Category:
Rock / Roots

Try if you like:
American Music Club, Dinosaur Jr, Soul Asylum

Three Easy Pieces was one of those surprise releases. I was a big Buffalo Tom fan and was definitely sad when Bill and his crew decided to call it quits. So why was I surprised about this album? It was actually released before I caught wind of it. Usually when you are a fan of a band and a new album hits the shelves you are all set for the release day.

Anyway, what about the music on Three Easy Pieces? It really is a nice return to form. Janovitz sounds just as good as he always has, if not a little refreshed from the break. It was 1998 when the last Buffalo Tom album was released and with the band defunct for almost a decade I was very curious on what they would sound like. And honestly they didn't skip a beat at all. Three Easy Pieces is a lovely and diverse album as only Buffalo Tom is capable. The best thing about this album is that you can tell that this reunion wasn't for the money (I would have heard about it before release if that was the case). No, Colbourn, Janovitz, and Maginnis reunited because they felt they had more great music to share with their fans. Songs like the heartbreaking "Lost Downtown" give you every reason to believe this. BT still rocks out as well with the youthful sounding "Renovating". Catchy choruses like those of "Good Girl", "Bottom Of The Rain" and the title track restore the love for this band that I once had. I loved Smitten, their previous album but I actually think that this set trumps that album. It just feels like everything is moving in the right direction. 

Hopefully this is a sign of the band deciding to stick around for a few years.