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Early reports billed Chichester's Hope of the States as "the new Radiohead", but The Lost Riots actually positions them as a fairly conventional rock concern--if one with ambitions far beyond many of their guitar-wielding peers. From just a quick listen to grandiose instrumental opener "The Black Amnesias", it's clear that something of Hope of the States's massive scope has been inherited from bands such as Montreal anarchist's orchestra Godspeed You Black Emperor or Scots instrumental rockers Mogwai. But Hope of the States pull off the commendable trick of twisting avant-garde apocalyptica into bona fide pop
Early reports billed Chichester's Hope of the States as "the new Radiohead", but The Lost Riots actually positions them as a fairly conventional rock concern--if one with ambitions far beyond many of their guitar-wielding peers. From just a quick listen to grandiose instrumental opener "The Black Amnesias", it's clear that something of Hope of the States's massive scope has been inherited from bands such as Montreal anarchist's orchestra Godspeed You Black Emperor or Scots instrumental rockers Mogwai. But Hope of the States pull off the commendable trick of twisting avant-garde apocalyptica into bona fide pop songs. In particular, "Enemies/Friends" and "The Red, the White, the Black, the Blue" are some of the strangest records ever to have cracked the UK Top 20, violin-augmented post-rock warships bedecked with billowing guitars and martial drumming, powered by the unblinking fervour of the young and righteous. The excitement occasionally gets a little much for frontman Sam Herlihy, who stretches his voice to painful breaking point on a couple of numbers. Luckily, the regal swathe cut by the likes of "Black Dollar Bills" keeps this fine debut album on track. --Louis Pattison
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Manufacturer: Sony
Release date: 7 June 2004
EAN: 5099751726425
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