Watch MGMT Cover Pink Floyd's "Lucifer Sam"

All week long on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, rock bands are paying tribute to the golden age of Pink Floyd — that is, their internationally successful concept albums from the 1970s. Psychedelic indie-rock band MGMT, however, has chosen a slightly different route: For their appearance on Fallon’s show last night, they chose to commemorate the legacy of Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd’s original lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, with a cover of “Lucifer Sam” from the band’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Even among those who appreciate Piper and its whimsical, psychedelic pop stylings, the trippy “Lucifer Sam” often gets overlooked in favor of tunes like “Astronomy Domine” or “Bike” but is one of the album’s stronger songs, riding on an indelible surf groove and featuring an odd yet pop-sensible chorus: “That cat’s something I can’t explain.” Those only familiar with the blockbuster Pink Floyd albums like The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall might be thrown off that “Lucifer Sam” is a Pink Floyd song, as its raw, distinctly ‘60s psychedelia is far removed from the refined grandeur of the band’s later work after Barrett left the band due to mental illness.

MGMT’s performance was the most lavish of any band’s tribute thus far, featuring the group in Devo-like uniforms consisting of rubber yellow overalls and beanies playing amidst plenty of smoke and bubbles and accompanied by a friendly lobster and duck. Their rendition was spot-on to the original, even replicating Barrett’s otherworldly guitar slashes with precision. Plus, if you look closely, you can make out Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox near the back of the stage, reprising his role as Joey Ramone and playing what I believe is a reel-to-reel recorder (I’m not a gearhead).

Jimmy Fallon’s Pink Floyd festivities continue tonight with country star Dierks Bentley covering “Wish You Were Here,” surely the most perplexing candidate of the week to pay tribute to Pink Floyd.

Watch MGMT’s performance of “Lucifer Sam” below:

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