Punknews.org

|
Sign In | create an account

Lakota

Hope for the Haunted (2005)
Pop Up

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Matt Whelihan
(others by this writer | submit your own)

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.

Login to rate this album

Please login or register to post comments.

What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Anonymous (February 7, 2006)

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?

Scruffy (October 22, 2005)

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

Anonymous (October 22, 2005)

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

carlosnyc (October 21, 2005)

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!!!

carlosnyc (October 21, 2005)

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

Anonymous (October 21, 2005)

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

Douglas_Howser_Jr (October 21, 2005)

free leonard part 6

maverick (October 21, 2005)

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

-Scott

Anonymous (October 21, 2005)

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

Anonymous (October 21, 2005)

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

localh (October 21, 2005)

Free Leonard Peltier!!!