Across the protracted, seven-year buildup to Deakin’s debut solo LP, Animal Collective’s most elusive member launched a controversial Kickstarter campaign, journeyed to Mali and battled crippling self-doubt over his musical path. He should have trusted his instincts: Sleep Cycle is the warmest, most human release from camp AnCo since the ambient acid rock of 2005’s Feels. Indeed, these six tunes play like lost relics from his main band, discovered accidentally on a hard drive after a decade. “Just Am” finds Deakin “standing in the desert,” his unassuming voice crossing over sand dunes built ofelectric-guitar buzz and flickering piano. “Footy,” a psychedelic nightmare bordering on free jazz, is anchored by a boyish vocal melody that recalls his buddy Avey Tare. Deakin has always operated in the Animal Collective shadows, performing on select LPs and rarely earning the acclaim of his bandmates. But Sleep Cycle’s hypnotic textures underscore his importance to their approach. More impressive are the moments of differentiation: “Golden Chords,” with its double-tracked acoustic fingerpicking and after-midnight crooning, wouldn’t sound out of place on the new M. Ward album. Deakin took his sweet time with self-discovery, but the wait was worth it.