Buffalo Tom was never a band big on innovation. The Boston trio’s “alternative rock” was less a sonic adventure than a slightly louder version of the power-pop from previous decades. Bill Janovitz’s guitar took on added layers of distortion, but underneath the extra fuzz and menace rested strong melodies that aimed to please — figure the Gin Blossoms with a tougher exterior. After nearly a decade since 1998’s Smitten, the group came together for 2007’s Three Easy Pieces that sounds as if the ensuing years never happened — both in terms of the group’s consistent chemistry and the fact that this album could conceivably have been released in 1999 and it wouldn’t sound much different from this. BT are not trend-hoppers. Sturdy tracks such as the heartland rock of “You’ll Never Catch Him” and “Bottom of the Rain,” the un-flashy economy of the title track, the pure pop of “Renovating,” and the alt-country overtones of “CC and Callas” and “Thrown” exude a confidence and comfort with rock tradition that makes these guys less alternative rock than classic.