Change is something so scary that some people do everything they can to avoid it. They'll avoid self-change, change to their surroundings, even to the type of music they listen to. Aside from not being able to stop their own inevitable change, they won't be able to prevent that same change from occurring in some of their favorite bands. Yes, it happens to all of them. They get older, they think, "Hey, let's get married and have kids, forget this Rock 'n Roll lifestyle, I'd rather be changing diapers and worrying about mortgage payments." For the time being though, I can be lax about that happening to some of the bands that I enjoy listening to.
The first snippets of Amore del Tropico I heard were a perfect example of the difference that had come about in the Black Heart Procession's sound. "They're more poppy," one of my friends complained. Truthfully, the thought of Black Heart Procession frolicking about on a musical sugar high was something that I just couldn't comprehend. That's like asking someone to take the end of the universe with a grain of salt. It just doesn't add up. And so I waited until the opportunity arose to listen to what Black Heart Procession had in store with their fourth offering, in full. What I was expecting was total absence of what the other records were all about, namely, slow depressing songs that by album's end had you ready to go to your local bridge and swan dive into oblivion.
The boys from San Diego had not gone completely astray the way some of their musical predecessors had (from a musical El Dorado to Bosnia-Herzegovina.) A change did occur in sound though. Nothing far fetched enough to make the band unrecognizable. This is still Black Heart Procession. Every band varies in song structure, sound, and if you listen carefully enough, even themes in lyrical content will tend to change as time goes by. So one had to expect a modification. Something would be slightly different. Eventually, Black Heart Procession would come to their mid-life crisis.
Amore del Tropico is a concept record that tells the tale of a murder throughout its 15 tracks. And would you believe that most of the album is comprised of songs that are, dare I say, slow, depressing, and cause your heart to go sick with sadness? Yes, I do dare! In fact, I'll stand on a tabletop and announce it to the world with gusto.
The album starts off with a four chord introductory track aptly titled "The end of love," which introduces the story of loss of love and eventual murder. The sad little chord progression fades away and goes right into the first song on the record. In "The tropics of love" we hear the familiar instrumentation that we've grown accustomed to when listening to Black Heart records. Violins, cellos, lap steels, optigans, and xylophones are just some of the instruments noted on the album sleeve. The first inkling of change is heard on the introduction. The tempo is a bit quicker than what we have come to expect. The song offers the groove of an overly dramatic tale being told. It reminds you of the way some old murder mystery began its title sequence.
"Broken World" follows and is slow in its offering. It sounds are reminiscent of songs on 1, 2, and three. "Why I Stay Here", "The Invitation", "Sympathy Crime" also follow suit to the Black Heart formula, which are songs that wallow with that of the over dramatic. There are two songs that will shock people with how different they are. "Did you ever wonder", and "Only one way" are songs that are more up-tempo than anything else that is found on the record. They're much more up-tempo compared to what is found on any of the earlier records. At first listen, the record catches you off guard and you may wonder, "What the hell is going on?" But, the sound works. Regardless of some tempo changes, added instrumentation, and the occasional synthesizer that's thrown in there, the record still gels to make a solid offering.
The Black Heart Procession have enough talent to write an album like this, in which the sound is different from that of their previous records, and in which they play songs that have fluctuating tempos which mirror the highs and lows of suspenseful murder mystery concept record. Change can indeed be a good thing. And in this case, done with enough talent to not make people gag with disgust and throw the disc into the corner to be forgotten.
1. The End of Love
2. Tropics of Love
3. Broken World
4. Why I Stay
5. The Invitation
6. Did You Wonder
7. A Sign on the Road
8. Sympathy Crime
9. The Visitor
10. The Waiter #4
11. A Cry for Love
12. Before the People
13. Only One Way
14. Fingerprints
15. The One Who has Disappeared
More about: The Black Heart Procession
