Reviews (page 13 of 16)
Different sound, like that
New artist for me and I really enjoyed this.
A total surprise! This was such a pleasant listen
Really not for me
Really interesting. Felt like I was 16 again.
It's...different. It's a pretty cool concept album that's more good than bad.
John Wayne gacey jr
Emotional indie album, euphoric highs, low lows
Kosi kvöld.is
Chill.
Loved seeing this album on here. I have always found Sufjan's music to be haunting and intoxicating. Really enjoyed sitting and listening to this again.
Nice, weirdly enjoyable
Fuck what can I say about this album. I know it well and yet continue to find new things in it every time I listen. It's an album I've put on in the background so many times. In the same way I experienced most Indie of the early oughts and before, it was a slap in the face when I was introduced to it in 2007 breaking me out of a very narrow scope of "acceptable" rock genres. How could I have written off so many artists? There are so many things to like about this album and it will be one I continue to revisit without prompt from the list.. I dig the complex orchestrations, the production, the somber voicing. It's folky, it's indie, it's orchestral, it's great. As far as modern and cultural influence, I lump this in alongside Ben Gibbard's meteoric rise to greatness in the indie genre. --- Review of reviews: Seems like some people aren't into the pretentiousness of the mid 00's hipster.. and that's okay... It is one flavor of ice cream served at the ice cream shop, and sometimes you just want that flavor! -- Best Track: Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Part 1: The World's Columbian Exposition Part II: Car Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream
Sehr angenehm, aber nicht aufregend 3.5
Artistic
Did not like it. Not my cup of tea.
Classic.
first album in this generator experience that I got that I have a history with. One that has had a profound effect on me and my musical tastes. Chicago is just a classic song from this album. Casmir Pulaski day and predatory wasp bring me to tears no matter how many times I listen to it. John Wayne Gacy leaves me uneasy. Man of Metroplis just makes me want to rock out. There’s a song for everyone on this record. But when put all together it leaves you with a dynamic, fun, tear jerking 1 hour and 14 minutes. So glad this album was included on this list.
I was vaguely aware of Sufjan Stevens given he was referenced on Snow Patrol's Eyes Open album, but hadn't ever listened to his stuff. Pretty folky stuff, I can imagine a lot of it being written around a campfire with an acoustic guitar. I didn't really get into it
Great album I thought. Great sounds, great lyrics. Only thing that’s off putting is the length, as well as the focus on Illinois
Theatrical.
"Illinois" is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Also known as "Sufjan Stevens Invites You to: Come on Feel the Illinoise," as shown on the album cover, it is a concept album featuring songs referring to places, events and people related to the state of Illinois. It was his album based on a state (Michigan the first); he jokingly said he was going to do an album on all fifty. Indie folk, chamber folk and indie rock are the appropriately listed genres. The recording was done at multiple locations in NYC using low-fi equipment. The album was widely acclaimed for its well-written lyrics and complex orchestration. Commercially, it made it into the US Billboard 200 and has been his greatest success to date. Piano and a flute open the album in "Concerning the UFO near Highland, Illinois." Nice vocal harmonization which continues throughout the album. And yes, about a reported UFO sighting near Highland, IL. "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" ( two parts) has a jaunting piano. Horns are added. Great arrangements. The songs builds with the vocal harmonies and piano. Illinois did hold the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Boy, some of these songs have ridiculously long titles including this one which I cut in half. Strings and a vibraphone create a loud intro for "Chicago." Strings remain the background with multple instruments. Stevens whispering and telling the story of road trips (one to Chicago) which he uses as an analogy for making mistakes and starting over. A great horn interlude and just a fantastic vocal chorus with harmonies. No doubt, one of the best songs in the 2000's. In the next song, he ups the ante in the an even more compelling song "Casimir Pulaski Day." It's slower with an acoustic guitar as tells the story of visiting a lover who is dying of bone cancer on the Casimir Pukaski state holiday. Religious overtones. It builds to a musical climax with horns added. Woah, what a song. "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" brings the rock with drums and an electric guitar riff. Always of a fan of the soft-loud-soft dynamic and this song pretty much defines that. Vocal harmonies carry the wonderful chorus as they sing of Superman (actually from Metropolis) with comparisons to Christ. A glorious harmony ending. This is a great album. Fantastic orchestral and harmony arrangements. The lyrics are very clever and at times very emotional as he ties actual events, people and places to his own personal experiences. Not many artists have successfully done that. I counted no less than 23 instruments played by Stevens and he uses a number of them to carry the melody throughout the album. Sufjan Stevens has at least four or five must listen to and must have albums and this is one of them.
8.5/10 varied, rich, emotional Highlights: John Wayne Gacy Jr. Chicago Casimir Pulaski Day They are Night Zombies The Seer's Tower
So much more than I had always given it credit for. Very emotional and beautiful throughout.
I have to admit that at first this album minimally caught my attention - however, I gave it a fair shot because I love the song "Chicago" and holy shit what a great decision that was. This album was so gentle and powerful at the same time and I was genuinely amazed by the almost choral nature of some of the songs. Album cover is a little spooky tho.
4/5. From the initial listen, it sounds like a children's album of educational songs about Illinois. Upon further listens, this is a deeply depressing and personal album about a man trying to find the joy of knowledge while ignoring the personal pains of this real/fake life he is living. The backing vocals seem like intrusive thoughts. Not all songs are great to be fair, some are definitely skippable, but overall an interesting listen that changes my viewpoint each time. It's quiet and quite simple, but something it doesn't have to be complicated to express yourself effectively.
Decent, but more odd than good.
I like the artist, pretty good throughout. Thought the album was 3 stars, the song titles added another star, and one plus three equals four!
There are a lot of songs on this album, but fortunately I really liked the majority of them. There is some meandering music on there that almost brought me down a star, but I am feeling generous this morning.
Slow start, great after first 3/4 songs
I feel the Illinoise
Meh
Never heard of this album or artist before. I'll be blunt. I hated every track. The creepy, breathy, wimpy vocals were the worst part. The rest of the music had nothing exciting or memorable. One song that said Lincoln is known as the great emancipator sounded like something a kid would write for extra credit in his high school history class. I'd be embarrassed to listen to this in front of anyone. Did not listen to the bonus CD tracks. I can guess what they sound like.
Cool introduction to Sufjan Stevens and makes me want to listen to newest album that egghead liked. Some moments sounded very pleasant, soothing, and satisfying while others felt bland, repetitive, or drawn out. Overall immersive and would listen to in a lot of contexts. Felt like it could give me nostalgia for things I've never experienced. 7/10
Not my cup of tea
Some matrix stuff happening with Sufjan but great album.
Not good. Hard to listen to.
Didn’t like this one. Too random and quirky for my liking.
Very unique album. I liked the artistic quality of the songs, but I won't go out of my way to listen to any of these songs again.
Some real bangers so some OK filler songs. Chicago and They Are Night Zombies!!! Have always been the biggest takeaways from this album in my opinion.
This is a solid 4 and I would maybe even get to a 5 if I knew it better and had that familiarity/nostalgia effect. This is really well crafted and put together. It feels simultaneously like it's 'a guy playing with instruments in his bedroom' and also 'a humungous layered orchestra'. It's intimate and also expository. Chicago is I think the biggest track here (I've def heard it before and it has the most plays on Spotify) but the real story here is the total work all together. This was a tremendous feat.
