Top Ten Albums That Had to Grow on Me

Now sometimes an album just hits you. From the first few notes you know it'll be on heavy rotation for a while. Other times it takes a while and a few listens before you realize just how much you like it. So in honor of these albums, I present my Top Ten Albums That Had to Grow on Me

10) The National - High Violet

The National have been one of my favorite bands for a while now, so maybe my expectations were a bit high for this album. But when I first listened to it I felt a bit let down. Then for some reason all these great songs started showing up that just happened to appear on the album. I don't know where these songs were on my first listening, but when I went back, sure enough they were there.

9) Blonde Redhead - 23 (Dig)

Sometimes you just have to be in the right mood for a certain album. When I first listened to this, I was definitely not in that mood. The second time though, I definitely was.

8) The Magnetic Fields - Distortion

The problem with being a band that likes to experiment with their sound is that at times you can alienate fans. Knowing this in advance though does make it easier on fans. Cause then you know that it's possible you might not like an album that much at first and that's okay. Just cause the album is different doesn't mean its any less good.

7) Raveonettes - Whip It On

Sometimes something as simple as the first song you hear can start you off on a bad foot with a band. Had I heard Veronica Fever first instead of Attack of the Ghost Riders, my experience with the Raveonettes would probably have gone quite differently.

6) Anything by Will Oldham

Other times it's just a random association that has nothing to do with the music. Being that I was not a fan of my college roommate Junior Year, it was hard for me to take interest in any of the music he liked. But after we went our separate ways, Will Oldham's music suddenly started appealing to me much more.

5) Lily Allen - Alright, Still

Then there are cases when an artist's reputation precedes her. With so much about Lily Allen the drugged up party girl from across the pond, I really could have cared less about her music. But when the gossip columns started to quite down and her music finally got a chance to speak for itself, it actually had some really good things to say.

4) Bloc Party - Weekend in the City

And sometimes all it takes is the right music video to remind you how much you like a band. I'd all but written off Bloc Party by the time Weekend in the City came out, but after seeing the video for Flux, it reminded me that they were a band worth listening to.

3) The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell

Now a performance on a major late night show can go a long way to help improve a band's exposure. Of course when yo do that performance, make sure you pick the right song and make sure you play it well. Otherwise you're just doing yourself a disservice.

2) Broken Bells - Broken Bells

So their first single The High Road was admittedly awesome, but the rest of the album really didn't appeal to me that much at first. But being such a big fan of the Shins I gave it a few more tries and sure enough, before long it was the soundtrack to every long car ride I went on.

1) Arcade Fire - Funeral

This album took a couple dozen listens over the course of several months, recommendation from about a dozen friends, David Bowie, and the Gilmore Girls before this album hit me the right way. It's since gone on to become one of my favorite albums, but it really had to work for the honor.