Hope Of The States - 'Nehemiah' (Sony)
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
Who was Nehemiah? Check your Bible - he was an ex-governor of Judea, by all reports a fine example of leadership and a generally decent, straight-up kinda guy. See, this biblical rambling doesn't have to all be so fire and brimstone, there's some good to be found and some joy to be celebrated. Here at least, Hope of the States are putting the fun back in to fundamentalist religion.
Granted, fundamentalist is slightly misleading. Apart from the opening title world, there's little other obvious mention, but wholesome and heavenly it remains. Whilst their characteristically extravagant sound brings some proper orchestral pompous rock action, the lyrics are for the most part none too complicated - a few 'yeah yeah yeahs', a few, slightly more heated 'yeah yeah yeah yeah yeahs' and we're all happy. When you're trying to get a mass of people to sing in unison, sometimes it's all you need.
Anything that will bring people together for a wholesome cause has some merit, and presently Hope of the States are about as worthy of the power of our lung capacities as they come. You might not be able to fathom entirely what they're on about until the chorus kicks in, but when it does, you'll know what to do. Let yourself go.
Artists in this article: Hope Of The States
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