Old favorite
Jeremy Messersmith vibes. Soft and super precious. Reminiscent of Penguin Cafe in a couple places. 3.6
Pretty but not my thing
excellent record, first half dwarfs second half, but strong effort overall
Interestingly diverse. All tracks with something to say. Loved the choirs he uses in his work
I can definitely feel the Illinoise!
this is not folk, this is actually interesting to listen
Great compositions here. Sufjan made some great smooth melodies while still including a lot of depth. Loved the use of a small choir
stand out track - Casimir Pulaski Day
slaps
I love this album so much
enjoyable
Very peaceful, ridiculously long album. good for working to. Some pep, not sad, a bit nostalgic.
Mostly simple in sound reminiscent of other folk music, strong element of Americana and Illinois/Chicago-centric imagery, story telling crafted for that purpose but somehow still intimate, personal, and relatable all at the same time. Very effective at invoking strong visuals.
I like it so far. Was scared it would be weird, but the production is lovely for being released one year after I was born. 1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois 2. 3. 4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Feels like indie pop. Such a soothing voice. lsdkfjldk
Notables include Decatur. Chicago, especially, which is a 2006 ipod shuffle nostalgia vibe. Casimir Pulaski Day, To The Workers of...,
Not what I was expecting. Some good songs, with great instrumentation, and interesting story-telling.
Good, but too damn long
Litt mye til tider
Hyvä levy!
Beautiful! I love the minimalist undertones. Comparisons to Steve Reich are well deserved.
Strange and interesting. Not really sure how I feel about it. Was a fun listen, but probably won’t go back to it anytime soon.
Unusual, but nice.
It was fun, but did not blow my mind. Definite talented artist though.
Perfect album.
Up till Chicago I’d say this is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Like some strange cross section of Simon & Garfunkel and a pulp sci-fi horror novel, it’s both fragile and maudlin and shocking and beautiful. And then it keeps going and going and going And there just aren’t the tunes to justify in the back half of the album But a high mark on the quality of the 1st half alone
Forcing myself to listen to this feels like the scene in Animal House where Bluto smashes the guitar.
cool
As someone who has lived in Illinois my entire life, and hasn't left it much, it was inevitable I listened to this album at some point. I would like to say I am pretty qualified to review this. And I get it now. Sufjan Stevens is nothing short of a genius. This is a compositional masterpiece, and beautiful in every sense of the word. The orchestration and arrangements are something I've never heard captured in a bottle like this before. It is like the Goldilocks of singer-songwriter music. Considering how ambitious the scope of this album can seem to be, never once does the music overwhelm the listener. Never once do the people playing their instruments try too hard to impress you, or make it obvious that they want to blow you away. They do it so subtly that it sneaks up on you sometimes. This album is filled to the brim with some of the most gorgeous and luscious sounding instrumentation you will ever hear. Even if the other 48 state albums will never come out, it is clear that Stevens did his research for this one. This record is laced with references and lyrical themes based on the history of Illinois and its cities. From John Wayne Gacy, to The World's Columbian Exposition, anyone local to the area will find something to connect with. The centerpiece that ties everything together would have to be the song Chicago. It takes all of the elements spread throughout the rest of the album that make it so amazing, and combines them all into one masterfully executed song. Now, from the titles, to the somewhat long track list, this album can seem daunting to a first listener. But most of the longer ballads are separated by much shorter songs that are closer to interludes. Some are as short as 30 seconds, and some are a little over 2 minutes. None of them are super notable, which doesn't seem like the point, but my favorite would probably have to be Prairie Fire That Wanders About. If we are speaking purely about the actual songs, then this album basically has no bad songs. Each one is individually unique, but also conceptually similar, and it makes for a wonderful and easy listening experience. I love the occasional elements of repetitive minimalism mixed in. The closing track Out of Egypt feels like it would fit right in on a Steve Reich album like Music for 18 Musicians. The Man of Metropolis is on the heavier side, and the fuzzy thumping guitar lead fits this sound surprisingly well. And parts like the syncopated piano on Feel the Illinoise!, or the bass on They Are Night Zombies!! could get stuck in my head for hours. I was really excited to get the chance to listen to this album before Sufjan's new record comes out in a few weeks. And consider me hyped, because I am officially a Sufjan Stevens fan. This album really blew me away, and I fell in love with its breathtaking production. It finds so much beauty in simplicity and feels like a road trip across the state of Illinois.
Not what i wanted/ expected
Un hommage à l'état de l'Illinois. Un concept album. Du bon soffty pas dérangeant, mais ça vient peu me chercher. Va falloir j'aille à Chicago.
Whimsical. Kitsch. Wes Anderson set to vinyl. I love it.
Would've been better as an instrumental album
Sad bastard music.
"lush" orchestration and assembly. chill but complex. reminds me of the steely dan pretzel album in this sense, but different in terms of sound
Meh, nothing special.
Grappige creatieve singersongwritermuziek, geen idee waar het over gaat, maar vrolijk stemmend.
Een uitgedacht album. Sufjan weet de luisteraar echt te laten luisteren. Het is mijn genre niet, dus extra knap om dat te bereiken. 3.5 ster
Af en toe is het muziek voor bij een kinderserie uit de jaren 70. De complete kast met instrumenten van de muziekschool is leeggehaald en gebruikt. Kampvuurmuziek van de scouting, iedereen mag meedoen! Ik miste alleen nog de kazoo. De kakofonie aan instrumenten verbloemt soms het potentieel van de muziek. Want de nummers waar Sufjan begeleidt wordt door slechts een piano en/of gitaar zijn wonderschoon. In Chicago komt al dat bombastische (maar dan in een folkjasje) het beste tot zijn recht. Uiteindelijk zit het toch erg vernuftig in elkaar en heb ik geen enkele moeite met de lengte (meer dan een uur). Terwijl er dus wel een paar wazige, mindere nummers tussen zitten, voelt het wel als een album als geheel. Vandaag kan ik dit bijzonder goed verteren, maar ik snap helemaal als mensen dit een 1 of een 2 vinden.
Had never heard of this, was pretty surprised. Great songwriting, some songs weren't my style
I love how unique this album is to Sufjan himself, not many artists have his kind of style and story telling in his music.
9/10
Brilliant album! Haven’t listened to it in about 10 years. Every song feels epic
Did not listen. But should.
Indie 2010s at its finest
Shits pretty boring tbh
Very chill, folkish. Mucho enjoyo
I liked this, and would listen again. However it felt very long to me. So I'd definitely require another listen when I'm not tired to see how I enjoy it.
I feel like i'm supposed to be impressed by this. It's produced well enough. Good use of instumentation. No memorable tracks.
This is weird - I was looking at this on Amazon to buy and also on spotify
Very interesting. The music and lyrics are very good, and different-glad this one came up on this list as I'd not heard of him before.
enjoyed malla
Hint av kult, men først og fremst irriterande
Great to nap to.
Before this project, I never heard of this guy. Now I have heard this album a couple times and I think it is really good.
