Illinois

Why...why is it just NOT ENDING oh my god.... Edit: done, finally. What would have been three stars probably got knocked down to two just because of the sheer length.

Más o menos

I’ve tried multiple times with this one. I just cannot get into it.

Mostly boring

Some good instrumentals brought down by some confounding lyrical choices. Ended up being useless noise at best.

Fine but not for me

Delicate soft indie. Patience started wearing out around Jacksonville, tapped out in Decatur

Pleasant enough. Alt indie rock with nice orchestral instrumentation. Songs are nice but I found it hard to fully enjoy the vocal which is quite meek and twee and hard to obtain any honest emotion from.

Favorite Track: Chicago

It was definitely new for me. It was kind of repetitive and the song all sounded like each other. so that made it a little bit boring. but the music is very beautiful in some parts, but I didn't get the lyrics at all.

How could you omit Champaign (Paris on the Prairie) from an album about Illinois? This snoozefest is barely worth 2 stars

too long / too precious / too “mid‑2000s indie” Only song i enjoyed was the one Chiddy Bang sampled

Not really interesting, I did find it pretty long to listen to, this is not a good sign..

It was ok, my first time listening to this album

It's alright. Just not really my thing. I end up tuning out of most singer songwriter albums and completely lose sight of what point the artist is driving towards. This was no different

5/10

Boring and never ending:(((

this felt...... long. Chicago is such a standout, and the only song I knew going into this album. I wish more of the album sounded like that. I don't think I'd ever listen to this again in full.

Muzika za ljude kojima su najkorištenije društvene mreže letterboxd i last fm. Muzika za ljude kojima je cijela ličnost to da su "tužni". Muzika za ljude koji jedu samo organsku hranu jer je njihovo tijelo hram. Muzika za ljude koji misle da su sljedeća Virginia Woolf (nez otkud mi ona, valjda zbog ovih glupavih predugih naslova pjesama) iako nikad nisu napisali ni rečenicu. Toliko ničega da mi je mozak redovno pjevao CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE i smišljao ove uvrede iznad. Bljutavilo čisto.

I’ve heard a ton of praise for this album, so I was excited going in. After listening I was left thinking that this is mostly music for art students to fan over.

This was a bit much I think that there is a reason he gave up on writing an album for every state. Songs that stuck in my head were Casimir Pulaski Day and John Wayne Gacy, Jr. If I'm being honest the Microphones do this sound better. Not everything needs to be a double album, if you don't have that much awesome music (by my count 2 songs) don't put out a whole damn album. But I guess he should be happy that he has earned these two stars.

This was not enjoyable :(

I tried but could not "get it".

This was bigger than my puny brain could understand.

I should like this album. I love the wall of sound concept, and this definitely has it. But in execution here, it's just annoying. And in now way did this album need to be 22 tracks. He ran out of ideas after about 10 and then just kept going.

boring

aburrido

Arrangements parfois sympas (Jacksonville) mais le chanteur en fait une pop folk tiède et sans intérêt. Arrêté après 10 titres.

Look, I've tried multiple times to like this. Like any self-respecting indie teen in the late ’00s, I tried to get into this after liking bands like Bright Eyes, Iron and Wine, Bon Iver, etc. But I just couldn't. Coming back to it now, I thought maybe I've matured and could finally see the greatness of this album. I could not. I still found it as boring as I did all those years ago. Maybe you need good knowledge of Illinois to like it? I just found it meandering and boring. Like the aforementioned bands, but without the teen heartbreak. Just boring indie folk. 2 stars.

2.5 - Meh

I've heard a few Sufjan Stevens song albeit not a lot, but I expected to really like this album because I thought it would be similar to fourth of july or futile devices. This album really isn't for me not because these are bad songs but because I don't listen to music in this album regularly.

I like to see this album as a mix of fanfic tropes that I don't really… hate? But I'm also not sure about where I stand with them. The whole time I saw a scene of someone having a “Disney Channel”-classified “minor miscommunication destroys all” breakup, which was buttfucked by Sims 4 instrumental music for the entirety. This album made me feel like I was trying to figure out if the milk was spoiled or I was just being obnoxiously stupid. There were parts where I felt like I was supposed to feel a certain way or get to a certain type of clarity. Honestly, it was stale. I'd say giving a handjob to the local homeless guy behind a Burger King parking lot had more intrigue than this.

It wasn't for me. But the harmony was wild!!!

It wasn't my thing, and I wonder if it'd make the list if that were to be done again.

Another goofy art project that is interesting but not enjoyable.

- what are these fuckass song titles

Boooring.

Great album to fall asleep to.

Some of it is fine, but there aren’t really any catchy songs. Plus, I don’t need more than one hour of this

A bit too whimsical and folk for my liking. First song made me kinda emotional, also the only song I enjoyed. Songs sound happy but depressing at the same time? Too boring

I'm not really into this folky pop, but it wasnt bad to listen to, all ended up samey but nothing got annoying.

Mostly didn't move me. Reminded me of Owl City and went on forever.

This was….weird but I don’t entirely hate it

Interesting but won't listen again

Not my style

The lord giveth and the lord takes away….

