Album by Buffalo Tom

This sits in that space just before everything fully tips into grunge — louder and edgier than a lot of alternative rock at the time, but still a little more polished than the rawest indie records.

It’s heavy, melodic, and full of urgency. Big guitars, sharp edges, and vocals that shift between melody and howling. It reminded me a bit of where bands like Dinosaur Jr. were heading, with some of that early Nirvana energy starting to come through.

“Birdbrain” opens the album with chunky riffs and an attitude that immediately announces this isn’t going to be a polished college-rock record.

“Skeleton Key” begins in darker territory before erupting into a wall of guitars, while “Guy Who Is Me” barrels ahead like a freight train that never lets up.

“Enemy” is one of my favorites because it shows how dynamic the band can be. It starts as a slow burn before the emotion and the guitars rise together into something huge. “Crawl” feels like the closest thing to a radio single, pairing a memorable melody with driving drums and just enough psychedelic guitar work to keep it from feeling straightforward.

Then the band starts stretching even further.

“Fortune Teller” folds country influences into all the noise, almost anticipating the alternative-country movement that was just beginning to emerge.

“Baby” lands somewhere between Teenage Fanclub and Dinosaur Jr., proving the band could write hooks just as comfortably as they could make a racket.

Throughout the entire album Buffalo Tom moves from introspective indie rock to alt-country warmth to full-on guitar explosions without it ever feeling disjointed. The songs are loud, fuzzy, and occasionally abrasive, but they’re almost always anchored by strong melodies.

Listening to Birdbrain now, it feels like standing at a crossroads. You can hear college rock giving way to grunge, indie rock becoming heavier, and bands beginning to blur the lines between noise, melody, punk, and Americana.

It’s a really exciting snapshot of rock music finding its next identity.

Verdict: Good

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