it took me a long time to get into BoC but the strange thing is that I never get sick of them. there are very few bands that do that. (Mogwai does that too or within the hibhop genre that would be The Roots, or Mos Def).
It seems that the quicker I like a band/song the quicker I also get sick of it. And music that I have to get used to with passive listening - e.g. have them playing in the background but not when running or driving then the longer I like them. Some artists and albums have literally stayed with me for decades. (e.g. The Roots Illadelphia Halflife or Things Fall Apart acompanied me when my kids were born, when I got my dog, when my dog died, when I got married, when my kids left for university, ...). Not every band is around that long or is able to adapt its music style to remain relevant (for my taste) ...
I remember the times when I went to buy music at record stores and there was no way of just purchasing the top 3 tracks from an album and skip the rest. You either bought the whole album or you got a single but there was nothing in between. Having shelled out the money I then wanted to make an effort to also give those songs "a chance" that didn't immediately stick. And it was always those more complex tunes that I ended up liking the most ...
Radiohead's discography has been this for me with almost every album. The most jarring changes were between The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A: each time I hated their 'new sound' at first and then eventually they became one of those albums that I just default to when I can't decide what else I might want to listen to.
The closest analogue in movies, I suppose, are the Coen Brothers. I wish there was a word for the feeling of listening to/watching/reading something, disliking it, but knowing that you'll probably end up loving it.
huge radiohead fan here. I also think they have undergone a massive transformation in style. as a fan it's challenging, but rewarding to follow them. As you described your struggle with their constant changing I'm currently struggling with their latest album. I'll probably end up listening to it every day in a year or 2. It kind of "grows on you", doesn't it? Like a pair of shoes that don't fit yet and after a time they are your favorite pair.
I saw them in Sweden a few years back right at their reunion, but while I still listen to a lot of shoegaze I think I might prefer Neil Halsteads solo stuff more, and the old Mojave 3 stuff, even if the genres are very different. Either way it's apparent he can make great music.
Even though I'm a grumpy 30 something, I do appreciate the last decade's revival of shoegaze. There's a lot of great new stuff. Everything from the more popular DIIV, Wild Nothing, Beach House, Beach Fossils (theme?) to more obscure stuff like LAUNDER, Scuba Dvala, Ringo Deathstarr, Blouse, Lowtide, JAWS, the Bilinda Butchers (a bit on the nose), etc.
