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Pretty Little Empire :

Justin Johnson - Vocals, guitar
William Godfred - Guitar, vocals
Wade Durbin - Bass vocals
Evan O'neal - drums, vocals


Pretty Little Empire's second LP Reasons and Rooms manages to broaden their musical horizon from folk to include early 90's indie punch guitar and post punk. The songwriting is as good as ever and this album finds the band experimenting a little more with new musical textures that still adhere to the tenants of this band's sound. The addition of Evan on drums has made the sound more complex and seems to give Wade some more places to take his bass lines. Justin, Will and Evan all sing commendable lead parts on songs making the overall sound varied. It's fun to try to tag each ones vocals. Also listen for some of the mixes that have dual lead vocals with one persons voice slightly out front, which requires vocal abilities that all of the members posses.



"Now Is The Time" begins with a nice acoustic riff and features great harmonies. This foreshadows the guitar to come. I love how they switch up the pairings of band members on the harmonies. Great opener that doesn't give away the surprise to come.

"Dakotas" is a b-side from the first PLE album Sweet Sweet Hands. It's really cool to see the difference in the song. It's a much fuller song on this record that utilizes Evan's driving drum part and Will's big guitar to make it a quicker louder song. Yet it keeps the shouted chorus and bouncing rhythm that made this song so damn catchy when I heard it as a b-side.


"Island (nc)" feature Evan on lead vocals and some beautiful harmonies that make it a really good song, but I am not sure that the song fits with the rest of the feel of the album. I think the feel of this is more of a southern rock feel.

Strains of the old PLE meet with the new PLE on "Let's Say 'I do'". Love the bounce of this song. Some Sugar style guitars and Justin Johnson's interesting cadence make for a song that will run in your head again and again. The trumpet, played by Jim Manley, gives this song a nice dynamic.

Justin sent me the first version of "Perfect Hearts" that he recorded on his i-phone. Evan's keys and glockenspiel make this a really full sounding version. The break toward the end is really nice and builds to the nice blissful level of a dreamy pop sound that is augmented by Cathie Degler's cello.

"Wasted Days" showcases Evan on drums. I am a sucker for the drums here. Near marching snare roll at the beginning gives way to Evan's controlled jazz bursts. Will's post punk guitars and Wade's thumping bass line make this the highlight of their live set. I wish they had added a little of the hoarse emotive vocals that I have seen them use when playing this song live. It's such a big sound and everyone is in the pocket. So good!

On "Cinnamon Toast" Will sings lead. Even though Justin and Will vocal range is similar, the inflection and cadence are indeed different. This is a post rock song of the first order. Jangly guitars with simple repeating rhythms make for a larger than life sound. Amazing to think this is the same band that put out Sweet Sweet Hands. Again the driving bottom here with Evan playing on and off the cymbals adds another dimension.

Because I was such a big fan of the first album, I was pretty sure I would love this one, and I do. But the few surprises on this album like "Morning's Been Hard" are songs that are surprising and it's exciting to hear the new direction. On this track Evan sings lead and plays keys. The single guitar notes along with the keys make a complete thought expressed which obviously needs input from everyone in the band to achieve the greatness that this song does. Sublime and dense with simple instrumentation this song has everything in the perfect amounts.

"Reasons Are Wrong" is a nod for sure to PLE's roots. It's another song I heard Justin play as an i-phone demo. Such a bright wash of sound was added to this album version. "Don't take anything from a hand that reaches out for you, don't you understand anything anymore" Justin and Evan sing. The trumpets and piano are nice touches.

The closer is "You Can't Have It All" which features screaming guitars and Justin's pleading vocals. "I don't think it's right , when we fight all the time, and you don't want to say where we are". Such simple words that can have multiple implications. This is another song I wished that the vocals on the chorus were allowed to over modulate a bit. It would add to the insistence of Justin's delivery. Maybe I am spoiled with seeing this live and am just trying to hear the live version. So then I can only give this song a 4.75 out of 5.

So this is a powerful follow up album for these really nice guys from St Louis. I listen to so many albums and like so many albums that sometimes they bleed into one another, but this album truly stands on it's own. They have infused their folk/Americana/Western sound with early 90's guitar which is a win and win. They have managed to incorporate the different sounds seamlessly and make their own sound. You can hear hints of yet another shift in their sound that may lean toward the experimental and not rely on classic instrumentation alone. I consider myself fortunate to be friends with these guys and be able to hear all of their various music projects while they are being made. I am thankful to them for that and look forward to the next album!

The guys have put this album up as a FREE DL for the next week in anticipation of their self titled album coming out Sat Oct 19th with a album release show at Off Broadway on that day!

