Black Heart Procession Bring the Pitch-Black Ballads for <i>Six</i>, Play Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Aug 7, 2009

Now that former Touch & Goers the Black Heart Procession have found a new label home at Temporary Residence, the ever-dour indie goth outfit have lined up a new album, as well as a tour to support it.

The record continues with the San Diego band's long-running numbers theme and is simply dubbed Six. Apparently, it was recorded simultaneously with an upcoming album by the reunited Three Mile Pilot (in which the Black Heart Procession's front-man Pall Jenkins also plays) and, according to the press release, ventures off into "a darker, more adventurous direction."

In the words of the PR: "Brimming with pitch-black ballads of discarded loves and forgotten souls, the album paints a bleak yet strangely comforting portrait of heartbreak, self-destruction and religious allegory over some of their most inspired songs to date, drawing a clear line from here to soulstirring visionaries such as Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Tom Waits."

Six is set for release via Temporary Residence on October 6, and will come with some limited-edition buying options. First, there is a deluxe CD, which is "packaged inside an exquisite full-colour hard-bound, linen-cover 28-page book." Then we have the deluxe double vinyl version, which features two full-colour inner sleeves and a Side D that is adorned with "custom laser etching featuring exclusive artwork." And finally there is one of those USB flash drive things, which is 1GB and includes the album in lossless WAV files, along with a 15-page digital booklet, hi-resolution cover art and the "Witching Stone" music video. On top of that, the USB is in the shape of pendant necklace. Pre-orders have already begun for these limited-edition versions over here.

As for that tour, it gets going shortly after the release of Six, and will swing through a chunk of the U.S. and set down in Canada for shows in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. All dates are found below after the tracklisting.

Six:


1. "When You Finish Me"

2. "Wasteland"

3. "Witching Stone"

4. "Rats"

5. "Heaven and Hell"

6. "Drugs"

7. "All My Steps"

8. "Forget My Heart"

9. "Liar's Ink"

10. "Suicide"

11. "Back to the Underground"

12. "Last Chance"

13. "Iri Sulu"

Tour dates:

8/7 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland

10/17 San Diego, CA - Casbah *

10/18 Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex *

10/20 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room *

10/21 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad *

10/23 Austin, TX - The Mohawk *

10/24 Denton, TX - Hailey's *

10/25 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks *

10/26 Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree *

10/27 Athens, GA - The 40 Watt *

10/28 Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle *

10/29 Washington, DC - The Black Cat ^

10/30 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's ^

10/31 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's ^

11/1 New York, NY - The Bowery Ballroom ^

11/3 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club ^

11/4 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa ^

11/5 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace ^

11/6 Detroit, MI - The Crofoot ^

11/7 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge ^

11/8 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar ^

11/11 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey ^

11/12 Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore ^

11/13 Portland, OR - The Aladdin ^

11/15 San Francisco, CA - The Independent ^


* with The Mumlers

^ with Bellini

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