Armed with their weeping violin and trusty saw, the Black Heart Procession spin gothic crime stories in which love is always the victim.

Shadowy strangers, voyeuristic visitors and images of torture and loss fill dark songs that retrace the steps that led to the death of romance.

But this is like an episode of Inspector Morse with a Barbara Cartland novel as the most important piece of evidence: lots of style, little substance.

Why I Stay, with its drawn-out syllables and country-tinged desperation, is beguiling but gives little away. Sympathy Crime offers synth-derived siren sounds and cold cynicism.

When The Black Heart Procession evoke the spirit of love rather than just picking over its remains, a lighter touch emerges. On Did You Wonder, a 1970s Bowie stomp winningly meets the polished pop of the Webb Brothers.

A Cry for Love has a female singer echo frontman Paulo Zappoli as he pines: "Don't lend it to a friend, cause you may never see that friend again." At last, we see the emotional cost of love and not just its corpse.