Pretty Little Empire has crafted an album that vacillates between alt-folk and western music with campfire storytelling underpinnings. Justin Johnson handles most of the guitar and lead vocals. William Godfred plays drums and guitar as well as lead vocals on a couple of songs. Wade Durbin plays bass and adds vocals. Hannah Maxwell pitches in too with some instruments as well as beautiful background vocals. All of the vocals dovetail nicely. Their harmonies range from sweet and easy to loose and off kilter depending upon the tone they are going for. Glockenspiel, saw, upright bass, xylophone and trumpet are all used on Sweet Sweet Hands in small amounts that make the album a complete sound.

The wandering guitar line that starts"Piercing Blue Eyes", the album opener, sets the stage for a campfire sing along. The layered vocals add an extra depth and insistence to the subject matter, a broken heart. The refrain states 'staring me down with those piercing blue eyes you beat me down again, oh you beat me down again'.

"Good Morning Early Riser" features lonely trumpet flourishes, played by Andy Laisher, echoes the wistful nature of someone admitting they were wrong. 'How places change and faces change for us. And our loyalty is always at a loss...and I had it wrong".

"Never Said Much" is a punk charged sing along with a call and response that evokes big band swing jazz.

"Give It Time To Turn Around" features beautifully restrained vocals. Hannah sings background vocals that are sweet and soft. The lyrics are delivered with the emphasis on the last syllable that is repeated to good effect, ' I have nothing left to show -ow-ow-ow'.

An eerie warble from a saw ,played by Andy Laisher, gives "Baby Boy Killer" a dream like feel. This emphasizes the surreal subject matter of a child who grows up as a killer.

The tempo quickens on "Get Up and Go". The far away sound of the backing vocals gives this an urgent and displaced feel.

"A Long Time For Laughter" is a plaintive love song. The smart lyrics reveal the story between two lovers. 'You wanted babies, I wanted a war, now our bodies are meant for nothing but chores'. In this song a few words go a long way.

The sum of all the parts on Sweet Sweet Hands leaves the listener humming more than one of the melodies. There is an overall bright and dreamy feel that the music, vocals, and production have an equal part in creating. Pretty Little Empire understands the best way to tell a good story musically is to use a little restraint and leave a little to the listener's imagination. I often review just the "highlight" tracks but I found that this album is deep with beautifully crafted songs.

Norman, Oklahoma based Young Readers is Jordan Herrera, who has created some restrained yet beautiful pop gems on his debut, Family Trees. The laconic gait of opening track "All I Have" featuring a western influenced foundation with weepy stings is the perfect match for Jordan's restrained yet effective vocals. The Western foundation is upped a few more notches on the waltz timed second track "Box Car" on which Jordan sings 'We can eat cans of beans and you won't hear me complain... And the world will drift away as you and I fall asleep in the hay... And all the sights that we'll see as we hop... from state to state... And the sound of the train is all I need to leave this place.'

On "Wooden Frame" Jordan uses some some nice imagery  in the lyrics, 'And it takes a little color... And some time to dry on canvas ...And it takes a 20x16 wooden frame ...To make his journey away seem sincere.' My favorite track on Family Trees is "Blame" a slow burning song that finds Jordan lyrics and vocals full of guilt and resignation.  There are countless songs sung about relationships. It's always good to hear a song like "Blame" that is honest and straight forward as well as heartfelt as evidenced by the lyrics ,'I hope the house is still warm ...When I lay my back against yours ...Cause in your bed I feel like a ghost ...Buried in clean sheets and dirty clothes.' When I saw Jordan play in Chicago he gave an explanation for the album closer 'Lion Tamer', which Jordan told the audience was written about a boy he used to look after who has Autism. The boy was neglected and Jordan's sadly poignant take of the situation  in 'Lion Tamer'', 'So you claim you're not the fool they say you are ...As you try to prove you're someone that you're not ...They don't understand the creature you've become ...So they lock you up and hide you in the walls.'


Jordan is a confident songwriter who has done a remarkable job on his first release, Family Trees. I think it is stunning in it beautiful simplicity and have listened to it countless times. This album will be on my year end list and I look forward to see what Jordan has up his sleeve is the future.
Jordan is currently on tour. Hi bandcamp download is a free download and you can follow him on his Facebook page I link above to find out when and where you can see him play.
My concert footage from Jordan's Chicago show yesterday will be up on youtube soon.

The male/female harmonies on here are spot on. This  New Haven folk music has a bit of a western swing to some of these track. Very engaging songs. Thanks to The Willow and The Builder for the free download.

Thanks to DC at The Waiting Room Radio Show for the tip on this. If you haven't checked out their podcast it is must that you do. Indie music you won't hear many other places.