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.

Where Tall Cedars stands out is in its heightened intricacy. Always one to tout ornate instrumentation, The Lovely Sparrows utilize this ability in full force on their new EP. Each song is best taken in with headphones or high-quality speakers. It’s the only way to truly capture the layered detail in “We Take Flight” or the beautiful harmonies in “National Monuments”.

Tall Cedars Of Lebanon may not be as pop-ridden as was found on songs from The Lovely Sparrows’ prior releases, but do not fret. There is not a weak song to be found within. And, better yet, this EP is vast in its beauty, elegant and educated in both instrumentation and vocal prowess, and a perfect compliment to an already impressive library of outstanding music.

Download: “National Monuments” by The Lovely Sparrows

Abandoned Love Records [CDEP, 2011]

1. While I Was Out Sailing
2. We Take Flight
3. If Love’s A Sparrow
4. National Monuments
5. A Fire Escape

“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.

“The Secret Plume” is off Virgin Of The Birds’ EP Dear Furies, one of a few free EPs from the band available on Abandoned Love Records. Check out the video below and grab “The Queen Of Sweden” off the band’s Fugitive Works EP.

Download: “The Queen Of Sweden” by Virgin Of The Birds

Virgin of the Birds – “The Serpent Plume” from Abandoned Love Records on Vimeo.

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.

In a way, I’m reminded of that heavy, psychedelic garage sound of modern greats like The Fresh & Onlys and City Center. “Walls” has that all-encompassing feel those artists tend to convey, and they do it just as well as their better known contemporaries. So don’t be surprised if these guys begin making waves in the scene. “Walls” is seriously good.

“Walls” is the first track off Tied To The Branches’ new LP, Light Of Day, It’s OK. Check them out as they hit the west coast this week.

Download: “Walls” by Tied To Branches

Tied to the Branches – “Walls” from Abandoned Love Records on Vimeo.

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”.

So, too, can you see the timeless moments in the video for “They Wake”. Very present (shot in 2004), but hinting of a time even further back in our history. The music, too, possesses an underlying affinity toward ancient cult films of Christopher Lee vampire flicks and the black-and-white Dark Shaddows Gothic soap opera and classic obscure literature. It may or may not be what Virgin Of The Birds artist Jon Rooney is going for, but it works wondrously in his favor.

“They Wake” can be found on Virgin Of The Birds’ new digital EP, Fugitive Works, available for download from Abandoned Love Records under Fugitive Works.

Download: “They Wake” by Virgin Of The Birds

Download: “The Queen Of Sweden” by Virgin Of The Birds

Virgin of the Birds – “They Wake” from Abandoned Love Records on Vimeo.

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, Vacations, and The Narrator. While I haven’t spent much time with the latter two, the former are totally legit.

There’s really not much you can say about Piecemeal other than that it’s really, really good. It’s one of those albums that doesn’t need all those descriptive statements and over-thought metaphors. You just put on the headphones, close your eyes, listen, and smile. It feels good, sounds good, and therefore it is good. From opener “Some People” to the immensely catchy single “Gift From A Holiday”, to closing track “Crab Candy”, it’s just… flat out… good. Beginning to end, it is packed with pure, upbeat, feel-good pop music that’s worthy of loud volumes and good company. There truly is not a weak song on the album. Throughout, Like Pioneers impresses thoroughly.

Download: “Gift From A Holiday” by Like Pioneers

Abandoned Love Records [Digital LP, 2010]

1. Some People
2. English Garden
3. Gift From A Holiday
4. Exit Row
5. Crop Circles Plus Legs
6. Polkadot
7. Teakettles No. 1
8. Ike
9. Metal Oscar
10. Crab Candy

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.

From Virgin Of The Birds’ early days, the band had a very Dan Bejar-esque sound. While the reverberating echo in experimental-ish guitar still hints at that influence, and Rooney’s vocal styling has a similar flare, Banquet Years is heading in a new direction. It was hinted in last year’s Dear Furies and Every Rival, but it’s now ever more apparent. “There Is A Wide Road” finds Rooney harmonizing with himself, while virtually all songs feature consistent shakers, which give them a laid-back shuffle.

“She’s In The Moon Again” is Rooney’s ode to the curse word, of which he uses many. And “Every Revelry” is a heavier, harder tune with a full drum beat and a heightened pace. The guitar and keys dominate in excellence while Rooney’s vocals are front and center.

I feel quite surprised to say this, as the first two installments of VotB’s series of digital EPs were quite solid. Virgin Of The Birds have really outdone themselves with Banquet Years. It’s quite easily their most accomplished work yet. I love the intense indie folk sound Rooney has begun associating with Virgin Of The Birds. It’s not quite lo-fi but has some of those qualities. Let’s hope Virgin Of The Birds keeps this up — I can’t wait to hear more!

