The Black Heart Procession, Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit

By J Howell

Throughout the eight tracks on Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit, the new mini-album from San Diego’s always-intriguing The Black Heart Procession, there’s plenty of what fans love about the band: their noir feel is present in spades. Overall, though, while Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit is an enjoyable record, as a whole it feels a little like what it is, I suppose: a short work between larger, more cohesive artistic statements.

BHP mainstays Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel have always produced impressive work, and over six albums the band has carved its own dark, beautiful, and often sexy niche in modern music. While this record is quite good, it doesn’t expand much on that remarkable body of work.

The opening track, “Blank Page” seems quite that: it’s dark, driving, and besides that, open-ended enough to make what you will of it. The second track, “The Orchid,” would’ve fit quite well on Amore Del Tropico, with its piano-driven, dramatic feel. It’s a very listenable song, though it seems a bit like retreading old ground. Perhaps the best track here is “Devotion”; while maintaining the feel that makes Black Heart Procession, it could easily pass as a great, lost Bad Seeds track were Nick Cave and his band to cover it.

Of the eight tracks on Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit, half are remixes. All of the reworkings here are likeable enough, though at times they seem a little at odds with Black Heart Procession’s body of work thus far.

For example, Lee “Scratch” Perry’s “Freeze” is electro/dub, and a somewhat unexpected pairing, but it doesn’t quite match either artist’s stronger work. Mr. Tube’s “Silence” features plenty of sonic intrigue that never quite goes much of anywhere; it would make for some lovely, sinister soundtrack music, but as a song, it feels like it’s missing something, and the heavily treated, whispered vocals feel a little too Nine Inch Nails and not enough Black Heart Procession for my tastes.

Both mixes of “Drugs”, by Eluvium and Jam Saxon, work similarly well as atmospheric mood music, but aren’t particularly engaging in a direct, visceral way. There’s nothing wrong with that, and both are good (though they can feel a little long back-to-back).

As a whole, while Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit makes for an appealing aside, it feels a little bit like rousing the appetite but not quite satisfying the desire for a new Black Heart Procession full-length release. It is interesting, if not quite essential, listening from one of San Diego’s finest.

Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit was released on October 12 from Temporary Residence Limited and can be ordered via the website. Be sure to check out The Black Heart Procession’s website.

The Black Heart Procession Tour Dates:
Oct 21 @ Somerville Theater, Somerville, MA w/ The Books
Oct 22 @ Pearl Street Nightclub, Northampton, MA w/ The Books
Oct 23 @ Cabaret Mile End, Montreal, PQ w/ The Books
Oct 24 @ Capitol Music Hall, Ottawa, ON w/ The Books
Oct 25 @ The Mod Club, Toronto, ON w/ The Books
Oct 26 @ Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac, MI w/ The Books
Oct 27 @ Ladies Literary Club, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI w/ The Books
Oct 29 @ Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL w/ The Books
Oct 30 @ Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN w/ The Books
Nov 29 @ Music Box At The Henry Fonda, Los Angeles, CA w/ The Books
Nov 30 @ Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA w/ The Books
Dec 3 @ Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR w/ The Books
Dec 4 @ Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA w/ The Books
Dec 5 @ Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC w/ The Books