Panda Bear is probably better known as a member of the genre-stretching experimentalists, Animal Collective.

But as a solo artist, he's previously recorded a self-titled album for Soccer Star Records in 1999 and during 2002, recorded a personal collection of songs that reflected on the death of his father. These tracks were eventually released at the end of last year under the title of 'Young Prayer'.

You can also find Bear making jams with Rusty Santos for fashion shows under the name of Together.

At the start of the year, Panda Bear came to the UK for a series of live shows with Signer and Ariel Pink (signed to the Animal Collective's own Paw Tracks label) and during his visit, took the time to talk with us.

For more info on Panda Bear, check out the Paw Tracks site.

Hi Noah, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. You're about to embark on a tour of the UK this week, are you looking forward to it? Be wary of the gale winds were currently having...

Sorry this is so late. It's totally my fault. The UK part of the tour was really rad though overall. There was a whole lot more people at most of the shows than I would have thought and that was sweet. I had a good time especially because of Gary War and Slice. they played most of the shows with me but usually they play with Ariel (Ariel Pink, fellow Paw Tracks signing).

Ariel didnt get into the country but Gary and Slice did. they played some of their own music sometimes too and that was full on. I think we got there right at the end of all that wind and shit. We saw on the news that people had died up near Scotland way. It was like the Tsunami all over again. It's really shitty stuff and I hope everyone up there is ok and better now.

Your recent solo album 'Young Prayer' is a very personal LP recorded to reflect the passing away of your father, what made you decide to release it?

Well it sure was hard and it took a long time. For a long time I didn't want to do it and i thought it was too heavy and sometimes I feel like it is still. But the boys in the band were super encouraging and all my other bros and stuff were behind it all the way and that made it easier. Mostly it was other people working on it that made me feel ok about releasing. Like it wasn't just mine anymore and it was a little less close to home if you know what I mean.

Were you worried about how it would be percieved?<br>
No not really. I feel like sometimes people make up their mind right from the start and there's nothing you can do anyway. Also everybody's got a right to their opinion if you know what I mean so if someone says it's shit I don't get too bummed out. I just probably wont be great friends with that dude. I guess I thought people would say it was too sad and meandering and not as tight as other AC stuff and kind of unfocused and lots of people have said that kind of thing.

But, I've also talked to people who feel like they've connected with the spirit and sensation of it and that gets me really psyched. My wife decided she liked it like just last night and she said she can't really listen to it very often but after hearing it five or six times she really likes it. I didn't expect it to be the sort of thing you put on very much I suppose so that makes a lot of sense to me.

Some people saw 'Young Prayer' as a bit "difficult", do you think it will work within a live environment? What are the differences between playing as a whole band and performing solo?

I played it like 5 times in New York City two years ago. It was really really hard and I was pretty drunk most of the time. I was scared I think to sing and play guitar only and have it just be me on stage. I felt super naked if you know what I mean and there was no space to make mistakes because its all kind of hyper precise in a way. I wouldn't say it was fun but it felt really good when it was done. People seemed to like it but it was a serious affair for sure.

I wouldn't want to do a serious sort of thing all the time but it was a serious time in my life so it worked for me. Playing with the band is way easier for me and kind of more fun because there's lots more room to move around and play along with sounds that the other guys are making and its like a team and I like that.

Not so much with 'Young Prayer', but do you deliberately try and push boundaries when creating new music?

For sure. To reach for something that isn't there yet and to try to look ahead and not back is super important to me. I'd be totally bored I think or lazy if I wasn't trying to do something new at least new for me. I'd like to always play something that's just beyond my reach if you know what I mean. 'Young Prayer' for me was definitely a shot at trying something new at least for me. I tried to write in a way that I hadn't before and I tried to sing parts that were more complex and difficult to sing than I ever had before. and the structures of the parts and the songs were way more intense than anything I had done before.

Will you be releasing more solo material soon? I heard something about a 'Panda Bear Dances' EP...

Yeah I've done a bunch of new songs on these two little sampler boxes I got and I'll probably record this summer. I was doing this past tour with all those songs although I totally erased like three of them by accident. The stuff probably won't be out until the end of the year though I imagine.

Who would you say are the main artists / genres that have influenced your musical output?

My Mom and my Dad really taught me a lot of stuff. The guys in the band and working with Avey especially has totally formed the way I do things. I like Jonathan Richman a whole lot and Roy Orbison and Scott Walker and Jacque Brel and The Police and touring with Ariel definitely made me think about things in a new way. I could go on for a really long time with this one.

One of your tour mates, Ariel Pink, is also signed to your own Paw Tracks label - are there plans to sign other new artists in the near future?

Yes, but it's hard because we all like different stuff so it's rare we all agree on something. Ariel was an instantaneous decision. We didn't need long on that one but other stuff it seems like is taking longer. There will be more stuff for sure.

What are Animal Collective upto at the moment?

We're going to play two shows in New York later this month and then well record around Seattle somewhere for all of March. Then we'll tour the States for a little bit in April and then probably when the record comes out in the Fall well tour again like in Europe and stuff.

Is there any truth in the rumour that you guys have recorded an EP with Vashti Bunyan? How did that come about and can you tell us about the release?

Yes that's true. We recorded last spring I think. Rusty Santos recorded us and that was rad because he rules. The FatCat label hooked us up and she and us were just psyched to do it I guess. She was really nice and we did like a song a day for three days. We wrote the songs and she sang them and that was sweet. I imagine it will be out later this Spring. I really like the songs a whole lot so im super pumped about it, but I havn't heard the final versions like of the mixes because Avey and Deaken and maybe Bresson did those. Russ was hooking that stuff up too iI think.

Speaking of Rusty Santos, what do you think of his new album, 'The Heavens' ?

I think it's totally sweet. He's the raddest. I hope good things happen for him always. We have a band called Together that we play fashion shows and that sort of thing, but we've only done one so far. I moved away and that made things hard of course but im sure we'll do more sometime. We both get off on clothes and really dig that kind of thing. Russ is a really good cook too and knows all about the finer things in life and that's good if you're me because I know shit about that sort of stuff.

Which music have you brought to play in the tour bus?

I have one of those iPod things, but we couldn't find one of those tape things that you hook up to the stereo and some auxiliary device like the iPod or a cd player or something. So I couldn't really play my jams until the last few days of the tour. I played some equals and we went with Ride The Lightning for a bit. Some other stuff too, but I can't remember so well.

Thanks Noah, and good luck with the tour.

Thanks very much to you too and please take good care.