Black Heart Procession

Upon first hearing this marriage of band name and album title, some might ask, “Is this some bizarre combination of goth rock and Brazilian tropicalia?” And the answer would be, well, yeah — and the band has piled even more styles on top of that. The Black Heart Procession’s fourth full-length marks an ambitious departure, and not just because it’s the band’s only LP with a proper title. (The first three were dubbed 1, 2 and 3.) In the past, no one seemed able to breathe the San Diego group’s name without dwelling on vocalist and songwriter Pall A. Jenkins’ seemingly perpetual depression, not to mention the constant dreariness of the music.

With Amore del Tropico, however, the Procession offers a stunning range of styles and moods — as well as its usual smorgasbord of strange saw, string and organ sounds. “Did You Wonder” is downright energetic; “Tropics of Love” and “Broken World” combine Latin percussion with swinging melodies. Still, there’s plenty of vintage BHP gloom to go around. “The Invitation” showcases a spooky piano befitting a haunted house, and the album’s closer, “The One Who Has Disappeared,” could be a sorrowful cowboy song.

Unfortunately, some of the sadder songs recall past bad habits. Monotonous melodies cause the album to drag, and some of Jenkins’ lyrics suffer from being too literal. (Naming a song “Tropics of Love” is a bit hokey, but making that phrase one of the song’s oft-repeated lines is even more dangerous.) Still, Amore del Tropico shows remarkable progress. The band finally proves it’s possible to be both morose and highly eclectic.