Norfolk & Western

During my time at the Department of Safety, a police station-cum-venue in Anacortes, WA, one of the best shows was our fall prom, where Portland-based Norfolk & Western did us the honor of being the house band. Their dreamy Americana—last released on The Unsung Colony—is melancholy, thoughtful, and romantic, as quality atmospheric folk-rock should be, and set a perfect backdrop for many a couples’ dance. A couple themselves, N & W’s Adam Selzer (who also plays guitar and bass for M. Ward) and Rachel Blumberg (drummer for M. Ward and formerly the Decemberists), haven’t made one bad record since their start a few years ago. Their music, like an ideal marriage, just seems to keep getting better.

Listen to Norfolk & Western's "Barrels On Fire."