Wet-dog records, in the end, productively arrest the process of pop-culture consumption. The best albums—or rather, those considered classics—reward repeated listening, but they also have an indisputable initial impact. The wet dogs seem like disappointments at first, and grow into something more than respectability. They’re records that draw listeners back in, that require an audience’s help to complete, that provide cheering proof that an artist’s goal isn’t necessarily success so much as creative exploration.
Ben Greenman on Morrissey’s “Kill Uncle” and the Wet-Dog-Record Theory http://nyr.kr/14952PI (via newyorker)