The band's 2007 album Strawberry Jam was their first to chart on the Billboard 200.
In 1999, they established the record label Paw Tracks, issuing what is now considered their debut album, Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished (2000), as well as work by other artists. The band members met in school and started recording together in various forms of collaboration from a young age. AllMusic's Fred Thomas suggests that the group 'defined the face of independent experimental rock during the 2000s and 2010s.' The band's work is characterized by an eclectic exploration of styles, including psychedelia, freak folk, noise, and electronica, with the use of elements such as loops, drones, sampling, vocal harmonies, and sound collage. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland.
