Initially created in 1986 as a songwriting outlet for frontman Lou Barlow—at that time the bassist for Dinosaur Jr.—Sebadoh are one of the pioneers of the lo-fi scene that sprung up in the late-'80s alongside bands like Pavement and Guided By Voices. After dropping the debut album The Freed Man in 1989, the Massachusetts-based group gradually moved away from the trappings of the lo-fi recording world as they embraced a slicker style for classic mid-'90s projects like Bakesale and Harmacy.