Lost Riots

Hope of the States | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00049QLWI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,283 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Black Amnesias

2. Enemies/Friends

3. 66 Sleepers to Summer

4. Don't Go to Pieces

5. The Red the White the Black the Blue

6. Black Dollar Bills

7. George Washington

8. Me Ves y Sufres

9. Sadness on My Back

10. Nehemiah

11. Goodhorsehymn

12. 1776

Editorial Reviews

(EK92886)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost brilliant, November 28, 2004

By 

alexliamw (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Riots (Audio CD)

I hold my hands up. Guilty as charged. Yes, I have not shyed away from hyping up Hope of the States. But then, what else are you supposed to do, when an earth-shaking, orchestral, fiery, young, political indie-cum-post-rock music juggernaut comes along? Sit back and watch? Hope of the States are without doubt one of the most exciting new bands to arise within the last couple of years. They do this because they take the usual post-rock foundation of Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor, and turn in on its head by allying it to limitless ambition, charisma and - yes - tunes. Their songs are compact, passionate and melodic. Their singles were divine. But does the album live up to the hype?

In a word: almost. Things get off to a cracking start with the magnificent instrumental 'The Black Amnesias', which boasts one of the hugest, more expansive sounds ever produced, with fired-up guitars and epic drumming leading a sway of strings, synths and feedback into battle. At their quieter moments, Hope of the States resemble Coldplay with balls - indeed, Coldplay producer Ken Thomas is at the controls here.

Hope of the States craft their own unique sound, loud yet beautiful, with their unique twist of having a violinist in the band. It is not just to supply traditional swaying strings to add depth to the music like most bands use the rent-a-soaring-string-section sound. Instead violinist Michael Siddell plays violin like a lead instrument, with intricate lines that weave in and out of the lead guitars, creating an incredible and inventive fusion. Hope of the States can't be written off as depressing - indeed, the soaring optimism of 'Enemies/Friends' and the excellent 'Sadness On My Back' is just to the contrary.

The real stunner, though, is debut single 'Black Dollar Bills'. Re-recorded here (and arguably not quite so good in its new form), it builds from its balladic, atmospheric origins to a spine-tingling massivity, sounding like Mercury Rev if they were contracted to write the national anthem for the future united world. Lyrically frontman Herlihy sets a political tone here, which comes out again on the more explicit 'The Red The White The Black The Blue', an angry, apocalyptic rock monster complete with Muse-esque doomy pianos. Hope of the States seem to have a strange obsession with 18th century American history, wearing army uniforms onstage and boasting song titles such as 'George Washington' and '1776' (the year the Americans wrote their constitution).

Thrillingly, Hope of the States continue to pull out tunes over the course of the album, from the rural twang of '66 Sleepers To Summer' to the upbeat rock strum of 'Nehemiah' ("people come on make a stand/come on people we can try again/you're not alone when the lights go off/we'll stay together when it all stops"). The sound gets somewhat repetitive towards the end of the album, but it is their own - and that is unusual in the rock world at the moment. The only duff track is 'Don't Go To Pieces', a boring, plodding ballad.

There is just one further gripe: Sam Herlihy's voice is not as strong as it might be, and it is much more conventionally indie-rock than the rest of the band are. It gets stretched on occasions, particularly 'Mes Ves Y Sufres'. However, there is emotion in it and it is sincere, and the music itself is so divine that, amazingly, it seems only a minor quibble. Hope of the States are genuinely special, and can really make an impact on the music scene for good, in a way that other albums by the better acts of 2004, however good they may be, cannot. I believed this could be a 5-star album. It's not quite, but it's damn close.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost Riots gives music hope, December 10, 2004

By 

J. Cox "inertiatic ESP" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lost Riots (Audio CD)

Hopes of the State is neither the first or the last to boast long, sweeping, epic instrumentals on a rock album. That line sounds like it should describe a three and a half hour hollywood epic.

However, Lost Riots is anything but Hollywood. The band is reminiscent of soaring sunset guitar compositions accompanied by lots of snares. If you have listened to the band Explosions in the Sky, then this might all seem familiar.

Hope of the States adds a full orchestra of violens, synths, pianos, and lyrics to the percussion and the guitars. The result is brilliant. Although vocals aren't as strong, they don't need to be with the lyrics meaning so much in today's America.

The opening instrumental is as close to a masterpiece as it gets. And these days, masterpiece is usually not spoken when it comes to music. The rest of the album continues with lyrics and long, enduring instrumentals that inspire in some unexplained way that lyrics can't touch.

I must say that the only way I found out about this album is at this website (amazon.com). I heard no hype, no nothing, just the samples here. So I really kept no expectations in mind. I didn't plan on a five star rating, but Lost Riots is such an admiration that I really can't go any lower.

But like most albums believed to be great, there are listeners out there who will dislike this orchestra of rock. All are entitled to their opinions and their own sounds.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally Something Different, November 17, 2004

By 

j-j-jordan (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Riots (Audio CD)

I'd heard a lot about Hope of the States from magazines and internet sites but hadn't yet heard the band. I finally got an advance copy of the album and discovered what the buzz was all about. The first song is simply epic, huge, instrumental, perfect. The only instrumental song on the album, which leads me to my next point of discussion. At first, when listening to the vocals, it shocked me that they would purposely sing the songs out of key. At various points throughout the album, the singer either has trouble hitting the high notes or simply chooses not to. Either way, it takes some time to grow on you. But once it does, it sticks and you begin to like it. And then finally you begin to love it. As stated in others reviews, song 2 (Enemies/Friends) is beautiful. Once the soaring vocals and guitar begin towards the end of the song, you know you're listening to something great and unique. The rest of the album shines and if you're into the whole surge of bands like Modest Mouse, Keane, Snow Patrol, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Ambulance Ltd., etc. then you will enjoy this album. But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself and come to your own conlcusions. Just know, this album is getting a lot of hype and it's probably worth checking out just to know what everyone is talking about. With all that said, good luck finding what you're listening for.