I'm going to take this opportunity to recommend the American Music Club. They went on hiatus for the longest time, but they're active again now. Infact, they're due another album out this year!
Mark Eitzel is a truly fantastic songwriter and many of his songs have genuine moved me to tears. AMC made some truly beautiful music, but also put out a few that, while not awful, were somewhat difficult. So, I'm going to suggest starting at the most accessible album, and my personal favourite, "Love Songs For Patriots". Dark, depressing, but triumphant sounding. You used to be able to download the album in it's entirety from their American Music Club website, but it recently had a re-design and I'm not sure. Once you have a taste, try listening to the much more challenging albums "California" and "Everclear". So many people who try to listen to this band start in the wrong place and decide they're unlistenable, which is a real shame.