Watch the Shins Cover Pink Floyd on ‘Fallon’

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon kicked off its week-long tribute to Pink Floyd last night with a performance by the Shins. Watch it below.

The Albuquerque, NM-born band covered “Breathe,” from the English rock giants’ 1973 blockbuster Dark Side of the Moon. Their somber, groove-oriented take on the stately prog-rock standard found singer-songwriter James Mercer’s voice settling into a slightly lower-than-usual register. It was his group’s first TV appearance in four years.

The Shins’ Pink Floyd cover was only the first of several scheduled this week on Fallon. The Foo Fighters appear tonight, joined by Pink Floyd singer-bassist Roger Waters, to play The Wall‘s “In the Flesh.” Pink Floyd covers by MGMT, Dierks Bentley, and Pearl Jam follow later in the week. Host Jimmy Fallon, who interviewed Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason last night, will talk with Waters tonight.

Fallon‘s Pink Floyd tribute coincides with the band’s massive reissues series, which began this week with a six-disc box set edition The Dark Side of the Moon. As The Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy blog points out, a giant inflatable pig– a nod to the band’s past– took flight yesterday over London yesterday to further promote the release. Fans can also watch The Greatest Gig in the Sky, a November 1974 Pink Floyd concert.

The Shins are expected to release a new album next year via Columbia Records, the band’s first album since 2007’s Sub Pop-issued Wincing the Night Away. Mercer and touring members Yuuki Matthews (bass), Jessica Dobson (guitar), Richard Swift (keyboards), and Joe Plummer (drums) are wrapping up a string of shows around North America. Their next date is October 15 at the Deluna Festival in Pensacola, FL.

Watch: The Shins, “Breathe”