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Norfolk & Western
A Gilded Age
Hush
Amidst swerving violins, a resonant, weaving pump organ and a perky little banjo, stands Norfolk & Western’s singer/guitarist Adam Selzer. With a clear and precise delivery, which comes unmarred by pretension or affectation, Selzer presides over the numbers on A Gilded Age with an unflinching, almost sober lucidity. A charming frontman with an easy presence, Selzer and his Portland-based bandmates—which includes Selzer’s girlfriend, Rachel Blumberg of The Decemberists—waltz through the eight tracks on this E.P. with a timeless aplomb. The gentle folk of “Porch Destruction” is a slow burning mediation about how wrecking balls can’t really erase history; the title track employs a prowling bass line and an accusing banjo to make its point about globalization; and “There Are No Places Left For Us” is a creaky instrumental that has a haunting elegance. Elsewhere, Blumberg handles vocal duties on the soporific “Minor Daughter,” which is loaded with a wobbly grace; “Clyde & New Orleans” is a ballad about belated justice; and “We Were All Saints” imagines an explosive escape from the suburbs. Theatrical in spots, moody in others, A Gilded Age is an unexpected delight.
—Alex Green
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