Спокойный и расслабляющий альбом, но композиции не запоминаются. Моя оценка - 6/10
HL: "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!", "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!", "Prairie Fire That Wanders About", "Casimir Pulaski Day", "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!" Not that it's my favourite track or anything, but it took until "Out of Egypt" for me to really embrace this album. Since at a certain point, the length (of the album & the individual songs) was weighing on me a bit. I tried getting into Sufjan Stevens a few years ago (with this + Carrie & Lowell) with mixed results, but I think I'm ready to call this a mastapeece. Love the orchestral arrangements. Love the odd, quirky song structures. I've been spoiled with mid 2000s gems recently. September 6, 2023
One of the most important albums that helped shape my tastes. Since I first heard this in high school, I've listened to it in full hundreds of times and it still retains its magic. 5/5
I couldn't finish listening to this album. It was just too slow and too boring
i cried :(
Good! Interesting
GOAT!!!! FAVORITE TRACKS: ALL OF IT 5/5
Far too long and far too twee. He's never been for me.
Didn't really get this at the time it came out, and don't really get it now. Chicago is a good song (but absolutely does not need to be 6 minutes long), there are a couple of nice ballads in there but it all gets a bit twee after a while (and definitely after an hour and a quarter). Gets a 3, because it's beautiful easy listening music if you don't really concentrate on it, and is interesting when you dial your attention in for a track or two at a time, but it's too much to last a whole album.
Eccentric, neutral milk hotel vibes but with a more soothing voice.
this album is such a fun listen. such intricate arrangements, you can tell a lot of thought and love was put into the instrumentation. just a very chill, interesting adventure of an album
good but not my vibes
its so calm i like it.. a little too long for my liking though and some songs sounded a bit boring but overall its a really nice album ill definitely come back to it
great!
Remember that Drama Teacher who wrote a musical and had aspirations of making it on Broadway? That pretty much sums up this album. I like the concept but clocking in at over a hour it wears thin. Chicago is an epic and enjoyable but some of the other tracks are nothing more than superficial filler. I would love to give this a higher score for the songs I love but as an album this falls short
cute! very agreeable
Shit Album
Mellow and slightly boring album
Beautiful, delicate tunes. Nice texts over a beautiful score makes for an overall very touching listening experience. Still I have to admit that at times I felt I missed a bit more of a punch or kick in the album’s composition.
Trumpets! 2005 - Indie rock, Indie folk, Indie pop, Folk rock, Baroque pop, Experimental rock, Folk baroque
Another album I have known about for a long time, but never listened to. I didn't mind it, a little too self conscious for me (I think the Wes Anderson references in other reviews are spot on), but there are some good moments.
I love how simplistic and easy to listen to this album is.
Loved some songs
It's like if slam poetry was on Prozac. Not my cup of tea for sure but doesn't mean it's not a good album. If you like any song that could be an intro to any Michael Cera movie than this is for you!
2/5 Best: Chicago Worst: Prairie Fire That Wanders About
This album is beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous and I am so glad to listen to it. I will listen and listen again.
Very good. I’ve heard this one before but liked it again. The song about Gacy is chilling.
For some reason, this feels like an album that people would say should be on the list but it isn’t. I don’t know why, it’s got that quality of being super popular on RYM and similar stuff, but overlooked on best albums lists by big labels and publications. Anyway, it’s a great album. I mean, I like indie pop. This is one of the biggest indie pop albums. It’s good.
One of my favourite discoveries of the 2000s. Brilliant songwriter and has some great peaks throughout his career. This album almost feels like a indie prog hybrid, and it works great, for the most part. There’s a lot of short intermission type songs that don’t add all that much which could’ve been trimmed or weaved in the songs around them. But still, a great listen I really enjoyed! 8,5 out of 10
What the fuck is this? This is one of the weirdest albums I've ever heard... and yet it's not bad.
Idk why this listening experience irked me so much when Andrew Bird and others in this space don't provoke the same reaction. I haven't listened to much Sufjan Stevens in general, so I didn't have much of a bias one way or the other going into this, but today for some reason he really got under my skin. The honeyed vocals, cutesy arrangements and swelling strings added up to a cloying atmosphere that, in his hands, never struck me as entirely earnest, and I'll say it, his voice annoyed me. Listening to this felt like chewing one of those old timey fudge candies that tires out your jaw. I recognized individual noteworthy elements but it never came together in a way that made me feel anything besides impatient. This felt like style over substance in a 2020's era Wes Anderson kind of way. If anyone else feels similarly, Gabriel Kahane (who often collaborates with Sufjan) put out an album called the Ambassador in 2014 that does this sort of thing but for LA, and IMO he used that decade to blow the former record out of the water. There's a poignancy to his work, imbued with more variety in mood, texture, and tone within a single song than you get on all of Illinoise. Listening to it again after today's pick made me also realize how much more easily I could pay attention to the lyrics in the hands of another artist. The Ambassador feels authentic and substantive where Illinoise feels contrived and packaged. Maybe if I hadn't ever heard The Ambassador I would rate this album more generously, but it's hard to go back to store brand when you've had the real thing. Confession - I could not make myself finish the entire hour and 16 minutes.
Long, but a lot of slaps on this. Listening to this today it sounds like so much else out there, but coming out in 2005 this must’ve influenced a lot of 2010s indie folk.
The one song I recognized (Chicago) was very good. This rest of the album is fine but didn’t make a huge impact on me.
Great concept and would have been cool if he finished the series. BUT, this was a little too long for me and I do think a few songs could have been cut.
If Charlie Brown was commissioned to make the music for an off brand circus, this is what it would sound like.
This is just meh, piled upon more meh, with a side helping of meh.
Love the orchestral elements and the progressive time signatures. It does drag sometimes and I find it a bit repetitive. Other than that, the album is easy on the ears and it showcases Stevens’ ability as a singer/songwriter very well. The choir is excellently used and is never uncalled for. All around, the album is a great listen, if you’re into more orchestral pop. Fav tracks: Come on! Feel the Illinoise, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., Jacksonville, Chicago, The Man of Metropolis…, The Tallest Man…. Least fave: A conjunction of drones.. 4/5
Never heard of this album or this artist. Spectacular.
Not really enjoyable. Boring music with some annoying repetitive noise. Also quite long
Felt a bit on the long side but not terrible
Feels like I've listened to a movie. Interesting idea, but bit boring in execution
Lovely album. Really pulls you into a mood
Yeah listened to this enough and I'm not gonna right now. It's good, it's really good.... But just don't thrill the way it does when I was 20 and trying to connect with a girl who liked it.
fuck me i wrote a whole long review as i was listening through and it deleted. here's what i remember writing: - i generally like the calmer ones over the experimental ones which is unusual for me - with the exception of chicago which i didn't like too much i generally like the bigger ones better which is also unusual for me - conflicted feelings about feel the illinoise, can't tell if i'm intrigued or annoyed by it. feels like something i'd listen to with my partner - really like mary todd, who's surprised, i love a bit of instrumental - thought i liked night zombies more than i do it just starts with cool guitar okay that's where i got up to, i had some more points but don't remember them. i really really like the seer's tower (radiohead-esque) and i liked the two short instrumental pieces before it too. i was working while listening to the last three songs and none stood out to me. overall i like what the album was trying to do but i'm not sure if i'd choose to listen again, i think it was a little too long.
Not bad
Wanted to like but and the well known songs are great but the rest just seemed wishy washy, horn arrangements and sound was lovely tho
The Wall for people who watch Wes Anderson films and flog CBD beard oil.
Chicago, no sabía que era de él. Un poco largo el disco. Me gusta más al principio que al final.
