Nine Black Poppies

This 1995 nine-song mini-LP was the start of John Darnielle's move to accessibility. From here, he began making albums for slightly higher-profile labels, and his songs—while still obscure in spots—were more easily understood and enjoyed. He still recorded a good amount of his material on his Panasonic boombox, but he was also willing to use a professional recording studio when the opportunity arose and he could harmonize with his friend Peter Hughes. "Cubs in Five" is a hilarious little number about the most impossible and/or incongruous scenarios ("Bill Gates will singlehandedly spearhead the Heaven 17 revival"), though the Tampa Bay Bucs did finally make it all the way to January. The studio recordings "Going to Utrecht," "Chanson Du Bon Chose," and "Stars Fell on Alabama" are among the finest songs Darnielle had written to this point and deserve the slightly more elaborate arrangements. "Lonesome Surprise" is a cover of a Refrigerator*** song, featuring a duet sung over the phone.