In-depth So You Think You Know… Animal Collective

Once upon a time, four kids met at High School in Baltimore. It turned out they all shared a love for psychedelic music. Fast forward to the year 2000, and Animal Collective was born in a flurry of head torches, furry bamboo eating alter-egos, and lashings of strawberry jam.

These days we know Animal Collective as just that; a collective. It’s no overstatement to call ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ one of the most influential records of the noughties, just as ‘Campfire Songs’ - recorded in the freezing cold outside on a porch in November - equally holds up as a wildly inventive album, created by the most formidable psychedelic band of the century. Animal Collective have a huge back-catalogue of releases stretching right back to the millennium, but that’s only the beginning. Panda Bear, Avey Tare, Deakin and Geologist have dabbled in everything from vegan shoes to pirate radio and American Congress.

With Panda Bear’s fifth solo record ‘Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper’ out today (12th January), we delve deep into the adventure-land of Animal Collective, visiting previous bands, lesser-known side-projects, even and a token jellyfish documentary along the way.