2012) * Micah Nelson – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2021)


Timeline


Discography

Studio albums *'' Hear It Is'' (1986) *'' Oh My Gawd!!!'' (1987) *'' Telepathic Surgery'' (1989) *'' In a Priest Driven Ambulance'' (1990) *'' Hit to Death in the Future Head'' (1992) *''
Transmissions from the Satellite Heart ''Transmissions from the Satellite Heart'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released in 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. The album marked the departure of Jonathan Donahue (to Mercury Rev) and Nathan Roberts, and the ...
'' (1993) *'' Clouds Taste Metallic'' (1995) *'' Zaireeka'' (1997) *''
The Soft Bulletin ''The Soft Bulletin'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released by Warner Bros. Records on May 17, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on June 22, 1999, in the United States. The album was released to widespread acc ...
'' (1999) *''
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporat ...
'' (2002) *''
At War with the Mystics ''At War with the Mystics'' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on April 3, 2006 by Warner Bros. Records. The album is more guitar-driven and features more politically themed lyrics than the band's previou ...
'' (2006) *''
Embryonic Embryonic may refer to: *Of or relating to an embryo * ''Embryonic'' (album), a 2009 studio album by the Flaming Lips *''Embryonics ''Embryonics'' is a double-CD compilation of tracks by the Australian progressive metal band, Alchemist. It w ...
'' (2009) *''
The Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
'' (2013) *'' Oczy Mlody'' (2017) *'' King's Mouth'' (2019) *'' American Head'' (2020)


Awards and nominations

The Flaming Lips won their first
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
in 2003, for their track "Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)". To date, the band has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, and won three times.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flaming Lips, The 1983 establishments in Oklahoma Alternative rock groups from Oklahoma American experimental rock groups American psychedelic rock music groups Grammy Award winners Indie rock musical groups from Oklahoma Musical groups established in 1983 Neo-psychedelia groups Noise pop musical groups Psychedelic pop music groups American space rock musical groups Warner Records artists Bella Union artists Restless Records artists Critics of Christianity Musical groups from Oklahoma City