Pleasant and inoffensive, but ultimately kind of boring for me. Despite being a morose young adult during the hay day of the 2000's indie singer-songwriter era, I never really liked most of this sedate stuff. I don't think it's bad, it's just not my thing.
One of the greatest albums of the early 2000s
A 74 minutes long concept album in an unfinished series of concept albums, with song titles so long that they take half the song length to scroll past on Spotify - there will definitely be people out there who hate this. I'm so glad to not be one of them. Oddly first got into him through his loads of Christmas singles. Carrie and Lowell will probably always be my favourite, an absolutely breathtaking album, but this is a close second. Really enjoyed listening to this today. Yes, obviously it's too long, not going to stop me giving it 5 though.
Casimir Pulaski Day made me cry at work, and the rest of it was amazing too. One of my new favorites for sure. It's nice to hear that the whole album lives up to how good the couple songs I already knew were.
I get it, I get why this was on everyone's iPods in middle school now.
Favourite song: Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois
Underwhelming and overstays its welcome.
I never could get into Sufjan. Much of this is whimsical but humorless, and it is off-putting for me. I do like when he goes stripped down, but there isn’t much of that here outside of “John Wayne Gacy Jr.” Definitely not one of my favorites, but a lot of people seem to like it.
Good sad album
Makes Illinois sound like the whimsicallest place in the world. Somehow, I doubt it is.
Совсем не в мем вкусе, да и голос не нравится
good for a caffee shop but i did not finish. slightly boring...
Chills from the very first note. Best song: Come On! Feel the Illinoise! John Wayne Gacy, Jr, Chicago, The Seer's Tower are also fabulous.Simply amazing album, I think with a couple more listen it could be 5 out of 5. Right now 4,5/5.
3.5 stars. Interesting indie folk that lyrically explores history and culture at times poetic and at times narrative. Gets points for creativity. Standout is the phenomenal "Chicago"
The album that got me into SS. I have an emotional bond with it so its hard to be objective. Its long and possibly overreaching but is passionate orchestral indie folk that drives deep. 4
Pleasant. Reminds of death cab for cutey, bright eyes, Jason mraz... Can't quite put my finger on the exact artist I'm thinking off, but stuff my ex listened to in 2005-06
- 1 kinda calming. it would be good background - 2 noisy off putting sounds, no lyrics - 3 long, also off putting - 4 eh - 5 meh - 6 short instrumental 20 secs - 7 I'm not enjoying this album very much I think it's pretty political but I want to try new things :) - 8 5 seconds of applause - 9 i dont know any more I guess from now on I'll only write the ones I really like or really don't like I listened to it. Not life changing. probably won't ever listen to it again
te langdradig
Oh Sufjan prachtige muziek maar niet zijn beste imo.
Surprising: really not sure how to feel about this album as it wasn't what I thought. For starters it was quite long but nothing unreasonable. I found that it lost my interest at parts but at the same time I loved the riffs and guitar in other tracks. I wouldn't say this album is bad, it is a little abstract to me though. Would I listen again: maybe, feel as if it needs the time to be appreciated. I won't be doing that very soon. At the end of the day it wasn't 100% for me at the moment but definitely widened my music knowledge.
I've always heard a lot of different things about sufjan stevens and a lot of good things about this album but I'd never listened to him at all. This album felt really fresh and new compared to stuff I've been getting recently for some reason. It's definitely a complete left turn from fishscale and moving pictures but there's something more to it than just that. The folksy music and mountains of Illinois references that mostly went over my head combined to make an immaculate vibe and overall cozy/wistful feeling in me. It was just a really nice and pleasant album to listen to overall despite a weird more aggressive song in there just over halfway through. All the song names are too long for me to fully remember which ones I liked but the john wayne gacy one and they are night zombies definitely stood out.
I was really expecting more from this album, but I kept getting distracted and it was really hard to finish. I made it eventually, but it really didn’t feel worth it. It’s still not a 1 star album because there were some moments I liked, but from an artist that I hear about a lot, I was pretty disappointed.
I never completely forgave him for abandoning that 50-state album cycle he was going to do, so I haven’t listened in a while, but it’s got some good songs and the titles are great.
értem mitől népszerű, háttérben elmegy, de odafigyelve hallgatva meguntam a felénél
Very grandiose. Great instrumentation, interesting lyrics although the concept got lost for me a few times. Some songs feel a bit dragged out, and album doesn't have a great pacing although the "interludes" between the longer songs stop the album from being outright tiresome. 3/5
Weirdly soft and delicate, yet bold and uniquely its own. Sufjan Stevens gives you a musically intricate portrayal of his Illinoisian experiences. I heard he was going to do one album like this for every state, seems he bailed on that alleged mission real quick. Perfect album cover for Illinois. A postcard from the edge of indie darling sanity.
Ass
Average, if you wanted to make a play list for "Music To Play In Elevators" Illinois would have to be on it!
Well no me gusto musho la verda, lo tendía de fondo pero no amé la ambientación, más bien me puso nerviosa haha Calificare con 2 estrellas por su titulo y su arte y los títulos de canciones.
One of my ALBUMS
Not my favorite. Couldn't get through it.
A truly awful snd boring album that is entirely way too long.
Sounds like the worst of the worst of derivative millennial crap.
Brrr
I listened to this album several times in the past, but it never really resonated with me. This time was no different. It is not terrible, but mostly quite boring, apart from one or two tracks.
The melodies are beautiful, the arrangements refined, the vocals gentle. Yet, the songs also feels somewhat contrived, so I leave it at 4 stars.
What a beautiful album I don’t think I’ve ever listened to it
Still Sufjan's best, I think. An album I keep coming back to
There's some really good stuff on here. It's like Badly Drawn Boy meets the Polyphonic Spree
I love this album. It came out when I was in high school and I still have the memory of my friend playing it for me in his car. Then, I went back and checked out Sufjan Stevens' earlier records and was a big fan. Really beautiful songwriting and fun concept album. Standout Tracks: "Concerning the UFO Sighting near Highland, Illinois", "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!", "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.", "Jacksonville", "Chicago", "Casimir Pulaski Day", "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts", "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!", "The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders", "Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run"
Different & Good! Not sure about the JWG song?!
I like when I can just like at the track listing and tell I'm going to be annoyed by an album just by the names. Quirky for the sake of being quirky? No thank you. Some of the instrumental arrangements aren't half bad here, but the lyrics are completely impossible to take seriously. And if you would try to take them seriously, the album would probably be even worse.
Really would have thought I'd like this more. Love Chicago, that's a real standout. However, the rest was just a bit over the top for me? I dunno, I'm surprised I didn't like it more lol, low 3
Georgeous voice. Solid songs. Interesting arrangement and the whole single state concept going on.
very nive
Jazzy but folky and ambient at times. A unique album that definitely needs multiple listens 7/10
I love this variery of instruments, unobvious melodies and unreal atmosphere. Maybe one day I'll try to learn something about Illinois through this music too.
There is no such thing as "the best album of all time", because of how subjective music is. That being said, I don't know why, but this album feels like if there ever was an "objectively best album", this is the closest we've come to it so far. I wouldn't even call this my favorite album of all time, because I don't really share a deep emotional bond with it as opposed to albums like "The Holy Bible" by Manic Street Preachers or "Animals" by Pink Floyd, but I can't find a single flaw in it. All songs are beautiful and heartfelt both musically and lyrically, there are exactly 0 filler moments, Sufjan, the Illinoismaker Choir and all the backing vocalists have voices of angels. There's songs that will make you cry, there's songs that will make you dance, there's songs with song titles longer than the Constitution. Man. Sorry for gushing so much. I could probably go to an uncontacted Amazon tribe, play "Chicago" to them, and they would love it. Gonna have to give this album the rare 6/5. I'm 532 albums in and this is the best one so far, save for maybe "Wish You Were Here".
