After flirting with the mainstream so successfully that their "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" ended up as the improbable soundtrack to a salad dressing commercial, perhaps The Flaming Lips [ tickets ] had no other choice but to go back and rediscover their inner freak. That's exactly what Wayne Coyne and company do on the sprawling, 18-song "Embryonic."

Aside from the TV advert, the Lips' more pop-oriented material has become a commodity on TV and film soundtracks over the years, not necessarily a bad thing, but perhaps troublesome for those who are attracted to the band primarily from their earlier psychedelic freak-outs. Those early followers will likely be pleased as acid-spiked punch with "Embryonic." It's the Lips' least accessible album since 1997's "Zaireeka," a four-CD set designed to be listened to simultaneously. While "Embryonic," a double-album's worth of material on one CD, doesn't have any such synchronization challenges, its fuzzed-out space-rock jams, tribal drumbeats and just plain out-and-out weirdness will test the patience of fans of Lips' more pop-oriented material. Those willing to follow Coyne and company on their latest trip, however, will find the Lips' sonic experiments strangely rewarding.

Recorded from a series of jams at drummer Steven Drozd's vacant home, the Lips strived to keep the material in a demo-like state, hence the album's title. That strategy pays off big-time in the haunting, dirge-like "Powerless," which is enhanced by a trippy extended guitar solo. While not a concept album, Coyne seems to have astrology on his mind with songs like "Aquarius Sabotage" and "Gemini Syringes," but the album isn't all about darkness and drug references. "I Can Be A Frog," featuring guest Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, would be perfect fodder for a children's record, except that it's haunting production would probably scare the dickens out of the poor kids.

Closing with the drum-heavy, chant-along "Watching the Planets," featuring another Karen O. guest shot, the Lips confirm on "Embryonic" that they can still get their freak on. The only question that remains is what could they possibly do next?