Download: “Let Me Be Your Bride” by Virgin Of The Birds

Download: “Every Revelry” by Virgin Of The Birds

Abandoned Love Records [Digital EP, 2010]

1. Let Me Be Your Bride
2. Every Revelry
3. She’s In The Moon Again
4. There Is A Wild Road
5. A Chimera You Can Trust

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.

The progression Rooney has made since donning the moniker Virgin Of The Birds is quite astounding. Early on, VOTB possessed a Bejarian quality, but with his most recent EPs, Rooney is downplaying those sounds for one much more his own. And it shows throughout his latest EP, Dear Furies.

I know the guy; he’s the proprietor of Abandoned Love Records and he’s a mutual film buff — he’s opened my eyes to the extensive world of classic vampire movies (predating the modern craze). And these are traits you can hear in his songs. “Ilona, You Should Still Be My Vampire Attendant”, off Virgin of the Birds’ last EP, Every Rival, hit the mark in the literal sense. On Dear Furies, available for download today, the influence is subtle, quaint even, but entirely present.

“Spanish Accusations” has an old-time-y pop sound that would be the perfect accompaniment for an avant garde vampire flick from the 70s. Likewise could be said about “You Love It Loud” and “Here Comes The Summer”. The masterful sixth track on the EP, the one provided here exclusively, “Magic And Sincere” features plenty of acoustic and electric guitar, as well as an 80′s synth channeling a Hammond B3 and transistor organs. You can also hear clavinet and an analog synth.

Adding these instruments have birthed Virgin Of The Birds’ new sound, fleshed out the songs with unique depth and insight into Rooney’s world, one clever entirely its own. Download “Magic And Serene” exclusively below, and get the other five tracks from Dear Furies at Abandoned Love Records.

Virgin Of The Birds: Magic And Sincere [mp3]

Abandoned Love Records [Digital EP, 2009]

1. Spanish Accusations
2. You Love It Loud
3. Baby Let Me Trace You
4. Here Comes Summer Again
5. The Serpent Plume
6. Magic And Sincere

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.

On Every Rival Rooney continues the eclectic folk rock stylings apparent on the prior Virgin Of The Birds EP, Mixed Choir. The two years that have passed since the summer 2007 release of that EP can be heard in songs like “Ilona, You Should Still Be My Vampire Attendant”. In other words, Rooney’s ability to craft song and lyric alike have improved tremendously.

Every Rival takes Virgin Of The Birds in a new direction instrumentally. Rooney adds a plethora of instruments, from various vintage-sounding keys to simple pianos to tambourine in songs like title track “Every Rival”. But he’s not above maintaining stripped-down acoustic/vocal only moments throughout the album, but these moments are just that, and they’re quickly swallowed by supporing instrumentation that add great depth to the songs.

Every Rival is an exciting piece of work, one all fans of light folk will appreciate. Rooney’s grate-y Dan Bejar-esque vocals are its perfect accompaniment. As the closing moments of “Lessons Learned In Turkish Valleys” near, one cannot help but long for more. And once they arrive, one is simply drawn back to the beginning — the soft, lounge-folk of “I Loved John” — to take the trip one more time.

Download Every Rival from the Abandoned Love Records site.

Virgin Of The Birds: Ilona, You Should Still Be My Vampire Attendant [mp3]

Abandoned Love Records [Digital EP, 2009]

1. I Loved John
2. Ilona, You Should Still Be My Vampire Attendant
3. From Peking
4. Every Rival
5. Lesson Learned In Turkish Valleys

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.

Personally, I would lump anything that could make me fall asleep at the wheel into this category. Classical music (selective “classical rock” tracks, falling into the experimental, prog-rock and post-rock subgenres, by artists like Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra may fall into this category) is an obvious one. But so should some bedroom pop artists. Bunkbed and A Weather are likely candidates. Included in this list may be Vespers, the latest by Portland’s whispering duo Nire.

Hear me out: Vespers is a great album. I could easily listen to this at work or at home and really enjoy it (case in point: I have done so many times already). If I were to make a list of great bathtub, back massage, background, berry-picking, and bedroom music, Nire would probably hit each compilation with stride. Such is the strife of bedroom pop.

The volume may be soft, but this is no soft release. While similar artists (A Weather, Carissa’s Wierd) orchestrated their quiet sound with various bowed string instruments, Nire keeps it minimal with melodically played keyboards and acoustic guitars. Their vocals remain at a calming whisper, never quite breaking into the “talking” volume range.

Despite just hitting double digits in the track list, Vespers comes in at just under 30 minutes in length. Two songs, “Prelude” and “Interlude”, hover around the 45 second range, and preludes and interludes should, while the rest near 3 to 4 minutes. “The March” is especially catchy, as are “The Light is Blinding” and “Mary”.

