Album Review: The Birthday Massacre - Diamonds

What is a dream? If you listen to the music described as 'dream pop', you'd be inclined to think it's akin to the images we draw of the afterlife, with fluffy clouds, shapeless robes, and the soft plink of harps. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound much like the dreams I have. Dreams can be visceral, they can be lucid, and yes, they can be frightening too. If we want to attach the word 'dream' to music, we need to look at a much wider array of sounds and attitudes. Among those would be what The Birthday Massacre give us, which is a synth-rich sound that lies somewhere between the conscious and unconscious. Or at least I hear it that way.

The Birthday Massacre has been around for many years, but the first time they grabbed my attention was when I happened across the lead single for this record, "The Sky Will Turn". It immediately stood out as something with an interesting mix of dark and cool, a soothing soundscape that could be the aftermath of a dystopian 80s. Given my feelings on that decade, I really like that impression.

What that song in particular, but the album as a whole, is able to do is make a dark and heavy version of synth-pop that is melancholy without becoming sad-ass misery. Like watching a ballet of sad clowns, there's something beautiful to be found in the shadows this music was made in. To throw out another comparison, there's a band called Pale Waves whose debut album was one of my favorites two years ago. They were also melancholic rock with plenty of synth overtones, and "Diamonds" sits with it as a yin and yang. Pale Waves was pop melancholy, while The Birthday Massacre is melancholy pop. Trust me, there is a distinction there.

What makes The Birthday Massacre so interesting is Chibi's voice, which is an ethereal whisper where the music would be pointing us towards a deep Gothic warble. When she sings, "it's like a car crash burning at the edge of the earth", the line isn't a sinister description of grief, but more of an angelic observation about the callousness of life. Also like Pale Waves, there's an emotional detachment to the vocals that is a deliberate way of manipulating the audience. It's the very lack of emotion in the performance that gives it an emotional impact. It's very clever, and not easy to pull off. With lesser songs, it would manifest as boredom.

Even though "Run" and "Flashback" feature swells of heavy guitars, "Diamonds" is at its heart a subtle album. The intrigue lies in the details, whether it's the way the drum hits echo in the space between the notes, or the vocal lines that only start to seep in after you hear them a couple of times. Given a bit of time, the record reveals itself to be quite charming, beckoning us to join their mad tea party.

What I can say about this record that might mean more than anything else is this; I am not a fan of synth-laden music, and yet I find myself rather drawn to this album. There is a pull to these songs that I can't quite describe, or avoid. "Diamonds" is quite the gem.