img src= http://www.chromewaves.net/images/interface/20070725twoHoursTraffic.jpg title= Two Hours Traffic by Frank Yang class= blogPhoto I always find it a bit tough previewing a show or reviewing an album just days before I see said act live, and then have to write up a review. After all, I'd have surely used up all my good material in the first go-around, leaving me with what for the follow-up? Just a review of the show, I guess. br / br / Case in point, PEI's A href= http://www.twohourstraffic.com target= new title= Two Hours Traffic Two Hours Traffic /a , whose new record A href= http://www.maplemusic.com/product.asp?dept%5Fid=2606 pf%5Fid=2605%2D16 lang=EN target= new title= Little Jabs i Little Jabs /i /a I gave the once-over a href= http://www.chromewaves.net/index.php?itemid=2704 title= Chromewaves vs Two Hours Traffic on Sunday /a and in celebration of the record's release yesterday, they played a free show at the Horseshoe last night before a pretty full and enthusiastic room. And anyone who wasn't paying attention at first was before long, their perfect pop is just that irresistible. As a live act, Two Hours Traffic aren't going to win any awards for on-stage antics or excess charisma. Instead, the quartet concentrated intently on playing their songs and playing them well and in this, for thirty-plus hook-filled, harmony-laden minutes, they succeeded. They sounded exceptionally tight, yet played with just enough looseness to offer some extra bounce relative to the studio recordings. br / br / And what this show did more than anything was give me an even deeper appreciation for i Little Jabs /i ' perfect blend of breeziness and earnestness, and I already liked this record quite a bit. Songs that were stuck in my head from listening to the record repeatedly last week came even more alive and I'm actually a bit worried that they won't be leaving anytime soon (I went to bed with Nighthawks in my head and woke up with Heroes of the Sidewalk ), though there's far worse cranial soundtracks one could have. It's always exciting to see a band as young and fresh-faced as these guys are achieve as much as they already have. It'll be fun to watch where they go from here (I mean that figuratively - literally, they're going to play a href= http://collect.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandprofile.listAllShows friendid=31194208 n=Two+Hours+Traffic target= new title= Two Hours Traffic tour dates continuing to tour Southern Ontario /a including a Saturday afternoon set at Hillside in Guelph). br / br / The band talks to A href= http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=113 csid2=4 fid1=26883 target= neW title= Exclaim vs Two Hours Traffic i Exclaim! /i /a about the origins of their band name (Shakespeare!) and life in the littlest province (expensive but relaxed!) while A href= http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/entertainment/article/83214 target= new title= Durham Region News vs Two Hours Traffic i Durham Region News /i /a asks them about recording the album. Director Ron Mann talks to A href= http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2007/07/1009.cfm target= new title= Chart vs Ron Mann i Chart /i /a about making the band's video for Jezebel . They're also featured this week at a href= http://www.iheartmusic.net/serendipity/index.php?/archives/839-This-weeks-feature-Two-Hours-Traffic.html target= new title= I Heart Music vs Two Hours Traffic I Heart Music /a . br / br / strong Photos: /strong A href= http://www.chromewaves.net/concertPhotos.php?concertID=503 y=2007 title= Two Hours Traffic @ The Horseshoe - July 24, 2007 Two Hours Traffic @ The Horseshoe - July 24, 2007 /a br / strong MP3: /strong A href= http://www.bumstead.com/downloads/Stuck%20For%20The%20Summer.mp3 title= Stuck For The Summer Two Hours Traffic - Stuck For The Summer /a br / Strong Stream: /strong A href= http://www.twohourstraffic.com/tunes/ title= Little Jabs Two Hours Traffic / i Little Jabs /i /a br / strong Video: /strong A href= http://youtube.com/watch?v=8JF_SKOomJU target= new title= Stuck For The Summer Two Hours Traffic - Stuck For The Summer (YouTube) /a br / strong Video: /strong A href= http://youtube.com/watch?v=qLZHamTXys0 target= new title= Jezebel Two Hours Traffic - Jezebel (YouTube) /a br / Strong MySpace: /strong A href= http://www.myspace.com/twohourstraffic target= new title= Two Hours Traffic Two Hours Traffic /a br / br / a href= http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/2233727 target= new title= DiS vs LoT Drowned In Sound /a has info on a href= http://www.landoftalk.com target= new title= LoT Land Of Talk's /a new album except it's their old album. Except not. The band will re-release A href= http://search.insound.com/search/showrelease.jsp?from=90804 p=INS35280 