The majestic soundscape that is The Lost Riots honors the band's personal bond and cherishes the memory of their late friend, but that's merely a stepping stone. Sam Herlihy's bittersweet vocal delivery during the piano-driven ballads "Don't Go to Pieces" and "Sadness on My Back" matches the heartache previously displayed by Starsailor's James Walsh. He's even a touch like Richard Ashcroft, a working-class poet in progress much like Ashcroft was during his latter years with the Verve. With their tragic loss aside, there's a lilting sense of comfort surrounding the 13-song set. The dynamic of love and loss will never rest, and it bursts with a millions fibers and a few tears as Hope of the States channel their frustration for the man versus man equation. Herlihy's heavy-hearted voice and Mike Siddell's atmospheric violin arrangements during "Enemies/Friends" immediately set the anthemic tone of The Lost Riots. Words as simple as "Come on people/keep your friends close/your enemies won't matter/in the end" makes it all seem so easy. Even the more ambitious numbers like "The Red the White the Black the Blue," a downpour of acoustic guitars, pianos, and percussion, and the old-timey jangle "George Washington" don't come off as pretentious or overly earnest. It's likely that Hope of the States are firm in questioning a bullying United States, but the songs are open-ended enough so that they could be about anything to anyone. Genuine sincerity is the key to their success, and The Lost Riots breaks apart the darkness of personal tragedy for a joyful daybreak. The double-cross of emotions holds The Lost Riots together, thus making Hope of the States' first introduction an impressionable one.

The Black Amnesias Enemies/Friends 66 Sleepers to Summer Don't Go to Pieces The Red the White the Black the Blue Black Dollar Bills George Washington Me Ves y Sufres Sadness on My Back Nehemiah Goodhorsehymn 1776