It's hardly surprising that the members of Hope of the States made music their career: they grew up in a small English town with few other interests. The lads formed the band in 2000, taking their name from Albert Deutsch's Shame of the States, a scathing book on the state of America's mental heath system. With a handful of powerful songs as pointed as their namesake, they started playing shows in military uniforms as a visual connection to their message. Within three years, the group grew into a six-piece and developed its distinctive, sprawling, cinematic sound. "Black Dollar Bill" was released in 2003 on the indie label Seeker, and the initial pressing sold out in no time. The sextet landed high-profile shows at U.K. summer festivals such as Reading and Glastonbury. On a roll, Hope of the States signed with Sony, and in the fall of 2003 they traveled to Ireland with producer Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros). The band spent eight weeks in almost complete isolation at Peter Gabriel's Real World studio, recording the lion's share of its debut album, The Lost Riots. But on January 15, 2004, the group received a punishing blow: guitarist Jimmie Lawrence had committed suicide by hanging himself in the studio. Determined to carry on, they finished their album as a five-piece, and The Lost Riots went on to score with fans and critics alike, leading to declarations that the Hope of the States were the best thing since sliced bread (or at least since Radiohead). The Lost Riots was released in the U.S. in October 2004.