target= new title= ACBH i Applause Cheer Boo Hiss /i /a in the UK on October 22 - by my count the fourth release of this album - but with three extra tracks, thus bumping it up from mini-album status to official full-length. But where are these tracks from? Freshly recorded and a preview of the next record? Cast-offs from same? Dug out of the vaults? Ask them when they play the El Mocambo on September 4. br / br / Some digging has revealed that A href= http://www.nicoleatkins.com target= new title= Nicole Atkins Nicole Atkins The Sea /a will indeed be on the bill with A href= http://www.theraveonettes.com/ target= new title= The Raveonettes The Raveonettes /a at Lee's Palace on October 14 - this comes from a href= http://collect.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandprofile.listAllShows friendid=1990852 n=G+L+I+S+S target= new title= Gliss on tour tour dates /a posted by a href= http://www.gliss-news.blogspot.com/ target= new title= Gliss Gliss /a , who themselves are also on the tour. Indisputable proof? Not really, but enough that I've added it to my calendar. And so should you. br / br / a href= http://www.ryan-adams.com target= new title= Ryan Adams Ryan Adams /a returns on September 21 to play a venue a little more spacious than last time Massey Hall. Full tour dates at a href= http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/44371-ryan-adams-extends-tour-for-umpteenth-time target= new title= PF vs Ryan Adams Pitchfork /a . br / br / a href= http://www.ohbijou.com target= new title= Ohbijou Ohbijou /a will be playing a free show at Harbourfront Centre on August 10 as part of the Hot'N'Spicy Food Festival. Because if there's two adjectives I think of when I think of Ohbijou, it's hot and spicy . br / br / a href= http://www.sloanmusic.com target= new title= Sloan Sloan /a and a href= http://www.thegoldendogs.com/ target= new title= Golden Dogs The Golden Dogs /a will make up one power-poptacular bill at the CNE Bandshell on August 25. I've no idea if these shows are extra admission or included with entrance to the Ex. br / br / A href= http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=113 csid2=779 fid1=26891 target= new title= Exclaim vs Polaris i Exclaim /i /a offers a quick guide to all of this year's A href= http://www.polarismusicprize.ca target= new title= Polaris Polaris Music Prize /a nominees including A href= http://www.thedears.org target= new title= The Dears The Dears /a , who tell A href= http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2007/07/2405.cfm target= new title= Chart vs The Dears i Chart /i /a that after this weekend's festival double-header at Hillside on Saturday and the Rogers Picnic on Sunday, they're done playing live for the year and are working on their next album. br / br / A href= http://www.guelphtribune.ca/trib/news/news_840665.html target= new title= Guelph Tribune vs Hillside i The Guelph Tribune /i /a previews a href= http://www.hillsidefestival.ca target= new title= Hillside Hillside /a . br / br / a href= http://www.muzzleofbees.com/2007/07/17/9-questions-with-grizzly-bear/ target= new title= MoB Muzzle Of Bees /a gets nine questions with a href= http://www.grizzly-bear.net target= new title= Grizzly Bear Grizzly Bear's /a Ed Droste. Droste and the Bear will be in town on September 20 for a show at the Mod Club - full Fall tour dates at A href= http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/44397-grizzly-bear-announce-august-september-dates target= new title= PF vs Grizzly Bear Pitchfork /a . br / br / a href= http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/music/archives/2007/07/siren_call_a_qa.php target= new title= Village Voice vs Voxtrot i The Village Voice /i /a tries to talk to a href= http://www.voxtrot.net target= new title= Voxtrot Voxtrot /a , gets a fire drill instead. They'll be at the Mod Club October 10. br / br / a href= http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/44418-inight-fallsi-on-new-jens-lekman-album target= new title= PF vs Jens Lekman Pitchfork /a has details on A href= http://www.jenslekman.com target= new title= Jens LEkman Jens Lekman's /a new record i Night Falls Over Kortedala /i , out in North America on October 9. br / br / a href= http://music.aol.ca/article/Alt-rock_reunions/96/ target= new title= AOL vs Reunions AOL Music Canada /a and a href= http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/237816 target= new title= Toronto Star vs Reunions i The Toronto Star /i /a consider the current reunion trend, using a href= http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/ target= new title= Smashing Pumpkins Smashing Pumpkins /a and A href= http://www.thepolice.com/ target= new title= The Police The Police /a as case studies, and not necessarily in a good way. ...read full story