One of only two Sufjan albums I enjoy. Carrie and Lowell is the other. It’s good but it’s kinda over long. 2.5 rounded up.
Love this album. Agree that it's a bit long, but I really enjoy the vocal delivery on this, moving between so many emotions and putting you right in the moment. 4/5.
Illinois is one of those albums that I forget is great until I am listening to it. Like @dbarila , I get much more out of the experimental stuff, but I feel like that disparages this a bit, because it's not like it is your typical singer songwriter fare. It is very much of the same ilk as Age of Adz and Seven Swans - melodically and thematically, it is just the bridge between. I imagine that this is the kind of music that Tim DeLaughter and Brian Wilson hear in their head.
I don't know why, but I really want to like Sufjan's music - I'm guessing it's something I heard (or read) once that I really liked. This has moments, but never emerges. I would rather listen to something like The Polyphonic Spree or The Shins or The Weakerthans than this.
Really well done. I enjoyed the album very much
Ooh, what a masterpeice. I will always enjoy another relisten. Such a unique sound
4.5/5. Indie kid music at its peak.
Pretty chill and good vibe but nothing memorable, especially with 5000 character long albums titles Rating : 3 / 5
Wow!! Amazed by this one!! Did not expect anything and this is one of the most surprising album I have hear recently. The instrument composition is very unique making musicalities seem like they are new instruments. I am not too found of the themes or rythm of the album but it is wayyyyy overshadowed by some incredible music crafting. Very strong 4.5/5
Soft and whimsical listening. Not really my style.
Listenable
One of the greatest albums of all time… If you’re not a sour old grinch that hates a little bit of whimsy.
I’m not sure how sincere these songs are about Illinois. Sufjan wrote the prior ‘Michigan’ as a joke, so it’s hard for me to take the music writing seriously. It seems performed and recorded well, but seems this musician is sarcastically insincere in its outward seriousness. In one 2023 word: Sus. 2.7/5.
6.5
Obviously very good music. None of it clicked for me at all. Just felt like I was watching it happening rather than experiencing anything.
I want to like this a lot more than I did. The production and musicianship are wonderful. There are some really great songs. But overall, it just didn’t grab me. The music is gorgeous but it all felt the same to me, which ultimately dulled everything. It was all a little too sweet.
Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens is an amazing album that tells its narrative very well with provoking tracks such as Chicago, John Wayne Gacy, Jr. & Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Easily one of the best albums of the 2000s and a benchmark in the Folk Rock & Indie Pop genres Illinoise is just one of those albums that gets better with each listen because each track has a place in the overarching concept of the album, Illinoise is a perfect puzzle of enjoyability 5/5
Str8 fire. Sufjan can do no wrong
One and done for me.
I have been listening to this one for years. I'm a big fan of Sufjans work and this is my favorite of his. Such an incredibly well executed concept for an album.
Holy shit. This is gooooood. A bizarre statement or love letter to something or other but it goes so hard. Loved all the titles, made it that bit more fun.
I feel I need to give this another listen to. Feel’s like Sufjan’s ‘The Wall’ with repeated musical motifs and themes. 3.5 stars at first listen but I might rate it higher after a few listens.
2,5
Vaguely familiar with Sufjan Stevens before I heard this, heard a few songs. I was really gripped by this. Folk music crossed with orchestral pop and indie rock(?) in a blend that seems kinda precarious but turns out positively gorgeous. The songwriting and melodies are the common links that hold everything together. Long, weird, disjointed, and not helmed by a traditionally strong singer, but ultimately beautiful. I’ll return to it. Best song: John Wayne Gacey Jr.
Some incredible songs, but very long album so also some less incredible songs
This one was a real tough one to rate, that I listened to it multiple times to form an opinion enough to give it a rating. I think it was pleasant to listen to and I would listen to it again. I don't think I'd add it to my regular rotation of music.
Creative, grandiose, lovely and weird, mildly pretentious. Enjoyable, but really too long. Fave Songs: The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!; Come On! Feel the Illinoise!; Go! Chicago! Go! Yeah!; The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders; To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region...; The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
These songs are great, but the tracklist is also a bit bloated. I feel like it's right between good and great but a couple of songs could have been cut.
One of my all time favorites
Oh, God of Progress Have you degraded or forgot us?
Starts great but then just goes on for so long! Cut 10 songs and I would love this one.
I was familiar with the name but had never listened to his work. It's nice but long. Which is good? It's indie music that I enjoy.
Not bad for that type of music
Straight away the amount of songs in this album is slightly scary to me!! Full of very calm and bland songs as well some that really stand out. With very annoyingly long titles so won't be listing my saved tracks here. No. 16 is probably my favourite.
Sufjan always plays a fine line between being actively irritating and brilliant. The sheer ambition and scale of some of these songs wins the day here. Some very complex harmonic arrangements in the more orchestral songs are spell binding.
A classic. Love it a lot. There was a song in Little Miss Sunshine
21.04.23. Долгое время отворачивался от этого альбома, а зря. Музыка оказалась очень даже классной. Её сложно описать словами. Лучше просто скажу, что она грамотно сочетает в себе поп-музыку, инди, минимализм, классику и фолк, при этом создавая неповторимую атмосферу, уносящую слушателя из реального мира во вселенную Illinois.
we are nothing, if not a mosaic of the places and spaces we inhabit; history is a documentation of the skin we shed on our journey to purpose, and the ground we walk on is filled with the dust of the bodies of previous generations now long decayed. Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois, a bombastic musical extravaganza about its titular state, is a beastly museum where the personal and historic collapse into, and inform each other, and are woven into a pointed take on the human condition. the second (and last) of Stevens’ purported 50 states project, Illinois soars because the titular area it highlights is merely a backdrop for more poignant tales on love and loss; innocence and regret; faith and death. Stevens’ songwriting is laser sharp, almost deliriously so, that reading through his poetry is to pierce your own heart and bleed out. you think of a song like “Casimir Pulaski Day” and feel the emotion of losing a loved one in death (and the grappling with faith that immediately follows it), but Sufjan’s strength here goes beyond just the words: his lush orchestral instrumentation is ethereal and moving — it evokes and complements the largeness of his stories, sure, but there’s a paradoxical intimacy in the compositions too. every sound is so perfectly placed, tied closely to the sound before and the sound after. you combine the sounds with the words, and what you have is a juggernaut: songs that sound like life itself, that trace the very idea of being, from birth to love to death and even beyond. this is such a human album — challenging and complex and difficult to digest, but also light and jovial and ultimately rewarding. it is a tribute to the spaces that make us who we are; and just like a literal geographical location, it is vast in scope and scattered, but also raging with passion and romance — a glass-stained cornucopia of details and people and laughter and tears and bodies and monuments and buildings that, at its very core, just sounds thankful to be alive.
