Product Description

Like the self-proclaimed "Spiderman" who climbed Chicago’s Sears Tower with no harness, Sufjan Stevens scales dusty prairies, steel factories, and two hundred years of history to produce his newest album Illinois on Rough Trade. Invoking the muse of poet Carl Sandburg (and the musical flourishes of Rodgers and Hammerstein), Illinois ushers in trumpets on parade, string quartets, female choruses and ambient piano scales arranged around Stevens’ emerging falsetto. Whereas 2003’s Michigan (the inaugural album of "The 50 States" project) was rooted in memory, and 2004’s Seven Swans was rooted in the spirit, Illinois is rooted in "the world, in society, invention, civilization, in disease, in death, in education, in business," says Stevens. And unlike Seven Swans, Stevens surmounted the heights of Illinois solo, employing guest musicians but recording, engineering, and producing the album entirely on his own (mostly at the Buddy Project in Queens, New York).

Track Listing

1. Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois
2. The Black Hawk War, or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience But You're Going To Have To Leave Now, or, "I have fought the Big Knives and will continue to fight them till they are off our lands!"
3. Come On! Feel the Illinoise! / Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition / Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream
4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
5. Jacksonville
6. A short reprise for Mary Todd, who went insane, but for very good reasons
7. Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step-Mother!
8. One last "Whoo-hoo!" for the Pullman
9. Chicago
10. Casimir Pulaski Day
11. To The Workers of The Rock River Valley Region, I have an idea concerning your predicament, and it involves an inner tube, bath mats, and 21 able-bodied men
12. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
13. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
14. A conjunction of drones simulating the way in which Sufjan Stevens has an existential crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze
15. The Predatory Wasp of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us
16. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!
17. Let's hear that string part again, because I don’t think they heard it all the way out in Bushnell
18. In This Temple As in The Hearts of Man For Whom He Saved The Earth
19. The Seer's Tower
20. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders / Part I: The Great Frontier / Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings Now
21. Riffs and Variations on a single note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to name a few
22. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I shake the dirt from my sandals as I run

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #521 in Music
• Released on: 2005-07-04
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
You certainly can’t fault the man’s ambition. (Come On Feel the) Illinoise is Sufjan Stevens’ second offering in his attempt to record an album for all 50 American states (the first was Greetings from Michigan). And rather than make life any easier for himself, Illinoise is itself a 20-track concept album, tackling a range of relevant topics from serial killers ("John Wayne Gacy, Jr.") to poets ("Come On Feel the Illinoise, Part II: Cars Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream") to Superman ("The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts").

Taken as a whole, the album sounds like a stage musical history of Illinois, sung with enthusiasm, and full of flourish and energy and a cast of characters that include the Blackhawk tribe, Abraham Lincoln, Al Capone, steelworkers and small-town heroes. Perhaps most surprisingly, considering its depths of knowledge and research, most of the album was recorded by Stevens in Queens, New York. But to its credit, Illinoise is always accessible, and never academic--if he can tackle such diverse topics within the course of just one album, then Stevens is just the musician to attempt the remaining 48 states. --Robert Burrow

CD Description
The second entry from sui generis singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens in his absurdly ambitious project to make a record for every state in America outdistances even 2003's superb GREETINGS FROM MICHIGAN in scope and beauty. A sweeping paean to the Lincoln state, ILLINOIS weaves together history, personal confession, and detail-filled scenarios with chamber folk, expansive orchestral pop, and back-porch pastoral settings for a stunningly progressive indie gem that sound like Brian Wilson, Stereolab, and Neil Young holding hands in heaven.
Remarkably, in its intricate, gorgeously crafted surfaces, ILLINOIS lives up to its aims. In addition to its symphonic grandeur, the album also showcases Stevens's heartland folk, and some of the album's most shimmering moments are its most spare. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr"., for instance, is an absorbing narrative that features Stevens's sweet tenor couched by guitar, piano, and backing vocals. "Casimir Pulaski Day", similarly, rides a rootsy banjo and guitar groove while Stevens unfurls image-rich lyrics over a lilting melody. Witty, audacious, and moving, ILLINOIS manages to be spiritual, entertaining, and educational all at once, resulting in an utterly unique conceptual and musical statement.

Customer Reviews

Tuneful, inventive, fun and oddly moving
Not many albums show the influence of Steve Reich, Love, The Beatles and Paul Simon. Even fewer have, in addition, crazily self-mocking album titles and a comic-book cover. Add to that mix the rehabilitation of the banjo, and you're down to one album. This is a melodic, joyous and eclectic piece of work. Verges on whimsy in a faintly Belle-and-Sebastien way at times, but doesn't quite fall over the edge into syrup. Even chord sequences and fingerpicking patterns you've heard 101 times before (Casimir Pulaski Day) are lifted by real emotion and heart-on-sleeve lyrics ; this one sounds hearfelt and oddly moving, recapturing childhood innocence in a way which could so easily go into pure mush. Risky, but wonderful.
One previous review which baffled me was the one which said there was a shortage of melodies... another, more positive one says it's 'worth the effort'. No effort required ; it's packed with melodies, and they hit the spot from the very first play. Another review quite rightly mentions the rhythmic drive and inventiveness of some tracks ; try 'The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders' for a punchy rhythm which avoids rockist clichés. There's an engaging amateur-hour feel to some of the vocals and backing vocals, which is not to say they're out of tune, just that they sound and feel like real human voices, not massively treated and studio-enhanced ones.

gloriusly rich, intelligent, beautiful music
there is so much that can be said about sufjan's latest cd, come on feel the illinoise, but i'll cut to the chase - it is absolutely stunning. for anyone who likes any of his music this cd is a must. it follows the same strain as michigan, not seven swans(or a sun came for that matter), and is in my opinion his best work to date. every song has a vast variety of unorthadox instruments in a way that every song gains from every one of them. like michigan, each song has a long witty name, sometimes to the ridiculus stage. there are 22 tracks, a few of which are fillers (clapping, some string sections etc) but the actual songs are utterly amazing.
there are more than 90% stand out tracks (in my opinion anyway) but my personal favourites are *Come On! Feel The Illinoise!: Parts I & II ( this sounds very much like someting on michigan, but even better!), Jackson, Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day (my personal favourite off this album), The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts (heavy electric start - gloriusly soft ballad), The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us, The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders. There are several more but they have such long winded names.
This cd is currently all i can play in my cd player, it is unique and beautiful. I recommend it to everyone and anyone who likes good music.

P.S I am going to see him in concert in 2 days! woo

Delightful trek around Illinois
This is the second album in Sufjan Stevens' trek around the USA, which should see him make an album about all 50 states, after 2003's ode to his home state, Michigan. It's incredibly diverse, both in its exploration of Illinois and in its exploration of music. Subjects range from a UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois in the opening track, to writer Carl Sandburg visiting Stevens in a dream in the pun-tastic 'Come On! Feel The Illinoise!' (don't let that put you off, this is about as far away from Slade as you could possibly get). But this is far more than a history lesson set to music. After telling the story of serial killer John Wayne Gacy set to haunting acoustic guitar, Stevens suggests that "in my best behaviour, I am really just like him". As well as being lyrically astounding in its ability to craft such an exciting picture of a relatively dull state, 'Illinois' is full of grand, beautiful arrangements. Though Stevens strums little more than an acoustic guitar on the gorgeous 'Casimir Pulaski Day', the likes of 'The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts' and the aforementioned title track are immense, miles away from the banjo-plucking minimalism on previous album 'Seven Swans'. Like fellow album of the year 'Funeral' by the Arcade Fire, this is truly incredible music to immerse yourself in. An absolute essential.