Emerging from San Diego’s shadowed coastline in 1997, The Black Heart Procession began as the dark-hearted alter-ego of Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel, formerly of Three Mile Pilot. Their debut album 1, released in 1998, introduced a sound that felt both ancient and cinematic — pianos creaking like ship timbers, guitars bleeding reverb, and Jenkins’ voice cutting through the gloom like a late-night confession. 1 remains a record that sounds less like a debut and more like a séance — proof that heartbreak can echo beautifully for decades.

FFO: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Calexico, Calla, Sparklehorse, Tom Waits