The Flaming Lips

After the fluke success of their 1994 single “She Don’t Use Jelly,” The Flaming Lips emerged as one of the few bands of the alternative- rock era to reinvent themselves for indie-rock audiences, using their major-label budget to create lavish, uplifting experimental rock albums like 1999’s The Soft Bulletin and 2002’s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and earning a reputation for their celebratory live shows. The band returned to their dark, psychedelic- rock roots, though, with their most recent album, 2009’s Embryonic i>, a chilling record about the inevitability of death. The new material should lend a creepy undercurrent to the band’s show tonight at the Riverside Theater, but fans can still expect plenty of puppets and lasers.