The story of NORFOLK & WESTERN is literally a journey on a who’s who trip of the Portland music scene – especially that of main man ADAM SELZER. He not only manages to run what is considered the finest studio in the whole state – Type Foundry. He somehow manages to record and sometimes produce the cream of the crop of Portland’s fine plethora of talent such as: THE DECEMBERISTS, LAURA GIBSON, PETER BRODERICK, RICHMOND FONTAINE, M. WARD, SHE & HIM and welcome visitors from out of town such as ALELA DIANE, LANGHORNE SLIM, DIRTY PROJECTORS and even THE GOSSIP. Note: Selzer somehow also manages the time to play full time in M. WARD’s backing band! Busy guy huh? Hell no! Selzer also finds the time to front and chief song write for Portland’s best kept secret – NORFOLK & WESTERN.
He is joined by BRIGHT EYES drummer RACHEL BLUMBERG (also ex-DECEMBERISTS) and DAVE DEPPER (of LOCH LOMOND). Forming the backbone of a band that has seen an array of fellow musicians join them on record and on tour like PETER BRODERICK and LAURA GIBSON have done.
The resulting DINERO SEVERO isn’t a record of serendipitous chance and rambling explorations, with each new listen fresh layers and elements come to forefront to reveal a lush, thought provoking intelligently crafted masterpiece; a perfect balance of production techniques, exquisite song writing, and phenomenal musicianship. Selzer’s lyrics surely are a potential edition of monologues in the making. His heart rendering stories are told with conviction and read beautifully. The outcome of a songwriter absolutely at one with his craft. DINERO SEVERO was recorded with the very minimum of overdubbing in the studio; proof apparent that NORFOLK & WESTERN are a three piece of huge performing abilities. Something we lucky souls will encounter when the band visits the UK later in the year. No strangers to the stage, NORFOLK & WESTERN have been invited with no option of refusal to tour with the likes of the late (and very great) MARK LINKOUS’ SPARKLEHORSE (for the much lauded IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE tour), M. WARD and of course THE DECEMBERISTS.
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Recommended to you as an album you will like – why not visit 3syllables the record company that sent me the album (thanks Andy) and buy the album from them and help support them and the artist.
Well, while there’s nothing really wrong with either song, they’re not very exciting are they? Its just sort of typical Americana lo-fi stuff played quite well, but doing nothing special.
The type of songs that wouldn’t be out of place while supping that midweek afternoon beer with a few friends. Unobtrusive, but nothing that I would go out of my way to hunt down.
Of the two, I prefer the second one, simply because there appears to be a little bit more going on. At least there’s a bit of squealing guitar at he beginning and the mood does seem to change a bit through the course of the song. The first one just seems to float along then comes to a rather unsatisfactory conclusion.
On the subject of The Decemberists, I have to admit to being hugely disappointed with the latest one of theirs I picked up, Castaways & Cutouts. After discovering them in one the mixes this year, I picked up The Crane Wife and The Hazards of Love, both of which were reasonably good albums. I expected more of the same from Castaways & Cutouts, and then realised that the album was very well named. Just didn’t have anything going for it as far as I was concerned.
Can’t see me rushing to get a ticket to see them when they go on tour. Still, if they were to pop into the local on a Wednesday afternoon I would be happy enough to buy them a beer provided that they played a few songs quietly in the background.