Most songs are a 5. ALBUM SONGS WAY TOO LONG. Nice instrumental but the words ruin the songs. Good songs: -John Wayne gacy jr. 7.5/10 -Jacksonville 8/10 catchy with good instrumental -track 12 7.5/10 rlly good instrumental -track 22 7/10 no words Album rating 5/10

DNF, what I heard was okay, but I found it really difficult to get into for some reason? I didn't like track 4, quite disturbing

I'm only about 4 songs in and I know this album isn't for me.

Pre-listening thoughts: I’ve heard of this guy and I know a lot of people love him. Somebody who has finished this project picked this album as their favorite overall. I’ve never heard one of his songs or even his voice. I'm excited to finally check it out. Post-listening thought: I didn't turn it off, but I would have if I wasn't doing this 1001 project. The instrumental portions were better than when he was singing. Did not like it, won't revisit.

i'm conflicted about this one, i love sufjan stevens but some of the songs were def out of place. also long as hell >__> favorite song: They Are Night Zombies!! just for that NASTY bassline alone

Não gostei, achei muito cliché.

I chuckled at the disparity between how the album cover bigs this up, versus what you actually get. An unsuspecting person might expect a comedic, ironic take on hip hop, but what we have here instead is a listenable, but fairly tame indie album that largely stays in the same lane. In fairness, there wasn't much to actively dislike here, but equally there wasn't much of anything memorable going on across 73 minutes. It's all very pleasant, inoffensive and easily digestible, but perhaps a bit joyless and over-earnest so that it eventually dissipates into background noise.

I was pretty meh on this album until Chicago came on and I got a wave of nostalgia for a song I didn't know I knew. Unfortunately the rest is just not enough, or really it was too much because this is a long album.

Sujan is a talented music writer. His lyrics, not so much. They're the lyrical equivalent of naive art, only I know he was educated at a fairly prestigious music school. I fealt kind of bad laughing at how bad the lyrics in a song about John Wayne Gacy were.

Am not a fan of music that focuses on lyrical poetry at the expense of listenability

Boring 2

I did not realise that Slade was such an international cultural reference point. Notwithstanding that, I can't say I felt much noise in this

Just do us all a favor and go check out the other reviews. There are some real gems there. "If yogurt made a sound, this would be it." "If a Wes Anderson movie was an album." "Christian rock for people who buy artisan maple syrup." There is comedic gold there. Influence 2. Hits 1. Intangibles 2. Quality 4. So vanilla 3.

A little to quirky

I’ve known of Sufjan for years, but the few songs I’d heard hadn’t really converted me. This was my first experience listening to one of his albums front to back. I can respect the concept and recognize his strength as a writer, but ultimately it isn’t an album I’d find myself revisiting.

nicht aufregend

The Clown Killer song? Really? I did not enjoy this album.

Some of this sounded worship-y to my ears (especially Chicago) but the instrumental songs were pretty

Right off the bat you know you're in for some 1001 albums list BS based on the descriptor of this one. Plus 1 hour and 15 minutes runtime. Uggh. Ok. Anyway, starts off with some flute and a guy with a high pitched voice singing softly about, you guessed it, some place in Illinois. I'm guessing that's Sufjan himself--the whole thing, including his name, screams of mid-oughts hipsterdom gone awry. Anyway, then you have a kind of interpretation of the Peanuts Christmas song but with dude's singing that ruins it. Apparently Sufjan did a whole tour with Christmas music sing-alongs, so ya. And yes, of course, there is some banjo, though that track isn't bad. In fact, some of the stuff is better than I expected--it's not all terrible. 2/5

Weird. Heard of this guy, but never heard any of his music apparently. Not my thing.

Agradable sin más

A couple of interesting tracks and an engaging tune throughout. However not good enough to break the 1 hour rule so loses a star for that

Some great ideas. For me though they don't come together in any coherent way, both within songs and across the album as a whole. Maybe a day isn't enough time to get to grips with the ambition and I'll come back to it. Who knows. But for now it's a solid 2*

very chill, interesting that it's so long

By all accounts I should like this but it just seems so pretentious. And I love the arcade fire so that's a lot coming from me

Never heard of album or band. Is this a musical? UFO sighting is choppy. Weird flute. This song kind of sucks. I like Blackhawk a lot more. Still seems like a musical though. Not neccasarily a bad thing just not my style. Piano on come on is really good. This is an all around fun song. Not a fan of John Wayne gay ce. You could tell me this was released in the 60s and I’d believe it. This is not a good thing for a 2005 album. Jacksonville is kind of fun. As I keep listening I can’t help but ask: wtf is this album and who is it for. I can’t believe I’m only 7 songs in. Decatur is goofy. Chicago isn’t horrible. Good songwriting. Dated background music. Can definitely appreciate the song writing on Casimir. Very impressive. Rock river valley is fine. Again, I can appreciate the songwriting on metropolis but it’s just not my type of music. Predatory is more of the same. If you like soft rock this is the album for you. Just not my cup of tea. Cool horns I will say. Cool transition into night zombies. Back half is a lot better. A lot of filler on this album like in this temple. Really cool fade into seers tower tho. Tallest man is good music but not a great song if that makes sense. Riffs and variations is pretty cool o guess. Out of Egypt too. Again it all sounds like a musical soundtrack. It’s definitely a unique album. Just not my style. 2.2 stars.

