It may be treacherous to use one event as a definitive example of what a band stands for, but Animal Collective’s recent appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien is quite emblematic of their staunchly idiosyncratic approach to self-promotion. With their eighth album, Strawberry Jam, not even a month old and the first single from it, “Peacebone,” garnering raves around the world, they chose to use their first nationally-televised performance as an opportunity to perform “#1,” arguably their new album’s least marketable track. Built-out cascading synth tones, ethereal chants and viscously manipulated spoken lyrics, it’s a song with no real hook, one that must have baffled the few million viewers who tuned in expecting another scruffy guitar-pop band. But Animal Collective has never been a scruffy guitar-pop band, and after seven years of creative machinations, they show no signs of ...