Animal collective hail from Baltimore, Maryland, and are a musical collective consisting of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deakin, or Deacon as spelled on Strawberry Jam (Josh Dibb), and Geologist (Brian Weitz).
Records released under the name Animal Collective may include contributions from any or all of these members; the lineup is not uniform. Although the band is often classified as freak folk or noise pop, it is hard to define the Animal Collective sound as they often experiment with diverse styles and ideas from album to album.
In early 2008, the collective entered the studio to record tracks for their eighth studio album. The album, entitled Merriweather Post Pavilion, was officially released in January 2009 to massive critical acclaim.
Recorded by Czech Radio (CR) at the Archa Theatre, Prague, on October 14, 2008 for the Eurosonic Partnership of the EBU