Hope Of The States
Left

THE REVIEW

Left (1) passato prossimo di LEAVE
Left (2) sinistra: on the left, sulla sinistra...

On tiptoes it arrived, it caught me off guard. I didn’t notice it at all. Yes, it caught me off guard. It caught me twice, just like what happened with How We Operate by Gomez, meaning: there is no trace of the album in Italy!!! And this is very sad.
I don’t know how I found the first one here in Naples. A "miracle" precisely because that debut was a real "miracle," a great album that accompanied me for months and among the many bands I know, continues to do so today.

Meanwhile, "teng' a capa tost'" as they say here in Naples, and I continue not to trust various eBay and Amazon, so I was forced to resort to other means to get the album. And I must say this means is not the noblest way to thank these "hope of the states."
I would like to smell the pages of the booklet and insert the album in the stereo, turning the case around. I DON’T want to click and listen, NO. But the temptation was very strong, I couldn't not do it, I had to listen to this LEFT because I was sure of another absolute masterpiece. And so it was.

"Seconds" is a useless track, a sparse and quite predictable introduction. The two singles "Blood Meridian" and "Sing It Out". In the second, there is a hint of Muse and Placebo in the initial guitars especially. It’s not a well-chosen single and it’s not even very nice, while the other one, Blood Meridian, is authentic Hope of the States style. Guitars played with a brush, rhythmic drums, violins with a very catchy chorus blasted to 1000. The distinctive style of HotS continues to be felt, differing little from the debut even though there are some gems like the choir-like church songs in "The Good Fight". In the title track, Samuel Herlihy recites "An argument, an ambulance. The sound of sirens in my head just like you're singing to me" building an excellent song complete with electric piano, in a crescendo of instruments. "Industry" is short and sharp like a well-honed blade.

The general opinion people have of Sam Herlihy is that he has a bad voice and that it's precisely that which ruins the band, but in my opinion his suffering and hoarse voice even if it isn't very tuneful, expresses emotions that many singers do not convey.
Left in the end is made up of beautifully orchestrated songs with violins (sometimes brass).

The songs I highly recommend you listen to before getting the album are: Blood Meridian, Left, Industry, This is a question, Forwardirektion.