"UFO" and "The Seer's Tower" I loved. Others like "Jacksonville" and "Casimir Pulaski Day" were really good. This was a very interesting listen: even the one about John Wayne Gacy. Albums like this make up for all the clinkers that are on this site's list.
was very excited to see this album pop up. I gave it a try a couple years ago, but got distracted and never got around to really finishing it. I’ve always loved the song Chicago, as well as the other tracks I’ve heard, but listening to it in full was a fantastic experience. It is brimming with nostalgia, despite me having no nostalgia for Illinois or this album. It just feels timeless in that way, as well as being one of the most cinematic albums I’ve heard in a long, long time. Definitely feels like it could be a musical, especially with the big-bandy instrumentation and the frequent use of ensemble singing. Favorite songs are definitely come on! Feel the Illinoise!, Chicago, predatory wasp, and zombies. No complaints, brilliant album.
Boring. To stjerner.
I enjoy some of Sufjan Stevens' music. His 2015 album Carrie and Lowell is devastating in all the right ways. This album was a little too experimental, too all over the place, and way too long. 3.
Really torn on this. Yes it is not that exciting, but also, it is done really well for what it is....
I thought it was terrific. I've been a long-time fan of Stevens though probably haven't heard every album. I had to revisit my fandom as an atheist when a musician friend said, yeah, but he's in a cult. I've never found anything to back that up. That said, he is apparently an avid Christian and likes to combine his Christianity with his sexuality which is weird. I can overlook it. Stevens has an incredible voice, fantastic lyrics and this album is no exception. I found myself absolutely blown away by every aspect of the bizarrely named song, "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!". Everything about this song is fantastic: bassline, backup vocals, strings, and of course the voice of Stevens soothing and interesting as it ever is. For once, a two disc album that didn't piss me off.
Unless yours is hollowed out and use it as a place to keep your sex toys, Bibles are a big turnoff. However, once I was able to get beyond that, I was good with this one.
Back in 2005 I remember thinking maybe, just maybe, Sufjan Stevens was serious about doing a concept album for each of the 50 states. I mean, he had already knocked out "Michigan" and "Come on and Feel the Illinoise," plus an album in between, in three years. It would take him the rest of his life/career, but it wasn't impossible? It turns out he was never serious about that. But maybe he could have done it? Because he's been periodically crazy productive since 2005, going quiet then releasing double or quintuple Christmas albums, going quiet then reinventing his sound with electronic or new age influences. I stopped following him after "Illinoise," but his career seems to have taken some wild twists and turns. Perhaps I'll have to check some of it out. In part because I enjoyed "Illinoise" more than I thought I was going to. I remembered it as being very mellow. Almost too mellow. But there's actually a decent mix, and the album kept me engaged and kept its momentum flowing more than I expected. Stevens is a talented songwriter and musician, and it might be interesting to see how his style has evolved and morphed over the years.
I went to visit some future family in the late summer of 2005 or 2006. I was chatting with a wee fella who was in a band, musically inclined. I asked him for an album recommendation and he suggested this album. This being before the streaming era, I waited until I had a chance to listen to it many weeks later at a music shop. I remember being so excited based on the description of what lie ahead. But when I sampled it, I was not impressed. I’ve had a disappointed view of this album ever since. Using my 1001 rating scale, I probably would have given it 2 stars based off my memory. Well my disappointment has been transposed from this album onto myself. What was I thinking?!? I have missed almost two decades of appreciating Illinois. Maybe I just wasn’t ready for it yet. I’m down with the indie, chamber folk sound. I especially appreciate the variety of instruments, like the trumpet, Wurlitzer, and banjo. Sufjan’s vocals fit the music so well too. While the recording equipment were low-fidelity, a sound I appreciate for this album, the song titles are not. Across 22 songs, there are an average of 14+ words per title (309 total). Track 2 (shortened to The Black Hawk War here) comes in at a whopping 53 words. Jacksonville, the lone 1 word title, is a slacker. It’s as if Sufjan’s ability to intelligently delete layers is offset by an inability to succinctly encompass a song through its title. The album is long, an almost certain complaint from me. But not here, I enjoyed every minute.
Got to see Sufjan on tour for this album! So good. Hadn't listened to it in AGES, I had to listen to it like 4 times in a row lol. And then some of the singles on repeat the rest of the day. Anyway, this one is an easy 5, so easy it's making a lot of my 5s not seem so hot anymore lol. One of my favorite albums ever, top 10 depending on the day I think. A good amount of Philip Glass influence on this album I think, which is obviously amazing. So well orchestrated, arranged, produced. Love it.
Very cool, unique chamber pop. Cool concept too
Even on a list like this, this is a rare perfect album. The concept is admittedly gimmicky but the breathe and depth of the music and variety of styles makes up for it. Not a single bad track.
Like Elliot smith, but boring lyrics and repetitive drab melodies.
Good record. I enjoy when I listen to Sufjan but never quite crosses to a 5 for me. Not sure why.
This album was really good, but kind of hit or miss. If they had cut some of the lesser songs on here and shortened the overall length it could be a 4 easy
Kinda atmospheric. Like the piano, very floaty. It starts off strong with the first 3 tracks but gets more boring/generic after that. Picked up a bit in the latter half of the album. It was alright I hesitate to give it a 4 because the highs did not make up for the lows. The lows of the album weren't as drastically bad as others though. This is probably another 3 for the books 3/5
genuinely enjoyable music holy shit. the only weird thing is the lyrics/topics. im not from illinois.
Was not expecting this album to make the list but boy am I glad it's here. Stevie showed me this album a long time ago, but long after it had come out. I can't remember what the situation was but I know we were listening to it while we were driving somewhere. I thought it was incredibly creative to have a whole album dedicated to Illinois and the prospect of him doing this for all 50 states. Now learning that was a joke. But looking at it in this lens, I'm really surprised this came out in 2005. That may seem recent, but it really isn't and at that time, I'm sure this album was surprising for many. I loved 22, A Million, but this feels right up there with that album and that came out more than a decade later. Sufjan albums are the kind that are meant to be listened to all the way through, less so for singles and hits. Although, I did keep Come On! Feel the Illinoise! and Chicago. This is also a great album cover, love the mobster and the goat. I really wish he had done an album for all the states. I'd love to hear Texas, Hawaii, Colorado, etc.
Lot of things to say here. First of all, so glad to see this included, Sufjan Stevens is one of the most incredible songwriters I’ve ever heard, and to this day I’d say that seeing him at Red Rocks remains my favorite concert I’ve attended. This was album two in the fifty state series (after Greetings from Michigan). Suffy, if you’re reading this, there’s still time and demand! Take us to Arizona or something next. Jokes aside, this album is an elaborate tapestry, woven with a level of care that most humans just don’t possess. It’s weird to talk about a musician like that, but Sufjan seems to have a reverence for minutiae and the ordinary, the kind of guy that literally couldn’t kill a fly because he’d see the fly as a provider for its family or lost in love or something. He devoted that compassionate meticulousness to making an ENTIRE album about Illinois, and if a sympathetic song about John Wayne Gacy isn’t an indicator of how rare this guy is, I don’t know what you’re looking for. The writing on here is top notch, and the production is so varied and impressive, lots of bright, clear percussion and unorthodox instruments. Sufjan was dialed the fuck in. Near the center of this album, back to back, lie two of the most powerful songs ever: “Chicago” and “Casimir Pulaski Day.” Powerful for different reasons: the former is a simple, euphoric song of transformation and moving on, moving forward. The latter is a devastating portrait of a childhood friend (maybe first love) taken too young by bone cancer. No idea if this is fiction or autobiographical, but I don’t care because either would blow my mind. Anytime I hear Casimir Pulaski Day, I play it a second time, and then I get distracted listening through all the other Sufjan songs I love. In other words, it took me a while to get through this album. I looked ahead and I’m afraid that Carrie and Lowell, his masterpiece from 2015 (and one of my absolute favorite albums ever), might not be on the list. Know that I would add it in a heartbeat over so many of the humdrum British rock wafers we’ve received, and go listen to that pronto. This one stands as tall as Seer’s Tower on its own. I expected to give it a 4.5 but we bumping that up today. I’m relishing a lot more than I had before on here. Favorite tracks: Casimir Pulaski Day, Chicago, Concerning the UFO Sighting, John Wayne Gacy Jr., The Seer’s Tower, The Predatory Wasp. Album art: Illinoise, spelled for the dummies. You got Al Capone, some UFOs, what the hell else do you need? It’s perfect for what it needed to accomplish. There’s a cool variant with a Chicago superhero flying around, I think that’s the vinyl I’ve got. 5/5
Reminds me a bit of Flaming Lips. Solid experimental pop music
This quickly became background noise and the album went on way too long.
