In the beginning, Norfolk Western was a project name given to the solo recordings of Oregon-based singer/songwriter Adam Selzer. Over the course of several albums, however, the project has developed into a proper band, and with A Gilded Age, it's not even entirely Selzer's show anymore. Former Decemberists drummer Rachel Blumberg is Selzer's foil now, writing and singing her own sweet-natured indie-folk tunes. Blumberg's songs, as well as those he co-wrote with Selzer and bassist Dave Depper, boost the energy level of the album considerably; though a few songs, particularly the closing A Voice Through the Wall, are in keeping with Selzer's familiar, haunted and skeletal acoustic tunes; most of A Gilded Age sounds remarkably like the peppy indie pop of Blumberg's former band. Utility Decemberist Chris Funk's varied contributions to these songs are probably a big part of that, as is the increased prominence of longtime keyboardist and accordion player Tony Moreno. Regardless, Selzer's reliably dark-edged lyrical sense and minor-key folkiness maintain a link to previous Norfolk Western albums that keeps A Gilded Age from sounding like a calculated shift in musical focus. ~ Stewart Mason, Rovi

1		Porch Destruction
2		A Gilded Age
3		Watch the Days Slowly Fade
4		There Are No Places Left for Us
5		Minor Daughter
6		Clyde & New Orleans
7		We Were All Saints
8		A Voice Through the Wall
9		A Gilded Age [CD-ROM Track]