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Lakota

Hope for the Haunted
2005
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Lakota - Hope for the Haunted (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Matt Whelihan
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Published on October 21st 2005

Lakota have been listening to the Foo Fighters, or at least the loud, fast songs. What you get on Hope for the Haunted is a batch of up-tempo numbers (you know, “Monkey Wrench” speed) with big guitars and drums, and vocals that move between passionate singing and shouts. If Dave Grohl started a power-pop/punk band I suspect it would sound something like this. The big difference is that Lakota don’t write riffs that are as memorable or melodies that are as hummable as Grohl’s outfit.

The pop-punk-meets-guitar-rock sound works best on songs like opener “Hope for the Haunted,” which has a verse made up of stuttered guitar, two sticks on the hi-hat beat and a faded vocal line that sound a whole hell of a lot like “Everlong,” “Ember,” whose opening riff sounds a whole hell of a lot like ...Trail of Dead’s “Another Morning Stoner,” and “Ornaments,” with its dark pop that sounds similar to something off of Jawbreaker’s Dear You.

Still, even these songs fall victim to the stale songwriting tactics that are found all over Hope for the Haunted. Every time a chorus starts, so do the layered vocals, and while they are meant to give that section of the song an extra kick, it just leaves them all feeling the same. Again, there is also the fact that this is guitar-driven music, but after listening to the album a few times you will realize you can’t recall any of the riffs.

A band like Reeve Oliver is doing similar things to Lakota, but they are taking home the gold while Lakota is struggling for the bronze. Hope for the Haunted is the type of album it is difficult to say a lot about; it starts, and then ends, and what comes in between is a guitar-driven pop-punk/rock hybrid that isn’t too upsetting or too awe-inspiring.

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 at 7:09 PM (EST)
My Score:

Wow, for a person who writes reviews, you seem to not know much about punk and emo music. Maybe you should expand your horizons a bit before trashing on music that is actually liked by most people these days. Listen to other bands such as Cauterized and The Spill Canvas, see a trend? Amazing! Thanks for trying, but next time, educate yourself.

Oh and by the way, the guys from Lakota rock and definately have the best personality, which gives them the gold.

Thank you for your "expert opinion" Mr. Review writer, may I suggest finding a new job?

Posted by Scruffy on 2005-10-22 19:33:42

I can hear the Sugar and the Foo Fighters a lot. How wide of a release does this have? I'm intrigued.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 7:53 AM (EDT)

I hope this band keeps the Sugar element in future releases aswell, because they do it well.

Posted by carlosnyc on 2005-10-21 20:28:52

And by the way, I think Reeve Oliver is a kick ass band. But I objected getting pitted against them. Why not just knock our record for whatever reason you have? Why must someone take two smaller bands and make it some kind of competition? If that's what makes people happy, I guess I stand corrected.

BUY THE LET GO ALBUM!!!

Posted by carlosnyc on 2005-10-21 20:23:17

I can take a bad review but Reeve Oliver?! That hurt!

And for the record, we LOVE Sugar and Foo Fighters! I could think of far worse bands to be influnced by.

-carlos/LAKOTA

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 21, 2005 at 1:28 PM (EDT)

lakota as in that crap drug stores hold ?
WORST NAME IN HISTORY

Posted by Douglas_Howser_Jr on 2005-10-21 10:51:03

free leonard part 6

Posted by maverick on 2005-10-21 09:20:13
My Score:

Really good record. Sounds a lot like Sugar, but with a bit more of a modern edge. I like it a lot.

-Scott

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 21, 2005 at 5:28 AM (EDT)

Hmm these guys sound like Sugar to me, not Foo Fighters.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 21, 2005 at 2:00 AM (EDT)

Dakota? More like Crappyota
Take it to the bank!!!

Posted by localh on 2005-10-21 00:41:03

Free Leonard Peltier!!!

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 21, 2005 at 12:24 AM (EDT)

the new foo fighter's album is probably the worst shit i've ever heard. Hard to believe that band wrote The Colour and The Shape.

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