Very odd. Il give it a 2 for creativity but a strange listen this
i don’t even know why but this just sounds perfect. not sure what it has to do w illinois yet but i’m excited for some more listens
this album is a wonderfully fantastical journey of musical. it made me think of what an album written by kurt vonnegut would sound like. heavy recommend
I loved this at the time but have rarely come back to it. So it was lovely to return to it. It somehow sounds like the original Willy Wonka film. I have very little to back that up, but I promise you. Best song Jacksonville .
It was ok. I couldn't make it through the whole record, but the first half or so is decent 2/5
Some great songs but it’s also a snoozer of an album at times
Informed and interesting. Wide array of sounds and made me want to focus on the music. 4/5
A pleasant Sunday afternoon chilled vibes kinda album, interesting orchestration.
I never got exactly all the hype on Sufjan Stevens, and after listening to this album, I still don't. However, it's impossible to do not to admit it has a bag of qualities on the instrumental part. Some songs are catchy. In summary, I'll not join any fan club of Sufjan Stevens or something like that, but I'll sure look with more attention to his new albums to check if it's me that is losing all his geniality (high probability, I guess 🤣)
Never got in to this cat, always seemed like a little much. I'm not sure if I ever gave one of his song more than 40 seconds of my time before dismissing it and switching it off. This record was fine, overwrought and way too long surely. I get why people like it so much, but not for me.
I really respect his musicianship, creativity and authenticity, but the album feels like it drags on forever and no song keeps me engaged, gets a little dull quickly.
Interesting and enjoyable chamber pop. Bit too long but gotta give props for the creativity and artistry
To capture the essence of an entire state in one album seems an impossible task, but Sufjan Stevens manages. Stevens weaves a delicate web of music and has clearly done his research in regards to significant people and places (one of the standout songs is about the horrific crimes of John Wayne Gacy…no, really).
Slightly too far out there without enough substance. They Are Night Zombies is a particular favourite and stands out
Wowza, first time listening to this masterpiece. It is just so beautifully strange, I really really enjoyed this. The names are so long and making them at some points so funny, but also still have a meaning behind them all through the self titled state. Painting such a vivid picture in my head of what he is portraying in the songs with his incredible voice, hitting straight to the core in most songs.
I really, really enjoyed this
I am starting to question how these albums were chosen ...
”Illinois" by Sufjan Stevens is a masterpiece of folk and indie rock. Released in 2005, the album showcases Stevens' songwriting skills, his unique and soothing vocal style, and his ability to weave complex stories into his music. The album's 22 tracks are named after different cities and stories from Illinois, and each song explores the history, culture, and mythology of its namesake location. From the infectious pop hooks of "Chicago" to the haunting introspection of "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," Stevens takes the listener on a journey through the heartland of America, offering a unique and personal perspective on its people, places, and stories. Stevens' arrangements are lush and intricate, featuring a wide range of instruments including banjo, trumpet, and strings. His lyrics are deeply poetic, with a rich sense of imagery and metaphor that draws the listener into each song's world. And his voice, fragile and intimate, is the perfect vessel for delivering these powerful messages. Illinois sets apart from other albums is its emotional depth. Stevens tackles weighty topics like death, grief, and loneliness with a raw honesty that is both heartbreaking and inspiring. He doesn't shy away from the difficult aspects of life, but rather embraces them and uses them to create something beautiful. It is an album that demands to be listened to from beginning to end, and one that rewards the listener with something new and profound with each subsequent listen. Simply an incredible experience.
I really like sufjan when it’s on, but rarely find myself coming back to it. I’m just not a huge fan of that indie sound, and on this one, the horns were sometimes a little too jovial and the keys sometimes sounded like Peanuts. But I love the slower, sadder songs. Overall a great album, interesting and pleasant from beginning to end.
I had tried to listen to this album a few times in the past, as I had heard rave reviews. I got nothing out of it before, but found myself finally connecting a bit with it this time time. Interesting lyrics and love the horn accompaniment on lots of the songs.
Some good songs 🎵
Lots of ostinati/layering—nice for ambient environments.
Surprisingly solid, enjoyed it more than I thought I would
boring soft jazz-rock-folk - baby food for the ears.
really liked this one
A very interesting album
Certified indie Classic Listened to best during autumn
It’s Sufjan Stevens being some top tier Sufjan
That's very good. Very different from what I was expecting, but good nonetheless
I love concept albums and while I'm not an expert on Illinois history, I know enough to appreciate and recognize many of the references and homages. The range of music fits together seamlessly using certain interludes and intermissions between certain tracks that get the listener ready for a shift in tone and style. Listening to the first track, I was worried it was going to be a basic pop/folk album. I was anticipating a 2. Not that that style would be bad for an album, I just usually expect those albums don't push the boundaries very much. By the time I got into the second track I knew I was completely wrong and was then just along for the ride, not knowing what to expect. Things never really get out of hand in this album and while there is a difference in style among several tracks, there's a consistent sound. Overall, the biggest downfall to this record is that it's too long. That's significant considering it's not actually an overwhelmingly long album when looking at the runtime. It sits on the longer side of the spectrum at 1hr and 14 mins but there are longer albums. This is an album you have to dedicate that full hour and 14 minutes for. Listening in episodes would be like stopping a movie every 15 minutes or so and then coming back to it later. It's definitely somewhere between a 4.0 and a 4.5. It's lack of replay value hurts the score just a little bit but it's definitely an ambitious and important homage to a state and country's history.
My favourit song/album that tell a story is Rush's 2112 because it feels like i'm watching a 2h sci fi film in 20 min. This feelt like a 3+ hour slow art drama film and im doing the equivalent of falling asleep halfway through.
