Customer Reviews

West of Rome

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Vic Chesnutt may well be the greatest popular music lyricist of his time. Awash with brilliant wordplay and allusion, his sad, funny songs reveal the complexities of individual consciousness to an extent that no other writer has done. After hours of listening to this album, you'll finally begin to realize his grasp of self, how fully he realizes the absurdity of life. "West of Rome" is his first masterpiece,a kind of folk tour through Athens, Georgia, that bohemian enclave in the heart of the rural South. Vic fights through the social gnats of "Soggy Tongues" while attempting to understand himself ("Stupid Preoccupations"), and the culture which he was raised in ("Bug"). Along the way, he notes in exquisite detail characters and situations that would "make a whale of a movie", a poignant, realistic one. Endlessy clever and inventive in rhyme, always sincere in emotion, "West of Rome" functions as the musical successor of Faulkner and O'Connor, and is a work of genius.

This is my very first Vic Chesnutt album so I am not going to compare it to any of his others - I can't even compare it to any other album that I own (and I own many). Why? Well, Vic is a very unique singer/songwriter. The closest comparison I can make is to Bob Dylan mixed with REM (which makes sense when you consider Michael Stipe produced this album). Two musicians I love, but would not necessarily put together in my CD player. Somehow though, it works (and works well).
Standout tracks include...
#1 Bug - the song makes me laugh and the chorus gets stuck in my head, but in a good way.
#6 Florida - such a pretty sounding song that says some not so nice things...I swear Michael Stipe sings a bit on this one too, but no credit is given to him for vocals.
#7 Stupid Preoccupations - a catchy self-deprecating song.
#10 Steve Willoughby - again with the self-deprecating, but this one pokes funs at others too.
#13 Soggy Tongues - I absolutely love the music, the words are a pleasant bonus.
#15 Nathan - haunting...I feel like you could make a movie based on this song. Bonus Track
#16 Where's the Clock - My favorite song on the album. Poetic and lyrical. Bonus Track
#18 Flying - Not much music, it's more of a sing-talk thing. Very melancholy. Bonus Track
#21 Confusion - There is a beautiful symmetry to this song with the lyrics and the instrumental. Bonus Track
#22 Shipping Out - Vic's voice isn't what you would call pretty, but it sounds very sweet on this one. A great album ender. Bonus Track (can you tell I liked the bonus tracks?)
In general the 22 songs on West of Rome are witty and melancholy. I am hopelessly and completely addicted and have filled my wish list with the rest of Vic?s recordings. Highly recommended album.

"When the bug hits, that's the time to scratch it"...

That's the opening sentiment of this record. In terms of WEST OF ROME, that's good advice. Vic Chesnutt's world is one where front porches are "filled with greasy, greasy grannies". Where Florida is "The Redneck Riviera". Not to mention the perfect place to "retire from life".

3 songs in, he's singing about the world being a spronge. & Chesnutt pretty much writes like one. Soaking up all the eccentricities of the world around him & then wringing out every last drop for your entertainment. Without a doubt, he is one of the most original & compelling songwriters to come out of the 90's Indy revolution. The same era that spawned the likes of Will Oldham & Elliott Smith.

If "Bruce" sings for the working man & Tom Waits is the poet laureate of the gutter, well then, I'll go far as to say Chesnutt's the small Southern town equivalent. Fans of REM, who miss the quirky Southern charms of their early work, can find more than a few fables of the Reconstruction here. One listen & you'll not be surprised to hear Mr. Stipe produced this gem.

WEST OF ROME is without a doubt, considered a heavy contender among Chestnutt admirers. And the bonus tracks alone are going to be enough to rope them in again. Especially "Flying", "Dying Young" & "Shipping Out". For those just getting their feet wet, this is probably THE best place to start. The perfect introduction.

Vic's self described "Sophomore Squirt," West of Rome, is a strange collection of smart, quirky, beautiful songs, produced by the loving hands of Mr. Mikey Stipe. Though there seems to have been some friction between the two (judging from some rather odd liner notes), the results are stunning. Vic is NOT your run-of-the-mill singer/songwriter type, and this might cause some to snap the CD in two upon first listen. But for some (me included), Vic's bizzaro lyrics and simple melodies sink their teeth into you--and the teeth stay sunk. Try this on for size: "feathers are falling and I can't dodge them / the tar is oozing from my little noggin / it's ugly, ancient residue / now there ain't no mistaking who's been accused." Well, sounds kinda awful in cold print. But for my money, Vic is a gem, and this album is his best.

I must admit i'm quite surprised to see only 2 reviews for such a great album (at least, 2 five stars). Talking about melodies, Vic has always impressed me with his ability to create gems out of a few notes or chords. "Less is more" (Mies van der Rohe) is what comes to my mind in the first place when i listen to Vic's material. But there's more. The splendid lyrics, of course! If you're hooked, you'll never get tired of it. My all time favorites are withering and panic pure. Give it a chance and let it grow on you. Also, please check out Sweet relief 2 compilation with great covers of Vic's material by REM, Madonna, Live, Dog's eye View, Sparklehorse, Kristin Hersh...

This is the early raw Chestnutt, when accompaniment was minimal, predominantly acoustic and when he was desperate to wrestle every lyrical jewel into every little space. The title reference to the great American writer John Fante, is a key to this, Chestnutt's `second squirt`, his `sophomore slough`, his `Ask The Dust`, his masterpiece. Like prime Fante, this free-wheels with fevered flights of imagery, suffused with playful and surreal comedy and `stupid preoccupations` with waylaid terms (`puny ingratiations`, `croaker sacks`, `tectonic panache`...) that Vic stretches, rolls and spits with unmistakable relish (`pee-yew-nee in-gray-shee-aa-shuns`), but is ultimately steeped in tragedy (`Florida` concerns the suicide of a friend). These are broad comparisons, Chestnutt, straddling the high-wires of lazy `alt country` classifications, is a unique, unrivalled figure in modern American music, as typified by champions as diverse as Mary Margeret O'Hara, R.E.M. (Stipe produced this record and offers some funked-up clavinet), Garbage and even Madonna. Like Fante Chesnutt is undervalued, and demands your immediate attention, and this is the record to begin the crusade.

I can't believe the guy here who says this is his worst album...this is definitely one of his best and displays a range of dynamic sensability and theme which i have found lacking in his recent records.

When did this album come out? in the 80"s?
I just put it on today, and it is still great!

This is a very deep album. Very well played and sung. But why has the original order of the song been changed while throwing in the bonus tracks?

I heard Vic Chesnutt's "About to Choke" at a listening station in Tower when it was released, and thought, "okay, here's one guy I don't need to bother with." Years later I found this album, "West of Rome" in a used bin, and thought "What the heck?" I am glad I did. This album became a real turning point in my listening, along with the Magnetic Fields' "69 Love Songs." Absolutely of the highest quality and more moving than one would imagine a rock album could be. If you like your music to go deep and be a really sad and really funny, this might do the trick for you. I listened to this album nonstop for weeks when I bought it, and learned later on how rare it was. That's what I call a lucky break for me. Worth hunting out, this one.