Two Hours Traffic, a band hailing from Nova Scotia, was a fitting surprise for me today, as I listened to the band's sophomore album, Little Jabs (released this past week), while driving in about two hours' traffic (seriously) down the Pacific Coast Highway. The album was the perfect companion for a sunny day driving with the windows down -- pop songs that are influenced by little bit Belle & Sebastian, a little bit Beach Boys, a little bit Big Star, some alt-country thrown in for good measure, without sounding mind-numbingly derivative. Quite an accomplishment for such a young band. The album really hits its stride with "Heroes of the Sidewalk," where the band's light-hearted, clever lyrics and sunny harmonies meld together perfectly (sample lyrics: "You’re my idea of a lady, hold on to my bootstraps baby, and drag me around by your pony tail”.)" this track is followed by "Jezebel," another one of those amazing and surprisingly upbeat pop songs about a girl (who hasn't got a last name - they never seem to) who's left our protagonist heartbroken.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
8/4 - Riverfront Jubilee ( New Glasgow, NS) <-- w/ Sloan
8/11 - "Little Jabs" CD Release Party @ The Seahorse (Halifax, NS) <-- w/ Smothered in Hugs, Museum Pieces
8/15 - The Civic Center (Charlottetown, NS)
8/19 - Granville Green (Port Hawksbury, NS)
LISTEN:
"Heroes Of The Sidewalk" [MP3]
"Jezebel" [MP3]
WATCH:
"Jezebel" music video
ON THE WEB:
Two Hours Traffic's MySpace
Two Hours Traffic's website
Bumstead Records' website
Buy it from Maplemusic
(Photo courtesy of Remi Therault.)
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