Buffalo Tom July 13, 2006

Buffalo Tom's 1989 self-titled debut on SST made a big splash while drawing comparisons to Dinosaur Jr., partly because Dinosaur's J Mascis produced it. But with each subsequent release, the group carved out a more recognizable niche for itself. With two great early '90s records, Let Me Come Over ('92) and Big Red Letter Day ('93), Buffalo Tom signaled that they had left behind the adolescent grunginess of their first couple of releases and developed into a mature folk-edged power pop group, equally capable of meaty rockers and introspective ballads. But critical adulation notwithstanding, big time commercial success has eluded the group, even after two more fine LPs, 1995's Sleepy Eyed and 1998's Smitten.