Those albums that keep on creeping up...

The most recent post on Enda's blog describes his usual listening pattern for a track as:

1. Discovery
2. Love/Hate/Indifferent
3. If love, repeated plays for certain period of time
4. Less regular outings
5. Even fewer outings.

I often have noticed similar patterns with albums. I will sometimes play them a lot in the first few weeks, depending on whether I like them a lot or not, then a bit less, then, depending on whether they made a lasting impression, they will get very irregular airings or not leave the shelf they've ended up on ever again. This is, you understand, not related to whether an album is actually good or not.

There are however a handful of albums that keep on creeping up on me at very regular intervals. They are linked to artists I am mad about, obviously, and reaching for them depends on a variety of reasons, whether it is dictated by my mood, events, magazine article or just a particular track resurfacing in my mind out of the blue.



Here's the non-exhaustive list, in no particular order:

Autechre: Tri Repetae / Chiastic Slide
Cocteau Twins: Heaven Or Las Vegas / Head Over Heels
Broadcast: Tender Buttons / Ha Ha Sound
Biosphere: Substrata / Dropsonde
Alice Coltrane: Ptah, The El Daod / Journey In Satchidananda
Animal Collective: Campfire Songs / Feels
310: Recessional / After All
Pet Shop Boys: Behaviour / Very
The Creatures: Boomerang
Joanna Newsom: Ys (this one is very recent obviously, but I have noticed the pattern developing already).