Who are Animal Collective?

A formal introduction to the much-blogged about band whose Merriweather Post Pavilion is already being called the best album of the year. (NY Times)

IN December an e-mail message encouraged fans of Animal Collective to leak its forthcoming album, “Merriweather Post Pavilion.” Normally this wouldn’t be much of a surprise; fans of this psychedelic rock band are known to be a devoted lot, furiously monitoring its ever-morphing live shows and debating the lyrics of unreleased songs. But this message appeared to come from Animal Collective itself.