The SoundLounge

Dead Letter Chorus

Take enough twang to comfortably wear the spurs of country. Drag it urgently down a bleak and moody path of post-punk morbid fascination, and then rescue it with coquettish balladry and triumphant choruses. Top it all off with a big hunk of energetic Aussie self-produced indie credibility and you have a record that is simply massive.

On their first tilt at a full-length release, Dead Letter Chorus have managed all of this and more to produce an album of sprawling majesty and epic intensity. The type of album you don’t just need to hear… you need to inhabit

Two Hours Traffic

Initially conceived as a two-piece, lead singer Liam Corcoran and guitarist Alec O’Hanley recruited bassist Andrew MacDonald and drummer Derek Ellis while attending university in their hometown of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. After releasing their “April Storm” EP in 2003 a friendship was struck up with Halifax hero Joel Plaskett who offered to produce the band’s first proper album. They’ve been working together ever since. While their eponymous debut and their follow up “Isolator” EP were received warmly by critics, it wasn’t until 2007’s breakthrough “Little Jabs” that the world really took notice. Appearing on dozens of year-end best of lists, Little Jabs also garnered an ECMA for Best Pop Recording and was a finalist for the coveted Polaris Music Prize. Add to this, three coast to coast tours, appearances at festivals such as Hillside, CMJ and SXSW and shows across the Atlantic and you have one of the most visible and successful Canadian independent acts of the last two years.