Lo-fi whispered bedroom pop is an interesting sub-genre in independent music dominated by artists like Bunkbed and Carissa’s Wierd, groups that have been off the grid for years. Yet Sub Pop Seattle artist Tiny Vipers (who I recently caught at Bumbershoot) and Portland Team Love artist A Weather are bringing it back throughout the Northwest. With Vespers, you can add Nire to the growing list of notable current bedroom pop bands.

This review was originally published September 17, 2007 on the old version of FensePost.

Nire: Girl In The Moon [mp3]

Abandoned Love Records [CD, 2008]

1. Prelude
2. The Light Is Blinding
3. Mary
4. Girl In The Moon
5. White Owl
6. Interlude
7. All This Time
8. The March
9. Wide-Eyed, Restless
10. Song For Cole

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, orchestrated folk-pop.

“Chemicals Change” remains at the forefront as the group’s catchiest and most celebrated tune, though many other songs round out the EP more than adequately. “Your Flowers Will Bloom” adds more orchestration, including banjo, xylophone, tambourine, and what sounds like a melodica. The song builds from the group’s light folk pop roots in the beginning to a more folk-rock style ending. “The War Has Seen The End Of Me” follows “Chemicals Change” as one of the most catchy, most memorable tracks on the EP, adding a chorus of vocals and a mix of knee-slaps and finger snaps. The percussion is reigned in and virtually non-existent — the tambourine keeps much of the beat while flute continues to break the boundaries of traditional folk-pop for a very refreshing and unique sound.

Shawn Jones occasionally possesses the vocal stylings of Ben Kweller, but only in “Attention Disorder Kid”—though Jones, in my opinion, remains a more innovative songwriter. “Attention Disorder Kid” includes much heavier piano than the previous songs on the EP, with punchy choruses and a pleasantly soft conclusion that leads directly into the beginning of the album closer, “Let’s Watch The Tourists”. The piano use continues in this final song, though softer and less punchy. Not only is the conclusion a mix of the group’s somewhat signature cymbal-heavy percussion (have I not emphasized that enough?), it also has a major focus on the snare toward the end.

Throughout, “Let’s Watch The Tourists” grows and builds to a climactic and satisfying end. The Lovely Sparrows do this well throughout Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On (New) Paint, and their ability to innovate and experiment beyond traditional folk-pop is unbounded. Pulling Up Floors is well worth the purchase. You’ll be missing out if you don’t check out The Lovely Sparrows, one of the best new bands of 2006.

This review was originally published October 18, 2006 on the old version of FensePost.

The Lovely Sparrows: Chemicals Change [mp3]

Abandoned Love Records [CDEP, 2006]

1. Chemicals Change
2. Your Flowers Will Bloom
3. The War Has Seen The Last Of Me
4. Attention Disorder Kid
5. Let’s Watch The Tourists

Written by Fense

I recently joined Jon Rooney on a trip to a record convention in which we perused piles and piles of albums in various collections. On this journey I snagged two 7” singles, one by The Wedding Present and one by The Smiths. As we hit Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood where Rooney resides, he mentioned he had a few albums for me, two of which were Morning Spy (MySpace) releases.

Prior to checking out 2005’s The Silver Age and 2004’s Subsequent Light, I was only familiar with Rooney’s more recent project, Virgin Of The Birds (Last month I posted a live review of him playing under that moniker at a Ball of Wax release show). Where Virgin Of The Birds is more folk-pop, Morning Spy is on the rockin’ side of indie-pop.

These albums are packed with lovable pop gems, like “Princess Vancouver” and “Two Horses” from The Silver Age, and “I Am The Time” (one of several female-fronted tracks from Morning Spy) and “Daughters Of History” from Subsequent Light. Both can be found on Rooney’s own imprint, Abandoned Love Records. I’ve included “Princess Vancouver” and “Daughters Of History” below for your listening pleasure.

Morning Spy: Princess Vancouver [mp3]

Morning Spy: Daughters Of History [mp3]

Written by Fense

The Lovely Sparrows (MySpace) embark on an exciting journey with Bury The Cynics, and while they loose much of the excessive percussion I loved so much on their EP, they replace it with heightened production value and an array of additional instruments. Or, rather, the additional instruments are brought to the foreground and allowed to shine.

The instrumental emphasis on Pulling Up Floors was a steady presence of sharp flutes and cymbal heavy percussion. Frontman Shawn Jones strays from this early pleasure on Bury The Cynics, adding more focus on his skillful finger plucked guitar parts and widening the instrumentation to include a heavier emphasis on the lead guitar. Take the stripped down “Larks And Owls”; the song is quite minimal, even in comparison to others on Cynics, yet the song’s beauty rings forth with ease.