What a wild ride....and not in a good way. This sounded like something a 12 year old would create in their basement.

Yeah I didn’t like this. I could respect some of the instrumental work which is why I’m giving it a grudging 2 stars but the vocals did nothing for me and in fact just kind of pissed me off. I just feel like there was so much to work with here but not enough was done with it

song names are long and weird. scared the lyrics will be weird or have no meaning. sounds like something i could possibly like. i didn't really like it. only one song was okay

Not something I would listen to again, but I quite enjoyed Casimir Pulaski Day

Maybe not my genre or sum but I thought this album was booty cheeks. I will say the folk pop was definitely not what I was in the mood for when I started but whatever 1001 albums says I do fr. Also this album was absurdly long but I could definitely see how people would like it. But but if I wanted to listen to a 2000s folk album set in Illinois I’m going with yankee foxtrot hotel which is miles better in my eyes! Pros: song length, Jacksonville was good, well produced Cons: album too long, most song names too long, didn’t like the vocals, album cover looks stupid, did I mention the albums too long

Not hard on the ears but I would never choose to listen for a second time.

Ahh this album was really interesting to listen too. I enjoyed myself. It wasn’t too out of my comfort zone, but there were so bits I was like wow I don’t listen to things like this. I can’t wait to listen to more diverse musical albums.

i hate this kind of stuff usually, but once starting the album, i feel like i got what it was going for, tweeness excepted. but it just went on and on and on, just one long, unchanging song, bleh

Do not like

boring(

This album grew on me and then wore off with the space of one listen. I liked the middle section (everything from John Wayne Gacy to Chicago). Knowing Sufjan Stevens' music, it is me who is wrong. But this album is not for me.

Veery strange album. Not my type of vocal, music was strange but sometimes somewhat catchy, but still 2/5 and i considered 1, but it would NOT be fair to be 1 (real reason that i gave it 2 its because he was singing about pole in song "Casimir Pulaski Day")

just not a sufjan stevens fan idk what to tell you

Büro, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Beinahe eingepennt ey.

skychno

This was a weird listen. It sounded nice and well produced but it was 22 songs of what seemed like almost the exact same song 22 times. Didn't do much for me at all.

Not for me

There was one song in there that I enjoyed, but most were just silliness with ridiculous titles

Well at least he's not singing about California. I skipped a lot of this album. Maybe a song or two at a time would be better.

No to my tastes. Does have musical elements, but it's just too soft and passive and banal.

Twee Elliot Smith

I kinda hated this album right off the bat. The album art sucks and the superman version is only marginally cooler. Never heard of Sufjan nor this album. The first half felt like Jack Johnson trying to be quirky and quippy but then some strings and a choir came in... really beautiful. The songwriting unfortunately still did nothing for me but I can respect the instrumental variety. Favorite Song: They Are Night Zombies

White music. I started off thinking "This sounds pleasant." But then the tweeness and cutesy cutesy horns and strings kept coming. The vocals are wet. This isn't the worst music ever made. Far from it. But I can't handle this amount of soppiness. Get a grip of yourself, Sufjan!

I've tried a couple times with this album and I just can't get into it.

this would be a 5 if it were just the instrumental tracks (I am probably not being fair to this album) undecided about adding to collection

:/

simpler folk

Musikalisch mag das alles krass sein, aber es ist mir dann schnell zu viel. Ich mag es immer wenn mich ein Album als Gesamtkunstwerk abholt - hier fühle ich mich einfach verloren.

Strange album, felt like lots of stolen bits from all of the shop. Bone of it felt real or authentic. Almost an AI quality to it ..

Too long. (2.5)

I've never listened to this album (43). Lots of qualities, but way way too quirky-hipsterish for my taste.

27th October 2025

Meh

Jacksonville is a jam, Chicago is catchy too

A bit too jolly and hippy-like for my taste

Sånn helt ok. Liker når det er blåsere, liker ikke så godt når det ikke er blåsere. Litt langt, ga meg halvveis. Hørte ikke på teksten, Illinois er en stat i USA.

Ei iskenyt, ei jaksanut kuunnella loppuun. 1,75/5.

An album that has the feel of looking through holiday snapshots. A mix of indie pop, folk and mini orchestral pieces that sort of gel into a theme, Illinois in this case. I doubt this is a record that gets much repeated listening but I guess when Sufjan is planning to make 48 of them that won't be a problem. OK-ish

This one was boring AF

2/5

A bit long and the songs all start to sound the same.

This was definitely an interesting album. I'm just not sure it's interesting in the way you would want.

Cool concept album

Wow. Went into this relisten thinking I loved this album. Came out with some real issues. Bloated, repetitive, and pretentious. This album should have half as many songs, and the song names should be half as long. Done good gems in there, but overwhelmed by bloat.

Not terrible

Not for me at all

Not my cup of tea, also too long

Nothing really stood out. Not my jam.

I've listened to this album quite a few times over the years and the more I listen to it, the less I like it. Somehow I feel patronised. Like The Wiggles for adults. Something about "here's instruments for a few bars, now here's me singing my poetry" rinse repeat. Smug. It feels smug.

