The Black Heart Procession - Amore del Tropico (2002)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

The Black Heart Procession - 1 (1998)

Fourth and first non-numbered album by The Black Heart Procession. Amore del Tropico is a two-fer -- a breakup album and a concept album -- and marked a turn towards a more sonically rich, diverse, uptempo (not, mind you, upbeat), and yes, accessible sound. While I wasn't sure what to make of it when it first came out, it's become my favorite BHP record. It's also been a rich source of tracks for my Halloween playlists over the years.

Track listing:

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

Remember, remember

No one leaves

You'd also like:

The Dead Science - Submariner (2003)

The Paper Chase - Now Your Are One of Us (2006)

The Black Heart Procession - 1 (1998)

Haunting tales of heartbreak, desperation, isolation, and death. Creepy instrumentation abounds -- wheezing accordion, chiming glockenspiel, pounding piano, droning organ, and the always-ghostly sound of singing saw.

Track listing:
1. The Waiter
2. The Old Kind of Summer
3. Release My Heart
4. Even Thieves Couldn't Lie
5. Bluewater Blackheart
6. Heart Without a Home
7. The Winter My Heart Froze
8. Stitched to My Heart
9. Squara Heart
10. In a Tin Flask
11. A Heart the Size of a Horse

Blood flows black from your heart

If you like this, try:

Damien Jurado -
Ghost of David (2000)

Boduf Songs - How Shadows
Chase the Balance (2008)