Resistance: Rise of the Runaways [LP]

On their sophomore effort, Dallas post-hardcore outfit Crown the Empire widen their dynamic range with the simultaneously soaring and punishing The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways. There's something distinctly bipolar about the band's sound, which seems to shift effortlessly from the cinematic pomp of "Satellites (Act III)" to the crunching darkness of "Bloodline" without much trouble. The dramatic back and forth between these two ideas is wildly ambitious, but Crown the Empire manage to pull it off in a compelling enough way that they don't lose the listener in the process. In fact, this theatricality is easily the album's most engaging feature, making The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways a unique offering in an otherwise dull post-hardcore landscape. ~ Gregory Heaney