So weird yet so bland

meh...

Pretty good music. There's just one song that's really not for me.

Bit too ethereal and hippy for me, however, critically acclaimed. Not sure what he’s trying to say or how anyone can write an album about a State-or geographic area….

There are moments I really like on this album, particularly where it becomes more melancholy and simple. However mostly this sounds like a musical, and I hate musicals.

Could never get into their music. Jacksonville and Chicago are decent tracks.

Good instrumentals and very creative but just not my taste. I thought that it would be great for a Disney soundtrack

Musicals energy (I sadly don't like musicals). 2.

Not for me

Quite bland to be honest, not necessarily bad, but it feels too safe to be properly enjoyable

American modern folk 2005. Sei la que porra é essa!

where to begin ? i initially thought i was going to enjoy this immensely; it should be just my kind of album. a concept album when done properly can be an engaging and enjoyable listen. two such albums which come to mind being: The Decemberists - The Crane Wife Jeff Wayne's War of The Worlds but when not so well executed, it can seem disjointed and with 22 tracks covering a sprawling 74 mins, this album felt more like a slog and a chore to get through than the delight i hoped it would be. so what's the problem here ? do i have to be an American or better still an Illinoisan to get this album ? the album comprises 22 tracks, with plenty of short interlude tracks and the lengthy runtime of 74 mins giving it a lack of cohesion and a serious commitment to listen through. Essentially, there is a lot of cruft and padding. Too many of the complete songs mind me of ones you might hear in poorly-received musicale, whose critics' scathing reviews would have closed down within the week. where are the positives ? well in all honesty, there are few tracks that i'd seek to replay and i'd happily skip the majority (plenty of filler and little killer). I would shorten the album to 5 or 6 tracks at most. on to my listening experience. the first three tracks would have passed me by registering only a vague interest, were it not for an annoying phrasing in Come on Feel the Illinoise that bears a strong resemblance to Close to Me by The Cure. Is anyone else hearing that? Already three tracks down and I'm not feeling any attachment or connection yet. Next up is John Wayne Gacy Jr. and was the first track to fully capture my attention, a song about a psycho serial killer who buried people under his house so the crimes would go undetected. this gentler, folkier version of Sufjan Stevens is the one i enjoy listening to most and this track is one of the highlights of the album. followed which we have several meh tracks, which again revisit the musicale theme and for me fall quite flat. all are them are easy skippers. And then 24 minutes in, we have the rousing Chicago, which without a doubt is the track of the album. It is a celebratory and unashamedly euphoric and it juxtaposes a beautiful folk vocal from Sufjan opining on his love for Chicago, rejoined by the uplifting swell of a joyful choir who are accompanied by a bright, happy brass section. for all that had preceeded Chicago, i was in no doubt that what followed would also fall a long way short of the album's centerpoint and I sensed that making it to the end would most likely be a somewhat less joyful affair. The next tracks on from Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day and To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region are pleasant enough and are certainly not skippers, but the euphoric effect left on me by Chicago meant that anything following would have a tough job indeed. And why wasn't one of the instrumental interludes selected as the next track on from Chicago? to provide some breathing space and to cool our euphoria before the next song proper? this would have made for a better sequencing in my view. I then felt little enthusiasm for the next three tracks and only again felt a connection and a desire to check the track name when I was on The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! A pleasant enough song and one which would make the grade for my short form EP. Following on from that They Are Night Zombies!! was equally enjoyable, if also not amazing. I am looking now impatiently at the track lengths of the remaining 6 tracks; we have 3 complete songs and three instrumentals to get through. i don't really see the purpose of all of these short interludes; they could easily have been the outros or the intros of the tracks which they are placed between. they contribute little to the overall flow or listening experience. my score is not going to take account of these short mostly instrumental segments. so with 3 tracks to go i can only honestly say that 2 of them were underwhelming, with only the final track, an instrumental, being one of the few to fully capture my attention. Is my attention span to blame or is it the curse of the double LP ? how do i rate this overall? as an complete album, it don't feel it lends itself to repeated full listenings; i would just cherry pick the few songs which really resonate with me. five or six at most, and release as an EP which would have made for a far more engaging and enjoyable listening experience. whilst not a terrible listen, it was most definitely underwhelming and certainly fell far short of my expectations of one of the 1001 albums you must listen to. i score this a 2.50 at best. if i have to rate either 2 or 3 stars then i am downrating it to 2 stars

Lots of ideas. Some interesting. There is a definite feel of an early summers evening in a European city about most if not all of these songs. The lyrics and the slightly affected vocals never match up to the instrumentation could have listened in silence really.

Couldn't finish. Comes at you with all the power of three ghosts trapped in a Mason jar.

Alright, some good songs on here like Chicago, Casimir Pulaski day. Too long of an album though

Will this album ever end? It sounds like an album Thom York would put out of he was working at a local coffee shop and trying to impress a sad girl.

Never got this album and I don't think I ever will.

