Appreciation post: A record store clerk in Seattle told me I was missing the point of a 1994 folk album

I picked up 'The Creek Drank the Cradle' by Iron & Wine years ago and only played the first track, thinking it was too quiet. The clerk said, 'You're listening for hooks, but this whole thing is a mood, you gotta let it sit.' I started playing it on rainy afternoons and it clicked. What's an album you wrote off at first that grew on you later?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.parker3mo ago

Is it really that deep though? It's just music. Sometimes an album doesn't click right away, and that's fine. The whole "you're missing the point" thing from a clerk feels a bit much. It's okay to just not like something, even after you give it a real try. Not every slow record needs a rainy day to be good.

theawest3mo ago

Ugh, totally feel you. That clerk's attitude is the worst part of record shopping sometimes. I've bought stuff because of a passionate recommendation and just felt nothing for it, even after a few spins. It's okay for music to just not be for you.

ivan_perez18d ago

See I gotta push back on this Craig. Music can be deep, that's the whole point of putting headphones on and zoning out. Yeah it's just sounds hitting your ears, but its also a whole mood or a memory or a feeling that someone worked hard to shape. @theawest, clerks can be annoying but sometimes they're right that you gotta sit with something. Like I didn't get Loveless for like two years, sounded like noise. Now I can't listen to it without getting chills. If you write something off too quick you might miss out on what makes it special.