After the breakup of their former hardcore band, Fall River, vocalist Allison Bellavance and guitarist Matt Boylan set off in a slightly different direction with Spark is a Diamond. Holding true to their roots in hardcore, the duo reformed a band that took those influences and merged them with the unthinkable – dance music ala Death From Above 1979 and the Bravery. Surprisingly, what could have been an unlistenable train wreck of a mash actually ended up being a surprisingly wonderful, innovative record.
One has to wonder if the band realized what a fine line they were treading when they set out to do this. On paper, this should not work. The aggression and speed of hardcore is rarely dancey, and slapping in notes of electronica and pop should make it cheesy at best. Instead, Try This On For Size is bereft of sarcasm or cheese. It’s simply great.
The hardcore elements are all there; Boylan and Bellevance alternate guttural vocals that themselves alternate punching you in the gut and slapping you in the face, and Boylan’s guitars are thick and heavy, even when they’re being molded into addictive riffs – and again, absent is any sense of derision or sarcasm, and that sincerity makes all the difference.
Perhaps this innovation that sounds like it comes way too easy stems simply from a desire to take all of the most tired elements in today’s music scene and simply give them a savage beating until they stand up and entertain us again. In fact, that sentiment appears on “Look What You’ve Done to This Rock & Roll Town,” when Bellevance belts out the line, “Tonight I want to interrupt this scene.” Spark is a Diamond definitely interrupts the scene; then they push it down and take its lunch money.
It’s not just hardcore and dance that play nicely on the album either. Electronica is also ever evident in the songs, but it’s loosely restrained and never truly allowed to break free. Even when the record goes into its most digital bits, like on “Oh Captain!,” which drops into straight-up electronica dance beats midsong, the aggression is only temporarily tucked off into the side, ready to break free, and when it does it’s back to pure vocal brutality and heavy hooks.
And because I’m dwelling on the fact that this album is amazing, despite how badly it could have failed, I have to mention one of its biggest triumphs – track nine. As I listened to the album the first time, already hooked, I heard the ninth track. The guitar riff was strangely familiar, and Bellevance’s vocals also surprisingly familiar as she screamed “ooh baby, baby.” Nearly 30 seconds into the track I realized that the band was delivering a perfectly straight-faced, aggressive version of Salt N’ Pepa’s “Push It.” Whether or not it was a joke on their part, they let the listener think they’re serious, and that’s why the album succeeds.
On Try This On For Size, Spark is a Diamond have managed to accomplish a Herculean task – they’ve taken the hardcore sound of their roots an meld it with dance rock, creating an amalgam that is aggressive and fun, making a sound perfect for fans both on the dance floor in back or the pit down in front. Despite what you want to think at the outset, this record will force you to pump your fist and tap your foot at the same time.
Release date – May 6, 2008
