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.