Two Hours Traffic
Another current album that has caught and held onto my attention lately is Little Jabs by Two Hours Traffic, a four-piece outfit from Canada's Prince Edward Island (NE of the state of Maine, for geography-impaired Americans). Made up of Liam Corcoran (vocals, guitar), Derek Ellis (drums), Andrew MacDonald (bass), and Alec O'Hanley (guitar, keys), this band is on the short lists for a couple of Canadian music awards
You know how there are almost always tracks you start to skip over on an album? There aren't any here. None. Starting right with the crisp beats of "Nighthawks" ("Snap out of it!") all the way through to the end, it's all excellently rendered, hooky pop-rock without a flaw. This is the album I wish that Nada Surf had made this year. Two Hours Traffic's effervescent guitars and yearning vocals are very similar to Nada Surf's, with the added attraction of mellow synths. And THT have the dewy-cheeked freshness that Nada Surf started out with.
"Heroes of the Sidewalk" rings with amazement at the bright lights of success that signing a record contract promises. "Jezebel," starting with a neat Beach Boys harmony, does the same with shiny new love ("I've got honey on my hands from when I held you"). "Stolen Earrings" is a private conversation with a new girlfriend before her introduction to the gang. "Whenever We Finish," on the other hand, is the beginning of the end of a love affair ("We started the morning with two little jabs/Won't it be strange when we stop splitting cabs?"). "Sure Can Start" is a hearty, feel-good rocker, while "Heatseeker" starts off deliciously slow but halfway through takes off and gets faster, noisier, and even more beautiful. The tracklist is perfectly capped by the dreamy "Arms Akimbo."
The whole thing is just golden. Don't pass it up. I wish I had known about it last year because it would have been on my list of favorites. I keep looking for a loophole where I can wangle it into my 2008 list!
Two Hours Traffic: Heatseeker from Little Jabs (2008)
MySpace | Website | Label: Bumstead/Collagen Rock, Maple Music
Buy at Maple Music, Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic
1 comment:
i heard "nighthawks" last year and loved it. i love the part when the girls are talking to each other about whether she should get back together with him. :)
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