Some nice stuff on here but man it dragged

Här krävs antagligen en mer koncentrerad lyssning än vad som nu varit fallet. Med det sagt, varför utbildas musiker allt för sällan i ”less is more”? Ett evigt långt plinkande som inte tycks ta vägen någonstans. Här och där vaknar man till och kommer på att det spelas musik i lurarna. Men allt som oftast bara pågår Sufjans utan att vare sig göra till eller från.

Still better than Kanye West.

Everything I listen to says I should love this but I don't.

I liked some of this but it was very long

Couldn't really do it too soft

Se não é um album experimental, eu não sei o que é. Muito instrumental desconexo, parece um negócio meio natureba, sei lá. Dificilmente eu ouviria de novo.

Very interesting?? Definitely not my muisc very theatrical and not exactly to my taste but it’s still a good album just not my music highlights: Chicago, casmir pulaski day

Tried and tired. I tried to listen to this, but quickly tired of it. This wasn’t my first attempt to listen to sad sack white boy music, but it will be my last.

Meh

I may need to give this a closer listen.

Ok

Min första tanke när jag satte på denna var ”fy fan allt låter precis om ett Wes Anderson-soundtrack”, vilket också var det bestående intrycket efter att ha lyssnat klart. Roligt att sen upptäcka att en av de första recensionerna sa precis samma sak och att man inte var ensam om den slutsatsen. Det är förstås imponerande att han spelar instrumenten själv och han är ju uppenbart talangfull, men den här stilen är inte min grej. Det låter bara så…fjantigt? Det blir heller inga pluspoäng för längden, de pretentiösa låttitlarna och de poänglösa mellanspelen. Jag kanske skulle omvärdera om jag lyssnade mer och ”vande mig”, men jag orkar inte.

Some I enjoyed but for the most part wasn’t to my taste

That’s a no from me dog. I know Chicago but the rest felt exhausting. Also those song names, kind of glad we left that in the 2000s. Even the description of the album is exhausting. “Sufjan Stevens has a secret to share: There are moments in his life—particularly when he’s posing, and finds himself playing a role he does not momentarily believe—when he might as well be a serial killer”

It was alright but dragged on for a lot longer than I'd like. If it was 45 minutes, I'd give it a 3. Couldn't really groove with it.

I like the album's cover art, but the music isn't for me.

Boring.

Neither hot nor cold is how I feel about this album.

Nothing really too it. Perhaps good backgfround msuic

I have tried to like Sufjan - like seriously tried - but this album is just like nails on a chalkboard to me - everything about it - his voice, the lyrics, the song titles, much of the music just irks me. I gave it an honest try again, but I just can't.

Num gosto tanto

Not my jam. I listened, but it isn't something I will start either.

I’d heard his music previously, but couldn’t remember much about it. I appreciated this for what it is, but isn’t really my thing. I could tell this was an album that would benefit from multiple listens (as is the case for a lot of albums, obviously) but I’m not sure I enjoyed it enough to give it more time. The songs just went over my head and didn’t keep my attention. I felt it needed it should have been more varied and challenging, but I appreciate I might have missed the entire point. Either way, just not for me.

bored, liked one song

At times this sounded like low rent Arcade Fire, which is the most generous thing I can think to say.

Needs understanding... Not sure one listen does this justice.

This is the musical equivalent of bread sauce. It’s boring (in that all tracks are kind of the same), it’s uninspiring (in that it’s all just a wee bit dull) and it’s unnecessary. It’s also far far too long, and the vibe feels more like Iowa than Illinois.

Mediocre Millennial Cat Stevens impression

# Album Name: Illinois # Artist: Sufjan Stevens # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: A one hit wonder. Album is way too long. # Top Tunes: Chicago # Would I listen to it again? No

If I was from a small town in America, gay, and currently a teenager I would love this. I'm none of these things. The best songs were the ones which had a stronger choir presence. Not the worst, just kind of same-ish. There's two whole songs on this album. Where's the variety in a 22 song album? Also so American... boring. 2/5 stars.

na trenutke ko neki koldplej za hipstere, na trenutke okej. ima fora momenata, al ono, većinom je dosadno. predugo, ništa posebno sve u svemu. usto najodvratniji omot albuma dosad, čak nije ni na neki kemp ili ironični način smiješan, samo je treš. slično vrijedi i za naslove pjesama (ha ha, baš si smiješan)

It is just too long for me and so are the names - they give me Fall Out Boy vibes lol. I know there is definitely a hidden meaning behind these names, but I'm to lazy to research it. I probably wouldn't guess the decade of the release right, as it tries so hard to sound like much older bands. 22 songs and almost 75 minutes was too much for me though and I'd expect something more due to its length. It's just bland and not my cup of tea tbh. 3.7/10

A 2005 atom bomb of pretentiousness and twee, this has maybe 12 good minutes of folk melodies and a massive load of faux Steve Reich and 12 Musicians-style orchestrations that pads out the time to an excruciating 75 minutes. Did need to strip it all down and have some relatives die on Carrie And Lowell to make some actual great music.

Musically it had its interesting parts layering all the different instruments but I can only take that style of singing for so long.

Nah

Insufferable indie noodling by the artist held above all others in insufferable indie circles. Bland is an understatement.

