Customer Reviews

Amore Del Tropico

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From their impressions of a southwestern Afghan Whigs to their mimicry of Concrete Blonde and Beat Happening, The Black Heart Procession are making some of the best-and darkest background music around.

From the Hitchcock-ready piano driven slink of "The Invitation" to the ghostly howls heard on "Tropics of Love," BHP seemed poised to make the hippest horror movie soundtrack you've ever heard. Their lyrics are less poetic than simple narration of something wicked this way coming. Paulo Zappoli taunts the listener, "did you not see / wasn't it clear...the signs on the road...the writing on the wall," while percussionist Joe Plummer pounds away at what sounds like a broken snare drum stuck in a bathroom stall.

Zappoli and fellow multi-instrumentalist Tobias Nathaniel add layer after layer of chirping organs and pulsating synthesizers instead of going the usual verse-chorus-bridge highway. The end result is a sort of undead Yo La Tengo-if that makes any sense. Picture hoards of classic movie monsters laboriously jamming with Lou Reed and David Bowie in an abandoned amusement park just before Scooby and the Mystery Machine gang arrive.

Call it post-gothic or The Cure gone convincingly trip-hop. Whatever it is-it certainly isn't music to listen to in daylight. Rather, it's the perfect album for a newly opened opium den, or maybe the last song in a Roman Polanski or Darren Aronofsky film. It's good stuff-but it's not for the faint of heart.

Something went wrong on the ballroom dance floor. Mysterious and cinematic in nature, The Black Heart Procession's Amore del Tropico carries the feeling of an old movie at the brink of a murder scene. Highlights in this album are "Tropics of Love," a seducing salsa-meets-jungle song; "Broken World," a tale of hopelessness and ultimate sadness within a world gone mad; and "Fingerprints," which parallels crime evidence to the aftermath of a love affair. Genre-wise, I'd put the group vocally and often stylistically in tune with Radiohead, with a cynical romantisism comparable to Fiona Apple. You'll never hear these guys sing about the butterflies of a first kiss; their version of love is that of conquest and anguish. The Black Heart Procession's Pall Jenkins (vocals, guitar, synths) and Tobias Nathaniel (piano, guitar, organ) are from San Diego, but the album's influences range from South America to southern America, often encompassing old saloon melodies combined with modern trip-hop flavors. A refreshing style.

The name says it all. The Black Heart Procession's music is about heartbreak and loss, and on their previous three albums most of the music has provided apt atmospherics for the depressing lyrics. But then there were always a few gems where they let loose and threw some rhythm and tempo into the mix. These were the songs that stood out and hinted at what these guys were capable of, and ultimately kept us listening. On their new album, Amore Del Tropico, the Black Heart Procession begins to deliver on the promise of their previous efforts.

After a very brief intro, the title track "Tropics of Love," kicks in, and it's immediately clear that the Black Heart Procession have expanded their horizons. Most of the painful dirge is gone; in its place are lush arrangements, complete with percussion that borders on Latin at times. The real linchpin of the Black Heart Procession is talented multi-instrumentalist (guitar, piano) Tobias Nathaniel. He's a breath of fresh air in an age when your average indie rocker spends more time getting his/her hair just right than learning to play his/her instrument. Nathaniel's talents provide the foundation for Amore, and his piano lines figure in more prominently than ever (as they should).

But the musical blossoming here goes even further. It's clear that a lot of thought went into this album. Beautiful string arrangements weave in and out of the mix, as do synthesizer and organ, surf guitar, whispers, female backing vocals and their trademark non-standard instruments, the saw. This is an ambitious project, made all the more astounding when you consider that Black Heart Procession recorded and produced it all themselves. Songs like "Invitation" and "Sympathy Crime" come close to Pink Floyd watermarks for a band with a sliver of Floyd's recording budget.

Sounds great, right? More rhythm, less depression, all pulled off with an expert eye towards the craft of making and recording music. This is all true, but the overall tone is still that of the Black Heart Procession. This is not party music. Even when the songs are more uptempo, the key is still minor, and the lyrics are still about heartbreak and loss. Well, supposedly, the lyrics here all tie together into some type of narrative, but the common thread isn't cohesive enough to follow. And Pall Jenkins' voice will always be an acquired taste, even though he's starting to find a better balance between his trademark nasally drone and his more mellow baritone vocals.

The Black Heart Procession is a truly original band, and Amore Del Tropico is a large stride forward for them, a reminder and a promise of their potential. And although they will not win over legions of zany fans and groupies anytime soon, they are still one of the most exciting prospects out there for people who like their music dark, moody and mysterious.

J. Halterlein
Junkmedia Review

I must admit, when i first heard the samples for this album, i was rather dissapointed. I felt like they had changed their sound, and i didnt like what they changed into. I admit that this album is much busier than their previous material, but after giving the samples another try, i changed my mind. This album is their first with a real concept, or storyline. And i have come to realize that it still has all the components of their earlier stuff, it is just a more full sound. It is still very downbeat, not at all as downbeat as "2", but i have grown to love their faster stuff too. I truely think that these samples do not give justice to this music. And i believe that this is their most mature release yet. So if you are a BHP fan that is not quite sure if it is as good as their old material, do yourself a favor and buy this, because you will not be dissapointed.

My favorite music is stuff that sounds like it came off a soundtrack, but really didn't. That's why I love Friends of Dean Martinez, and now I'm glad to have found the Black Heart Procession. Although they have different styles, one thing the two bands have in common is their ability to create stories using music. Their music is very evocative, creating movies in the mind's eye.

David Lynch in the tropics on a sticky summer night just after a downpour. A beautifully dark story of murder.

There aren't enough songs that really cut to the morbidly moody minimal core that makes the band breathe life into lifelessness, but the album's length of modestly well put together tracks ensures the release goes down smoothly.

This album is excellent. While the last few albums were atmosphere heavy, "Amore.." is much more structured. Don't worry--the atmosphere is still there but now it's groovy. The songs on this album are a little more rock-esque, which in my opinion is quite cool. And again they've managed to throw in some of their unique ingredients such as but not limited to cello and violin action. There are even a few songs that might be considered --gasp!-- hip and urban sounding. Like you might hear them with some rap lyrics on top.

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT--JUST BUY IT

This band is a glorious antidote to all (and I do mean ALL-OT) the san diego bands who think they 'have their own sound' or worse, think punk is justified without bodily harm. When the indie fops and dandy goths finally get together to wash out the nostalgia gutters...
they listen to The Black Heart Procession.

Pall Jenkin's is a genius! I have loved Black Heart Procession since their birth, and their latest album Amore Del Tropico is another brillant step into the macabre, and chilling world that they have created. The best thing about BHP is that they write albums, not just songs like most bands do these days. Think of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, or The Wall when listening to this band. They take you far into the reaches of the mind, and unearth damaged emotions and breath-taking fears. Amore Del Tropico is the best album i've heard in the last 10 years!