The Longue Durée - Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire frontwoman Emily Schambra would undoubtedly be horrified by this comparison, but still, it must be said: she is the Kelly Clarkson of post-hardcore. By this, it is meant that Schambra brings a surprising amount of not only technical ability but also emotional depth to a style of music that's not exactly rife with either of those things. Without her, Holy Roman Empire would be a much different -- and far worse -- band. On their second album, producer Matt Allison (a longtime veteran of the Chicago scene) emphasizes Holy Roman Empire's guitar sounds, keeping the rhythm section well in the background and using Neeraj Kane and Jay Jancetic's mostly distortion-free riffs to frame Schambra's up-front vocals. The results are remarkably clean without being sterile, and the nearly slick sound plays up the subtle pop hooks of tunes like the soaring "Olympus." The Longue Durée, pretentious album title aside, is tuneful without being blatantly commercial, thoughtful without being ickily emo, and a generally rocking good listen. There's really no reason why these guys couldn't be huge, like on an all-over-MTV2 level. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide