The Lovely Sparrows have a way of putting together words and music that make the band one of today’s leading folk-rock and folk-pop artists. With Tall Cedars of Lebanon, the Sparrows continue the trend they began as early as their debut EP, Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On (New) Paint. The musicianship remains just as tight and focused as was on Bury The Cynics. But Tall Cedars isn’t without its difference from the band’s prior work.

“The Secret Plume” is the latest video from Seattle artist Virgin Of The Birds and it features early video of some very unique dancers. In fact, we saw a similar dancer in The Robot Ate Me’s video for “On Vacation”, which was eerie and surreal. Here, however, it complements Jon Rooney’s melodies, which are often timeless.

Tied To The Branches is the latest band to release on Abandoned Love Records, headed by Jon Rooney of Virgin Of The Birds and including FensePost favorites Like Pioneers and The Lovely Sparrows. “Walls” features an echoing wall of guitars and reverb-drowned vocals. Its accompanying video is a disjointed psychedelic trip, filled with digital shapes, illustrations and a very colorful palette.

There’s something about the music Virgin Of The Birds creates that is seemingly timeless. It’s absolute, in the present, yet it hints of a time long past. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the songs, with poppy guitar melodies and an ever consistent percussion. The songwriting is where complexity dominates; a lyrical prowess filled with story-like mystery. This mystery has dominated the library Virgin Of The Birds has built. And you can hear it thoughout “They Wake”.

Last week saw the quiet return of a great label, one that we here at FensePost have been following for quite some time. It wasn’t so much a return, rather the branching out away from label head Jon Rooney’s solo project Virgin Of The Birds. And he certainly chose the right artist to mark the label’s first release in quite some time. Like Pioneers boast a slew of artists with a hefty background in creating phenomenal music. Let’s see, there’s Bound Stems, Chin Up Chin Up, …

Banquet Years is the third EP in a digital-only series of releases by Seattle-by-way-of-Austin’s Jon Rooney, the Virgin Of The Birds mastermind and proprietor of Abandoned Love Records. The album, containing five songs, finds Rooney further expanding his capabilities and musicianship. Opening track “Let Me Be Your Bride” demonstrates his folk-versatility, from the 60s-era bass guitar bop to the borderline experimental tinkering on the keys. Not to mention, the wicked guitar-work radiating in emotive psychedelic hypnosis.

We’re excited to exclusively premiere the sixth track of Virgin Of The Birds’ latest EP, Dear Furies, available only here on FensePost. The song features Jon Rooney’s growing focus of meshing his love for folk-pop with the obsession with classic underground films, like the classic works of Christopher Lee circa the 60s and 70s.

Virgin Of The Birds is the solo project of Jon Rooney, the primary individual behind Abandoned Love Records. His latest project is a slew of EPs available from the ALR website, the first of which is Every Rival.

What is the perfect driving music? You can probably rattle off a ton of names—my list, past and present, would include: Sing Along With The Acid House Kings by Acid House Kings, Up Against The Legends by The Legends, and Friend And Foe by Menomena. Surely we can all name great music to drive to, but what about bad music to drive to? This is a bit more difficult.

Once again Austin delivers, this time with the recent release of The Lovely Sparrows‘ Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On (New) Paint on Abandoned Love Records. And with this five-song debut EP, the Texas town continues to pump out quality artists. The Lovely Sparrows take folk music in a new direction, adding a unique abundance of percussion and a few non-traditional instruments, like the flute. I raved about “Chemicals Change” when I wrote the feature article on The Lovely Sparrows, and the rest of the EP continues with more cymbal heavy, …