There are more backing vocals here, too, seen as early as opening track “Wraith”, which debuted on tape as an on-air performance from Jones’ Austin hometown station KVRX then appeared again on the Sparrows’ Daytrotter Session. Multi-instrumentalist Lauryn Gould also adds backing vocals to a few songs, giving a female touch to several tracks—though Meaghan Perry may take her place at various times on the album.

To tell you the truth, I was initially skeptical when Bury The Cynics first spun in my CD player—I wasn’t sure how I felt about the softer side of the Sparrows. But, overall, the album is extremely well thought out, with every part concise and purposeful. And while I occasionally miss those cymbal heavy tunes, there is plenty of greatness on Bury The Cynics to keep me more that satisfied. And, as Shawn noted to me last week during a visit to Seattle, “It is a patient album.”

He’s right: it’s a grower. The more you listen to it, the more you’ll hear new parts, and the more you’ll dig it. Bury The Cynics will ultimately go down as one of my favorite albums of 2008; I have no doubts about that.

I know frontman Shawn Jones and I know label head Jon Rooney, but I doubt either of them knew that pushing back the release date for Bury The Cynics would land it on my 28th birthday. (That’s today, September 9th, by the way.) This is the best present I could ask for!

The Lovely Sparrows: Year Of The Dog [mp3]

The Lovely Sparrows: Department Of Foreseeable Outcomes [mp3]

Abandoned Love Records [CD, 2008]

1. Wraith
2. Living Room
3. Larks And Owls
4. Bury The Cynics
5. Department Of Foreseeable Outcomes
6. Rene, Your Country
7. Teenage Viking
8. Year Of The Dog
9. Devil In The Details
10. Prairie

Each Ball Of Wax compilation has a theme behind it and this one is the thirteenth quarterly comp that Seattle artist Levi Fuller has done. What Fuller does is concoct a theme (at least on some… several have no theme other than being “music to enjoy”) then gather a mass of (usually) local Pacific Northwest artists, who all write and record an exclusive song for the release. This was my first time seeing several of the performers on the list, from St Rainbow (the folks behind Hollow Earth Radio) and their eerie sampled goodness to Olie Eshleman’s instrumental loops. Virgin Of The Birds (MySpace), however, was a familiar name.

This band is the project of Jon Rooney. Though I’ve known Rooney for close to a year and a half, I only recently saw him perform for the first time. Though taller and cleaner cut, Rooney has the voice of an early Dan Bejar (Destroyer, The New Pornographers). This signature vocal sound fits well with his music, a casual folk-pop that’s easy to get into yet packed with unique hooks rare in the genre.

At Sunset Tavern on the 21st, Rooney was joined onstage by Seattle trio Secret Highways. He played a few from last year’s Mixed Choir EP and also treated us to “She’s In The Moon Again”, the song Rooney donated to Ball Of Wax 13.

This compilation features fifteen tracks, all written as a homage to the late George Carlin and his Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television. So, comp in hand, you’ll likely hear a slew of curse words with fuck and shit being the most popular. You can also pick up Mixed Choir from Virgin Of The Birds on Abandoned Love Records, while Ball Of Wax 13 is available for purchase here.

Virgin Of The Birds: Sisters At The Sound Of Dawn [mp3]

Written by Fense

Spin recently took the exclusive debut of The Lovely Sparrows’ (MySpace) video for “Year Of The Dog” and I initially found it astonishing that they related the Sparrows to Neutral Milk Hotel—I mean, The Lovely Sparrows are distinctly folk-pop and while NMH included some of these traits in their music, the emphasis was almost always on the pop.

But, in investing more time with “Year Of The Dog”, I can begin to hear why they made this claim. Check out the handclap breakdown in the middle—that’s not something The Lovely Sparrows would have included on Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On (New) Paint, the group’s phenomenal debut EP. And while the flutes and melodica and awkward changes are, they’re more distinct here.

The video is, in a way, reminiscent of the recent one for “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes. Both have an element of folk-driven animation. Where Fleet Foxes use clay, The Lovely Sparrows use paper. In “Year Of The Dog”, the two dimensional element is given depth through The Lovely Sparrows’ skilled songwriting.

For your listening pleasure, I’ve included an mp3 of single “Department Of Foreseeable Outcomes”, also off The Lovely Sparrows’ upcoming LP, Bury The Cynics, out September 9 (my birthday) on Abandoned Love Records.

Also, the group will be in town next week to rock Seattle. Catch them August 26 at Chop Suey here in Seattle and on August 27 at Exit Only down in Portland with my good friend Meyercord.

The Lovely Sparrows: Department Of Foreseeable Outcomes [mp3]

Above photo by Fense.

The Lovely Sparrows – Year Of The Dog from Eric Power on Vimeo.