I was pulling for Sufjan around the time this came out. Gimmicks weren’t an entirely foreign concept - 69 Love Songs still felt recent - so coming up with an album for every US state, sure, why not? That and indie rock was in what would turn out to be several year rut, so having anyone with ambition and talent to match come along with a novel project was worth celebrating. Alas. While Michigan tipped his hand as being a bit on the twee/precious side of the spectrum, Illinois felt like a Wes Anderson score, Vincent Garibaldi and high school orchestras its guiding aesthetic lights. Even the song titles could be taken straight from a Max Fischer notebook. Which is fine, but what does that have to do with a state with as much musical variety as Illinois? There are moments of beauty and awe here, perhaps befitting a film score, but throughout the marriage of this musical aesthetic with smart liberal arts kid lyrics (hey I’m on one of those) becomes cloying. Sufjan did find a few modes here - acoustic singer-songwriter, chiefly - that found favour later in his career, but both any interest I had in him and he in this project ended with Illinois.

This was boring as fuck. Also corny as fuck.

Oh my god, it’s still going It’s not bad. Some really nice, catchy songs but they’re too long, as is this album. Way too fucking long.

Music for people into acapella groups

No thank you

Meh

I can understand why this album is so important and recognized. It’s unique and very well executed. The composition is perfect, the overall theme is consistent, and the production is great. I respect it and I do think is a great album, it’s just not for me. I got bored after 6 songs. I wouldn’t revisit it. I think this is more of an album to analyze and listen to for educational purposes than to “feel like” listening, at least for me.

fuckin whatEVER dude. I never listened to this artist when I first heard about them, mostly because I felt I already had good enough Folk-Rock artists and didn't any more. Also the people that really liked this also really liked Jack Johnson and crap like that so I just assumed it sucked. It is better than I thought, mostly just due to interesting instrumentation. That being said, after 7 songs I looked down and realized there are TWENTY TWO tracks on this album. C'mon son.

I wasn't feeling the love.

Meh, had some okay songs but not my cup tea

I like Illinois but this album sucks!

Not my style. 2 stars.

First time hearing this artist. It's a no from me. I think I'm too old, cranky and cynical for this happy-go-lucky hipster art pop creation.

Ajoittain kivoja saundeja

If the length and pretentious song titles didn't set your alarm bells ringing, then the over an hour long runtime will. When will artists learn that if you're going to make a long album, it had better be filled with something worth listening to.

Eh

experimental album, not really my cup of tea

is aight kann man zu chillen

Well played instrumentally. My favorite track: The Geico ad between the pseudo hipster babble. Am I on track 4 or 6? Thank god most of these songs are under three minutes

Conflicted. Parts were pretty nice but the vocals through a lot of the arrangements off. 4.5/10

Its definitely a trip/journey of an album, with a decent bit of variety. The singing wasn't too appealing.

It was ok. Nothing great, nothing terrible. I wouldn’t listen again.

16/04/2025 What even was this album?!

I've always liked the odd bit of Sufjan, but yes, this album is very much the muchness and gets samey quite quickly. However, a few songs I really like and it is a product of its time. I'm a sucker for indie folk rock of the mid-00's but this doesn't do much for me really. I don't know, It's fine. 2 seems mean but 3 too generous

This album felt hours long, and it's twee bullshit wore thin much earlier.

Been awhile since I've listened to this one. Love the premise. Not a fan of most of the songs. Chicago and Decatur stick out the most. 2/5.

Nie echt mijn type muziek

Kinda boring but nice trumpets?

Nee, de chli brüeder vom Cat Stevens und sini Illi-noises hend mi uf e spezielli Art chli gnervt. Ned so my type of bread. 2 mal en koffeinfreie latte macchiato mit Hafermilch bitte

Kept waiting for it to get interesting, it never did

The John Wayne Gacy song sent me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about that clown monster, ruined my productivity, and left a stain I can’t unhear—now unfortunately all the pleasant melodies feel like they’re masking a serial killer.

Idk but I only really liked Chicago because of the signal runners remix lol the rest of the album was like shut up man.

reeks of millennial cringiness but it’s ight

Not my cup of tea. This was boring and very repetitive. Too long. At 30 minutes in I wanted to simply stop but pushed through. Musicianship and production were pretty solid.

Nothing exciting and at a loss as to why it would be 1 of the albums I must hear before I die.

Correcto

Not a fan of this album

Downgraded to a 2 after subsequent listens...just don't really like the musical storytelling that this fella does. Still would be worth more spins and reconsideration though.

An example of how an incredible amount of work by a large group of super talented people can add up to a solid “meh.”

I’ve tried and tried but just can’t turn the corner on Sufjan Stevens. It’s too much for me though. I can never shake the feeling that I’m caught up in the soundtrack to a Wes Anderson fever dream.

Nich so arg geil, ziemlich fad, überhaupt nicht mein Geschmack…

Wife liked it, mum likes him. I'm bored

Reading this list, if you knew nothing about popular music, I’m pretty sure you’d think that nothing after 2000 was good. Or let’s be fair, little after 2000. I’ll be fair, the album as a concept is less popular with streaming. As is the concept album. So it’s a struggle getting must hear albums. Must hear songs? Definitely. So maybe I’m too harsh on this. But Where are the great acts with great albums? Vulfpeck? Punch Brothers? Guthrie Govan? Pharrell? Ok maybe not snoop or Diddy or Kanye. Pink. Taylor Swift. Dua Lipa. Billie eilish. Daft Punk. This album is white nerd boy trash. Some interesting stuff. But completely inessential. 2 stars.

