America, through British eyes

It was ironic to the max to be listening to British band Hope of the States make its L.A. debut on Thursday at the Troubadour at the same time Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry was accepting his party’s nomination, positioning himself as the hope of the States. The young sextet even offered tunes titled “George Washington” and “The Red the White the Black the Blue.”

Visuals projected behind the group -- aircraft flying, tanks rolling, satellite photos images blurred into watery mosaics -- reinforced the sense that these and other selections from its debut album, “The Lost Riots,” were commentaries on America. And such lyrics as “you beat us black and blue / We’re coming back to find you” could be interpreted that way.

But the music’s lush, dark, melodic swirl of guitars, drums, bass, keyboards and violin, and the introverted ecstasy the band projected while playing it, hinted at more personal meanings, such as the depression frontman Sam Herlihy has said he was venting in some numbers.

The lyrics’ meaning hardly mattered, however, as Herlihy’s vocals were often overwhelmed by glorious washes of noise the musicians built up with adept glee. After a roiling instrumental intro, the shaggy-haired frontman cheerfully greeted the crowd: “Good morning, Los Angeles,” he said, referring to the set’s 7:30 p.m. start. The 45-minute performance revealed a delightfully confident, adventurous bunch that evoked such acts as Coldplay, Doves and Sigur Ros, while projecting a warmth some of those acts lack. Their obvious enjoyment in making their own epic racket was blissfully infatuating.