Hope Of The States
The Lost Riots

THE REVIEW

As the first (and hopefully there will be many more) album to review, I chose this one because I believe it is one of the best debuts and releases of 2004. As you well know, I'm talking about HOPE OF THE STATES, whose The Lost Riots, perhaps not very well known, truly made me jump out of my seat the first time I listened to it.

Let me preface by saying, their music is a mix of rock filled with violins, brass, and strings; it's epic music (at times reminiscent of post-rock) also full of very catchy choruses. When you listen to them, they always give you the feeling that this music is a sort of "testament of the world," a kind of pre-apocalypse, surely due to the emotional charge that this album can "donate."

In this album, we come across songs like "Enemies/Friends" with that sweet guitar introduction that is then overshadowed by drums that keep time perfectly. Here enters Sam Herlihy's voice which, as indicated in the booklet, is joyful, hopeful, broken, and so forth... The piece then ends epically with a sad and acclaimed repetition of various "in the end."
Another magnificent track is "66 Sleepers To Summer" with its magnificent start of violin and acoustic guitar, then comes the ballad "Don't Go To Pieces," the powerful and captivating single "The Red The White The Black The Blue," the folk rock of "George Washington."
"Nehemiah" (another single) with those yeah yeah yeah yeah that drag along with the violins... and the last "1776" which in the chorus slightly recalls "Starman" by the old David Bowie.
But beware!!! "The lost revolutions" are not over yet, if you wait, there's the ghost track that aggressively seals "the end" of the album.
From the titles and the lyrics, the atmospheres that Hope Of The States evoke, besides the apocalyptic ones, are also strongly reminiscent of the revolutions between the 18th and 19th centuries.
In short, what can I say, recommended for those who love BRITISH rock!

And let’s hope that they will delight us with a successor worthy of the debut.