Not my thing

This album was the musical equivalent of eating a scone. I don't really like scones.

At times nice but overall I found this too vastly boring to take any serious interest in and revisit. Bits of reminded me of times I've been making music and thought I was king of the world, only to return to it with fresh ears and realise the music wasn't very interesting, just the making it was.

I found the album to be okay and not at all what I would've expected. It's challenging to categorize by genre with the extensive orchestration. I never heard of this fellow so I searched the interweb and found his website. Apparently, he turned this album into a musical. I guess it makes sense that way.

Recorded in New York, this tribute to Illinois achieves the dubious feat of being naand boring at the same time While all the elements (and there are a lot) are beautifully arranged, they are thoroughly predictable and the songs all blur into one. Its hard to really pick out anything as special. Whether its a happy song or a sad song it still kind of all feels the same. I suppose you could argue that this is the intention of a good album, that it takes you 'on a journey', but in this case the journey is very long (its only a day's drive to Chicago!) The Blues inflected Jacksonville is the highlight with cascading banjo and countered by string. Do I need a song to learn about the town of Jacksonville, Illinois (pop. 17,616)? No. Poppier moments like Chicago feel trite and over-done nowadays, and I don't think would have actually been that exciting back in 2005 either. My last album was Incredible String Band which I think suffered from the same problem in terms of baroque virtuosity and self-indulgence. I singled it out for having nonsense lyrics but now I realise that the alternative is even worse, the didactic stories about Chicago make it clear just how far away from the ground Stevens is here. In 20 years Stevens has managed two states from his 50 States series. I'm not going to reward failure.

Some of this was fairly enjoyable, would have given 3 stars but disliked the constant references to Christianity. 2/5.

I'm not sure why it got so many accolades.

Not a fan. D+

I really tried to get into this album in the late 2000s or early 2010s. My friends all thought it was an album that I would love. I listened and listened and for some reason I couldn’t stand it. Maybe it was his whispery voice? Maybe the album was too long? Maybe it was the gimmicky Illinois schtick? Maybe it was all the choral bits that go on forever? Maybe it was all the hype? Whatever it was, it made me really annoyed anytime it was mentioned or listed on “best of” lists. I think I wanted to like it but it just never clicked. I was ready to give it the 1/5 I so long felt alone in knowing it deserved. I’m glad this project made me revisit it. It’s better than I remember. I still don’t think I’m going to end up a big fan, but it was a pleasant surprise this morning. His voice still annoys me. Chicago still slaps tho

I listened to this shit in high school but I think it was just because I got put onto him and had nothing else to listen to. At the time, I thought a few of the songs were good and to some extent still do but this did not age well for me. I don't know if it's the horns but a lot of sections are just so annoying.

So boring. Chicago was ok.

Artiste inconnu. L'instrumentation est un peu originale, mais l'album est beaucoup trop long et finit par perdre ses auditeurs. Aucune envie d'y revenir. =>2/5

This has just passed over me, not finding it particularly engaging

честно не смогла даже дослушать целиком, как-то мне все это очень медленно, однообразно и скучно. в общем все это очень миленько, вроде даже и музыка хорошая, но меня вообще не зацепило.

Not a huge fan have to be honest

It's so long and boring that you just start to give up half way through.

Couldn’t quite get into it , will have it down for re- listens down the road … like the moody calm jazzy vibes for sure , see it as something I could def work too or pop into a vinyl on a winter afternoon

I should like it. But I dont. Background (Illi) Noise

2.5/5

This is on par with the Decemberists for that boring mid 2000s indie hipster sound that usually features a unnecessary horned instruments, dull stringed instrumental flourishes and a banjo. Total snoozefest but at least the singer doesn't have an annoying voice like the Decemberists guy . I don't think this should be on the list

Overly long, not very distinct song to song.

Some interesting songs and great melodies, but entirely too long to the point of being obnoxious.

hmm, tja, ist ganz ok

first Sufjan Stevens album and pretty difficult to get through for me chicago - OH so thats why this album is on the list. heard this one. was it in a movie? multiple? its giving indie movie breakthrough protaganist looking wistfully out the window of a bus ok am i done now? should i even listen to the rest of this after chicago.. ? "to the workers of the rock river valley region..." - finally interested in this album by this point "they are night zombies.." - also cool musicality here, like other tracks, sprinkled in

I gave this a second chance over the weekend, thinking that a different scene might help me enjoy it more; it didn't. Felt like I was being dragged through an uncomfortable montage of indie films. Some upbeat stuff but still felt dreary.

I really disliked this, it’s long, dull and found his tone irritating. A song also seemingly empathetic towards Gacy? Bed wetters music

2/5 just didn't care for it

Not my style. Weird early 2000's experimental stuff. Interesting arrangements and talented musicians but not my kind of music.

Not sure why this guy made it so huge? Maybe I'm just not in the right demographic for this, but I don't hear any strokes of genius here.

