Opening with the sound of film threading into a projector, "The Longest Stare" announces the record with a resounding and intimate descending chord progression. It draws the listener into the melody and story, carrying them along an accelerating river to the thunderous finale. The verses are turned out like scenes, with close-ups, cuts, and deft pacing, eventually unfolding into a panorama, if only for a moment, before too much information is revealed. From embers to wildfire, from a drip to a deluge, Norfolk & Western is telling a story of metamorphosis: both fictive and biographical. The musical spectrum is wide and enthralling. It's intimate and challenging. - Chad Crouch