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: #1448 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

Customer Reviews

Loves it
Its hard to say things about this album that haven't been said before, or that won't be immediately noticed upon listening to it. So what I want to concentrate on is the flow of the songs, the sheer artistic sense of musicality that Sufjan Stevens has. Each song leads effortlessly on to the next, and its a crazy mixture of half-minute muzak and 5 minute reminiscing, story-telling, faith clanging epics.
There is so much here to hear. I loves it.

love it
Illinois is the second instalment of singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens' ambitious '50 States' project, in which he aims to make a concept album about each of the American states. This album of twenty-two songs is a collection of Indie-folk music. It is released on Sufjan's own record label Asthmatic Kitty, typical of Indie music, which gets its name from being independently produced. The music has an ethereal quality, often being acoustic, and very much focuses on the lyrical aspect of the songs. Some of the instrumental arrangements may seem out of place, like banjo or flutes solos in the middle of a song about a serial killer, but they end up adding uniqueness and a folk feel to the music. One song on the album which really stands out is "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.", about the murderer who dressed up as a clown. Not only does it stand out because of its subject but also because of the gentle ebb and flow of the music and lyrics. The effortless fluency of the song makes me feel content and laidback. I would recommend this album to anyone who has enjoyed any of Sufjan Stevens' previous music, indie music, or just need something calm and inspirational to listen to.

Poetic masterpiece

Illinois contains a wealth of catchy melodies and gripping imagery, plus plenty of variety in theme, musical style and presentation. The music is an original blend of soulful folk-pop with orchestral infusions. There are some scattered bursts of electrical guitar here and there but the banjo is prominent throughout. Interspersed with colorfully titled brief instrumental snippets, the songs embrace a range of emotions from joy to melancholy. For all its dazzling variety, the album is surprisingly cohesive.

The following are my personal favorites:
The celebratory Come On Feel The Illinoise with its intricate arrangement, the buoyant Decatur with its witty rhyme scheme and lilting beat, the poignant and solemn Casimir Pulaski Day, the sensitive treatment of a horrible subject like John Wayne Gacy, the mix of sadness and elation in the rousing tune Chicago,
Man Of Metropolis with its segments of hard rock guitar and the tender Tallest Man.

On these exquisite melodies, Sufjan's intimate voice is often framed by elegant backing vocals over a complex and stirring instrumental mix. Infused with an appealing sense of spirituality, Illinois offers an inspiring and uplifting listening experience.