Empire! Empire! (I was a Lonely Estate)

Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) make music of another time. Their earnest (and at times, overwrought) sound recalls what the kids and critics once termed "Midwestern emo" (think the Promise Ring, Braid and American Football). Sunny Day Real Estate spawned it, and Empire! Empire! carry the torch.

The band hit paydirt on the propulsive "Keep What You Have Built Up Here," where vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Keith Latinen strains for almost unreachable highs. Elsewhere, they use a lethargic tempo and meandering, twinkling guitars to mine the sediments of existential despair. The band's Achilles heel is their song lengths (something to be expected, considering the word counts of their moniker and song titles). They definitely could have shed some time off the Mineral-esque "It Happened Because You Left," which is rather unwieldy at eight minutes.

Still, Empire! Empire! show serious potential in crafting crowd-pleasing sing-alongs ("Rally The Troops!"). They would be wise to nurture that talent and fuse it with the energy of the livelier sections of their finer material (the writhing "It's A Plague And You're Invited"). The use of banjo, cello and trumpet on "With Your Greatest Fears Realized, You Will Never Be Comforted" demonstrates that these kids have a few tricks up their sleeves. Hopefully they'll employ more unexpected moments on future recordings, since that is what it takes to move a superior band forward. (COUNT YOUR LUCKY STARS) Casey Boland - Alternative Press Review

Taking two years to make and lots of roadblocks to overcome (line up changes, recording delays, etc.), this young Michigan outift with a long name and almost as long song titles finally releases their much anticipated debut full length after two successful EPs. Though this began as a solo outlet for frontman Keith Latinen, Empire! Empire! soon became the quartet they are today, gaining a lot of momentum and worldwide praise.

Playing the sort to melodic, emotive post-hardcore that was so common in the mid to late 90's, Empire! Empire! deliver delicately textured songs with ambient, meandering instrumentation that occasionally picks up the pace with excellent jangly guitars. The vocals often remind me Copeland or early Saves The Day- high pitched and heartfelt- and it sometimes drops down to a whisper or even talking. The songs twist and turn with carefully calculated musicianship, often lasting 5+ minutes, though the instrumenation is intriguing enough so as not to make you aware you just listened to an 8 minute track.

Sincere and passionate, the bulk of this is atmostpheric, cascading, delicate guitar work that really brings to mind Mineral's 'End Serenading'. Sounding more like a bands 5th than 1st album, this is a very mature, accomplished body of work that reminds of us of all the greats from a decade ago, but retains a modern day feel as well. Definitely 99% better than what everyone calls 'emo' these days...

For fans of: Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, American Football, Christie Front Drive, The Promise Ring (early)
- Go 211!

For a 7, I couldnt think of a more perfect package. Empire! Empire! is likely to reel in quite the audience once the masses become more aware of their truly beautifully poignant voice in independent rock. Year of the Rabbit is a must-have for anyone who supports the revival thats underway in the Midwest: a revival that refuses to allow the overlooked magnificence of the regions predecessors die. - Absolutepunk.net

The band takes the best parts of indie, pop, and a touch of folk to make their own unique sound. Im pretty sure Empire! Empire! are a name youll be seeing later. - Late Night Wallflower

Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) might employ an over the top use of punctuation in their egregiously long band name, but once their beautiful instrumentation hits your ears, it might not matter…a band worth keeping an ear on in the coming times. - Punknews.org