Where in the world is rock 'n' roll?

There is no better time than the New Year to discuss “new.” For my first column of 2011, I want to examine the new direction of rock ’n’ roll — possibly the most open-ended genre in popular music and the one I find most interesting to trace.

Do you define rock ’n’ roll as the sound of guitars, drums and bass in energetic sync? Or, do you define it as the product of all the artists who ever barged forth and conquered it? The artists who were not just great at the universally accepted basics of rock ’n’ roll’s sound and structure, but who themselves became rock ’n’ roll? The ones who not only possessed a love, consciousness and natural talent for it, but also broke true ground with their voices?

If Elvis wrote the boundaries, the Beatles expanded them. Then came the Grateful Dead. Today, there are a number of title contenders, but a strong argument could be made for Radiohead dating back a dozen years. Their transformation from key players in the Nirvana-dominated alternative movement of the 1990s to successful innovators of electronica-saturated rock cannot be denied as a massive boundary expansion for rock ’n’ roll.

There are many traceable degrees of separation in between these dynasties, yet no surface similarities between the styles of, say, the King and Jerry Garcia. Whereas some genres have little potential for successful mobility, rock ’n’ roll never stays in one place.

So which way is it headed today? And where will it be tomorrow?

According to the charts, bands like the Black Keys, Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon are America’s current rock ’n’ roll sweethearts. I have mad love for many of them, but I don’t necessarily foresee their legacies marking critical turning points for the genre. They also are not the only ones trying to pick up where Radiohead will eventually leave off.

Animal Collective, a band that many would classify as experimental, neo-psychedelia or even pop before calling them rock ’n’ roll, is trying its hardest to do the same.

Their ridiculously expansive catalogue — throughout which they have toyed with every sound known to rock from acoustic guitars to samplers — gathered, refined and enthusiastically amplified all their past accomplishments in 2009 with their most recent album, “Merriweather Post Pavilion.” Like a pound of sushi, it overwhelms you with flavor and is initially tough to digest, but after a few tries, you might just want to consume it all day.

Why can’t Animal Collective be rock ’n’ roll? In their recent releases, one can hear small bits of great rock pioneers before them — from Radiohead to the Beach Boys. I think they work well on a playlist with Band of Horses and so does my iTunes Genius feature — and iTunes Genius is a total genius.

Their music offers everything that rock has ever given us and then some. I could cite many of their songs from the past 10 years, but the first two from “Merriweather Post Pavilion” are all the evidence I need to prove that they are becoming rock ’n’ roll. It’s all there: overflowing energy, drums being hit as hard as possible without breaking, bright piano chords harmonizing perfectly with in-your-face synthesizers, and lyrics like “feeling envy for the kid who’ll dance despite anything” that could echo loudly 50 years from now.

Like the Pink Floyds, Velvet Undergrounds and David Bowies before them, their sound is challenging, impossible to pinpoint, and might not receive its due credit for years to come. At the same time, it’s a sound unlike anything ever heard before.

Call them anything you want, but I call Animal Collective next in line for the throne — the very same one Elvis once sat on. They may not look like royalty material, but the family tree is pointing directly to them. And that’s lineage anyone can trace.