SONG OF THE DAY
“Nighthawks” by Two Hours Traffic (Little Jabs, Bumstead Records, 2007). Written by Two Hours Traffic.
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– Little Jabs is the second full-length studio album by Canadian indie rock band Two Hours Traffic, released on Bumstead Records on July 24, 2007.
– The album was produced by Joel Plaskett, and recorded in Halifax and Toronto.
– Guitarist Alec O’Hanley explained the Little Jabs reference: “The title is meant to be about that point in a relationship where you’re more and more curt with one another… And in song, it’s meant to be little blasts—jabs—in these three-minute pop songs.”
– The critical reception has been positive. Music critic Iain Ilich of the Edmonton Journal wrote that it was the best album he has heard so far this year. Other critics have compared the band favorably to Joel Plaskett’s own releases, and place the band in the tradition of great Canadian pop, citing the “catchy hooks”. One critic correctly predicted in July 2007 that the album would be nominated for a Polaris Music Prize in 2008, and Eye Weekly named it one of the top 20 albums of 2007.
– The album reached the top ten of Chart magazine’s Canadian College Radio Top 50 Chart. Little Jabs was named Alternative Rock Recording of the Year at the 2007 Music P.E.I. Awards, as Two Hours Traffic also received the award for Group of the Year. The album was nominated for Recording of the Year, Pop Recording of the Year, and Video of the Year (“Jezebel”, directed by Ron Mann) at the 2008 East Coast Music Awards. The album was also a nominee for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize.
– Two Hours Traffic is a Canadian indie rock band, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are named after a line in the prologue to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
– Although often described as the band that Halifax guitarist Joel Plaskett took “under his wing”, they have increasingly become known as purveyors of original, well-crafted power pop songs.
– Critics draw comparisons to 1970s power pop band Big Star, but the band members tend to cite Nick Lowe as a prime influence.
– Their songs have garnered some airplay on several American television shows, including Gossip Girl, The OC , The Secret Life of the American Teenager, One Tree Hill, Castle and 18 to Life.