Animal Collective joined BBC Radio 1’s Rob da Bank in the BBC Maida Vale Studios on Monday to record two particularly dreamy tracks for us faithful radio listeners. It has taken me a while to succumb to the Animal Collective phenomenon, but these recordings have got me. I’ll be seeking out my very own copy of Merriweather Post Pavilion, the album with the super trippy cover. Apparently the four guys from Maryland, who have been playing music together in various permutations since grade school, named this album after an outdoor venue in Columbia, Maryland thatthey hold very close to their hearts.  Though it’s quite early in the year, I expect that this album will make it on to many Top 10 of 2009 lists, considering the massive critical aclaim and popularity it has seen thus far. Check out the new album, if you haven’t already, and enjoy these radio rips of their recent Maida Vale Session:

Taste & What Would I Want Sky

Both tracks are previously unavailable, and atest to Animal Collective’s love of experimentation. Don’t try to put Animal Collective in a box, because they won’t fit!