PSYCH TEST

Psychedelia used to be music for watching colors climb the walls. Now it's music for watching a photography exhibit. You also don't get much in the way of voices green and purple with Animal Collective. Instead, it's the twittering of merry forest nymphs-still led by Avey Tare and Panda Bear-who finally deigned to flirt with rock for last year's Feels.

The result is ultimately more plodding psych-folk, but the Collective soundly triumphs over Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips in finding pleasant settings for their pretensions.

Some people have been waiting most of the decade for this final stumble into greatness. Animal Collective's debut was full of theatrical glam in the most indulgent T. Rex fashion (or Tyrannosaurus Rex, more accurately), but it was also grounded in an unfortunate Radiohead influence. So was everything else released in 2000. The next year's Danse Manatee was both darker and disappointing, but nobody paid enough attention to notice.

Animal Collective was set to fade away as quickly as any other NYC band that wasn't dressed for the new wave/$12 cocktail scene. No great loss, either. Here Comes the Indian still managed to get the band some positive attention back in 2003, despite-or mainly because of-it sounding like some peyote got snuck into the sweatbox at the New Age retreat.

And yet still there seemed a promise that Animal Collective had the melodic heart that never quite emerged from any of the Elephant 6 gang. Three of the four members got their ambient jams out with a side-project, and then Sung Tongs emerged as the Collective's closest bid yet for sunshine pop-even if the sunshine came beaming over a Renaissance Faire.

One more spate of side-projects finally got us back to last year's Feels. The album's full of meandering mewling and thumping, which doesn't bode too well for the live act. Still, Feels isn't so spacey that it can't provide a solid beat. Locals who long ago lost interest can feel fairly secure about giving AC a chance to put on a rock show. The songs may be kind of retarded rock, but at least they'll be putting a new spin on that recent NYC tradition.

March 23. With Nix Noltes. Webster Hall, 125 East 11th St. (betw. 3rd & 4th Aves.); 8, $20/$22.

March 25. Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (at Bowery), 212-533-2111; 8:30, $20/$22.