It's clear from the beginning how central Sufjan's faith is to him, what with the way he equates a UFO sighting with the Incarnation and its attendant signs in the heavens. How effortlessly Sufjan calms the celebration and, without taking away any of the joy, brings us into such a beautiful turn of musical phrase that leads us all into a singalong ballad! Float away on lazy horn clouds, or leap above them on the strings of violins. And you know what? It's okay to cry yourself to sleep sometimes. Not all tears are sad. For the record, I've never heard a more uplifting, beautiful song about a serial killer. Not sure what Sufjan is trying to do here, but I just close my eyes and shake my head at the loveliness/ugliness and the conflicted feelings with me. If you want to know just how full this album is, take a look at just what Sufjan is doing: vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer, electric bass, drum kit, electric guitar, oboe, alto saxophone, flute, banjo, glockenspiel, accordion, vibraphone, tenor recorder, soprano recorder, sopranino recorder, alto recorder, sleigh bells, shakers, tambourine, triangle, and church organ. The only instrument featured on the album he didn't touch is the trumpet. Thematically, the album is at once inaccessibly specific about historical facts that really don't have anything to do with anyone, as well as being broad in his allusions to our common human condition, to say nothing of the all-pervasive Christian framework. Why do we need our faith? Well, for one...bone cancer. So celebrate life while you can, and understand just how much you have to give.
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yes, he has such soothing and melancholy sounds and vocals which brings the genre to life Favourite song: Track 7 - Decatur, or, Round of applause for your step-mother!
For many years I've really wanted to love this album, it ticks so many of the boxes of things that I love. Concept album, check, indie darling, check, dense and varied orchestration, check, long rambling and overly complex song titles, check. Its so overly dramatic and I love that in an artist, I love how committed he is to the concept and how confident Stevens is about who he is as an artist. It also sounds really big and bold which is great. But it just doesn't do it for me, it annoys me that I cant put my finger on why but for almost 20 years I've revisited this occasionally trying to see something in it, examining it from different angles and trying to see what I am missing. The only thing I can confidently say is I find it sonically quite grating and overly pretentious. The second of those confuses me because I love overly pretentious and highly literate music. I figured out at some point its easier if I don't think too hard about it so I've listened to it, and I think its better for my stress levels if I don't think about it again for another 5 years. I'm going to give it a 3 but only because I cant bear to put it in the "Bad categories" of 1 and 2 but ultimately at some point I need to admit to myself that this album is just not for me.
Ég skil ekki alveg hvernig Sufjan Stevens fer að því að gera allt á eitthvað svo fallegan hátt. Yndisleg plata. Það er eitthvað svo mikið vor í henni.
I’m in two minds about this one; I enjoyed some of the tracks and it was good background music to what I was doing whilst listening but I wouldn’t seek it out again. Consequently an average 3*
Meh... it was fine. Background music, nothing jumped out at me at all.
Now this I liked
It’s ok but too long.
Heaven Music. Every sound every word touches my soul. Whether alone or in a crowd, SS comforts me.
Revisiting this record was a treat. I remember feeling a bit confused by its length and overall concept at the time of its release, along with the sprawling details of its orchestration. Turns out *Illinois* aged like fine wine, actually, and that what's most important in it are the heartbreaking melodies and sheer poetry of the lyrics. Not that the concept behind this album is not aptly conveyed as well if you pay a little attention. What struck me the most in that regard is the influence of Steve Reich and Philip Glass over many arrangements here, and how fitting such influences are when you want to write an elegy about American popular culture. Yet, I repeat, the album doesn't only work in "intellectual" ways. In spite of their lush arrangements, many songs in this record actually foretell the pure emotions of the pared-down masterpiece *Carrie And Lowell* (released 10 years after this one). And without such emotions, this sort of grand project would be pointless. If you delve into Stevens' discography, it's quite obvious that he is not always consistent in the way he channels his instincts and incredible skills as a musician and a songwriter. But the two LPs we're talking about here are essential for sure. And it's not the opinion of Bon Jovi fans (such as the one responsible for the "review" currently heading the responses to *Illinois*) that will convince anyone they're not. Once again, this is not a matter of "low-brow" or "high-brow" tastes (that sort of dichotomy is broadly the only point that this Sufjan Stevens hater is expressing in that review of his--and honestly, it's a little misleading.). What matters the most is discerning what good songwriting is. There's a lot of good straightforward songwriting in albums that are supposedly "low-brow", of course. But that doesn't objectively mean you can't find any similar straightforward qualities in works that are far more complex or intricate at first glance. And *Illinois* is a perfect illustration for this sort of situation. Number of albums left to review: 654 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 174 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 82 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 96
Esta experiência de escutar os discos indicados no livro é também uma tentativa ouvir diferentes perspectivas e aprender com novas experiências. Porém, ainda não consegui superar a ideia que a maioria dos discos indies funcionam no máximo como música para não incomodar o ambiente. Até mesmo que quase todos têm algum conceito envolvido. Mas para perceber alguma coisa deste só se tivesse interesse em estudar ou viajar para Illinois.
One of the best concept albums, with beautifully sweet tunes throughout
Fantastic album, I'm finding it hard to think about things to say about it, because this one runs really deep for me. "Casimir Pulaski Day" was one of the first songs I learned on guitar back in the day. Some just devastating songs that will make you cry, in particular "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." and "Casimir Pulaski Day." I mean, several masterpieces: "Come On! Feel the Illinoise", "Jacksonville", "Chicago." Is there some fluff on here? Does it get to long? Of course it's 77 minutes! But it's more than worth that time spent and it deserves its place in the canon.
First off, straight up 1 star for the song about John Wayne Gacy. One of the few songs in the world I absolutely abhor and find truly unlistenable. Second, he comes across like the David Foster Wallace, or better yet, the Dave Eggers of indie rock. I can see how some people are impressed by this brand of seemingly boundless, nearly absurd ambition, but for me it just doesn't work in practice. I don't know if he's trying to be oh so clever that it's supposed to come back around to being perceived as sincere and heartfelt? Ironically pretentious? But it's so over the top that it's a joke - get it??? Well, I don't.
My college was in Grand Rapids, MI which is close to Holland and Sufjan Stevens had somewhat of a relationship with the college. He allowed our AV department to use any of his songs for any student projects, so that was kinda cool I guess. I was bombarded with Sufjan Stevens in college. It was everywhere. Twee-indie was all the rage in 2006-2008, especially at a liberal-christian college. I have gone in spurts where I liked some of the songs, then hated, then tolerated, and now kind of ambivalent with a few exceptions. Tonally it's kind of all over the place, with songs of deep sadness and others grandiose happiness. "Concerning the UFO" and "Casimir Pulaski Day" are the types of songs by Sufjan that I enjoy. Songs like "Come On! Feel the Illonoise! Part 1" are neat in concept but it's so happy twee I can't really stand it. I remember thinking John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was quite good back in the day due to its "dark subject matter". Now, I don't really ever wanna listen to it. It is best listened to while looking through the lens of "total depravity", which a Christianity concept that is referenced the line "and in my best behavior, I am really just like him", as in we all have the potential to be monsters. Apparently he thought it would be "arrogant" to make a double album, but c'mon man this thing is basically that. I do appreciate that he says the album-states concept is essentially a joke gimmick, so clearly he isn't taking things too seriously. Vocally I kinda dig Stevens cadence but other times it feels just like it's trying to be too cute/quiet, but that's a preference thing. Personal enjoyment of 3, but I'd have to rate it 4/5 if I was being more objective. I also know his live shows were very theatrical so I'm sure that'd be entertaining as well.
Potential here. A lot of musicality. Turn it 45° and it could be Sturgill Simpson.
5 stars. What can I say.
Not someone I'd heard before, and the first 15 minutes had me thinking I might want to listen to more. After Jacksonville I was constantly looking to see how much more I had to endure before it was over.