Buffalo Tom refines his melancholic melodies for Jump Rope

Buffalo Tom: Jump Rope

(Skinny Records)

LP | CD | D.L.

Released May 31, 2024

The pandemic and plutocratic presidents are on Buffalo Tom’s radar as the Massachusetts power trio returns with an album that pushes their sound into folkier waters. Sam Lambeth puts on his helmet, but he doesn’t go through hell.

How typical of Buffalo Tom to deliver his “lockdown” record several years too late. Because affable Bostonians have always been gloriously out of step with the times. Even when they peaked in the early and mid-’90s, their gritty yet graceful sonic palettes sounded more like Nebraska than Nevermind.

Buffalo Tom lives in his own bubble, coming out of hibernation every five to six years to release albums that are coherent and lovingly serene over time. But like The Killers’ Pressure Machine and Taylor Swift’s Folklore before it, Jump Rope has the understated, acoustic feel of a record born of isolation – not least thanks to the band’s songwriters. having more time to write during the pandemic.

This stripped-down vibe should come as no surprise: even at the height of grunge, Buffalo Tom was releasing light, bucolic records like Big Red Letter Day, while their previous album continued to shed frontman Bill Janovitz’s Townsend-style power chords in favor of more textured guitar patterns. But there’s an almost campfire quality to the hazy strums and delicate riffs that dominate the band’s tenth full-length.

Janovitz never sounded more Springsteen than on the haphazard mix Our Poverty, where his thoughtful rasp is bathed in the scattered flourishes of the six-string and scattered drums of Tom Maginnis. Meanwhile, the languorous, lumberjack rock of his compatriots from Boston The lemon trees rears its head on the gentle but tired travelogue Pine For You. A remarkable fall letter – yes, it’s hard to believe it took Buffalo Tom almost 40 years to write a song titled that – the name checks Steinbeck’s somber Grapes of Wrath over the artist’s trademark scratchy melodies. group and Janvoitz’s deep baritone.

Moments when Buffalo Tom is more frenetic and freewheeling are rare, but Come Closer’s snarling expanses of distortion and Janovitz’s strangely detached vocals will satisfy anyone who yearns for the rawer contours of the band’s work. Elsewhere, the jerky, bristling helmet turns the screw on Trump (“there’s a damaged captain behind the wheel, in case you didn’t know,” sighs Janovitz), but his politicized disenchantment is persistent enough to be relevant for many many future leaders of the free world. .

As always, Janovitz’s caustic croak juxtaposes perfectly with bassist Chris Colbourn’s melancholic and delicate timbre. Here he brings more songs than any other Buff Tom album, and some of his strongest and most complete work to date. New Girl Singing and its chiming acoustics recall Van Morrison’s ’70s era, while the downbeat gospel notes of Recipes and the nostalgic haze of In the Summertime look to the band’s perennial touchstones, namely the Stones , Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan.

Buffalo Tom may exist in a vacuum, but it’s given them the opportunity to continue to hone their craft, mature and explore without sacrificing their heartfelt songwriting and appreciation for catchy melodies. Ironically from the album’s title, Jump Rope is a record without a jump.

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Buffalo Tom is on Facebook and X. They will tour Europe this fall.

All words by Sam Lambeth. Sam is a journalist and musician. More of his work for Louder Than War is available in his archives. You can find his music on Spotify.