India, March 22 -- In January 2009, Animal Collective released Merriweather Post Pavilion, a kaleidoscopic burst of psychedelic pop that felt like a cultural detonation.

Named after a Maryland venue steeped in hometown nostalgia for two of the band's four members, Avey Tare (given name: David Portner) and Geologist (Brian Weitz), the album crystallised years of experimentation into something transcendent.

With Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) and Tare trading vocals over Geologist's shimmering synths and samples, tracks such as My Girls and Brother Sport married ecstatic hooks to a reverb-drenched, electronic sprawl.

Merriweather wasn't just critically acclaimed (Pitchfork crowned it Album of the Year), it was the band's commercial peak. The a...