Re-imagining a sacred cow of rock albums is not only a demanding endeavor, but a tricky one. How do you put your own distinctive stamp on a work so relentlessly and universally familiar, one beloved by millions in its original state and still relevant more than three decades later?

If the album happens to be Dark Side of the Moon and your band is The Flaming Lips, unfettered and fearless pioneers of modern psychedelia, then you tackle it as you would any other challenge: by bringing on a cast of like-minded support players and diving into it headfirst.

The dystopian themes are still fully intact, as is the basic sonic framework of the album and certain key elements within it; the opening and closing throb of a beating heart; the chatter of a madman (guest Henry Rollins) interspersed throughout; the piercing opening screams of “Breathe” and the deep, soul-wailing female vocal solos of “The Great Gig In The Sky” (provided by Canadian electro-clash singer-songstress Peaches); the rising and falling organ notes in “Us and Them.”

This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2010.