One good song, a couple decent ones, and the rest are kinda stinky balls. Can MAYBE see how someone else could like it but I'm not a fan.

I didn't even finish it?!! I liked the vibes

trotos

Saw the point of some of it but no real songs, lots of twiddling.

Great song names. Not great songs. Maybe one or two that I liked, but overall not great.

I like Sufjan Stevens. He did Call Me By Your Name. Well, I think I like the idea of him. The titles of these songs were creative but it was easy to forget to listen.

Music to listen to when NPR goes to break. The grilled salmon of indie rock. Music to listen to while cleaning the kitchen with your wife. there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this album. It feels healthy - like I’m making a mature, responsible decision by listening to it. I wish I was the kind of guy this appeals to. I think I’d be a better, more thoughtful person. I’d have gone to grad school. I would compost. Unfortunately, I liked the Korn album better.

Not my vibe but pleasant enough

I just realized this is a different artist than Cat Stevens (Yusuf). I think I prefer Yusuf. It was ok.

Ok

Didn't mind this.

Too slow for me.

Awful

Not great, bit too dreamy for me

Nothing special at all

Not to my taste, this album really overstayed its welcome. I thiught the songs dull.

This was a real mixed bag - as most concept albums tend to be. This reminded me of Polyphonic Spree. There's too much Happy Clappiness going off for my liking. The folk elements work best. I still couldn't follow the narrative.

Not what I was expecting. Pleasant background indie music, kinda same-y, lost interest about half-way through. 2.5.

I tried to listen to Sufjan Stevens when I was 17 but got bored and never tried again, so this was my first time really listening to him. I don't think I was missing out on much. This album is fine enough, as it's fairly standard indie rock, which I generally love. However, I think the album is a bit bloated, bland, and repetitive, and some of the songs felt like they went on for too long. Overall, I don't feel the need to revisit this album in the future and it hasn't convinced me to listen to more Sufjan Stevens.

Not bad but boring and too long

it's another album that is interesting.....but will I ever seek it out to listen to again? no. it opened with some interesting sounds (the horns with guitar/banjo), and I appreciated use of different sounds, but then it just rambled on. not a fan of his vocals-the weird whisper/talk is not my style, and I just didn't get the lyrics 2.5

I get why people love this. I briefly did. Grew up and can't stand this twee nonsense anymore. Can't deny the man's talent as wussy as his output is. I remember someone describing this as macaroni art, the album. STFU Stevens, Animal Collective, Arcade Fire and the ilk all so highly rated by my contemporaries when I was in my indie 20s. Never really got it. This has no relation to Animal Collective and its still got me thinking about how much I dislike them. Tweeness was a stain on music in the 00's.

Meeh, fastna inte direkt för någon men helt ok bakgrundsmusik - tycker dock om hur de strävar mot att vara innovativa, fast tyvärr faller detta försöket lite platt. Bästa låt: Come On! Feel the illnoise

Hmm vet inte tyckte det var ganska mediokert Bästa låt: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!

Not so much a concept album and more of a contrivance album, burdened by irritating vocals and complicated arrangements.

Interesting change from the other albums. Not bad although it is not my prefered style of music. Some nice pieces but not enought to keep my attention for over 70 minutes. "The World's Columbian Exposition Part II...", "Chicago", "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" and "They Are Night Zombies!!..." are remarkable for me. 2,5

4/10

Jesus Christ. It’s writerly, high concept, really self-indulgent, and so long I started to resent it and turned it off.

I quite often enjoy stuff that is off-putting, but not for 70+ minutes.

Meh. Not worth the hours of listening. Did nothing for me

I just can't with this. 2 stars.

2 the album sounded fine but I just couldn’t wait for it to end. It’s art for arts sake made to fool hipsters

It had a few interesting parts but the rest was bland and forgettable background music. I probably would have liked it more in my Wilco days but my tastes have evolved.

I hadn't heard of this album before. By song two I thought “oh is this the music from some play?” Because that’s what our sounds like- a second-tier musical your kid’s high school is putting on, that you are struggling to sit through. Turns out it’s just an artsy pop concept album. A long one.

Cringe

It was ok, a couple of tracks were approaching good. I doubt I'd listen to it again willingly, but I wouldn't turn it off if it came on the radio. I think 2 or 3 stars is about right.

Odd stuff lately. This one is a gem… a poop nugget.

Ehhh this was pretty boring. I like the concept, maybe if it were 40 minutes instead of 80 I'd be more generous?

I can appreciate the concept but this type of music is just not for me.

Had never heard of this guy before. Interesting, but found it pretty average overall except for the album length (91 minutes!).

Never heard this album or really ever heard OF this album. Interesting concept album I suppose. Glad to be made aware of it, but I don't expect to ever listen to this again.

It's okay, just kinda boring. Chill background music though.

i did not care about this album. I did not like it. Pass

i feel like sighing to be honest

Pretty boring. Some melodious compositions but overall unremarkable.

Not for me - one or two tracks were okayish, but the rest was dull dull dull

2 stars. One for Chicago and one for trying something different.

Stand out track Chicago aside, this album is dull and derivative. Lyrics appear to have been written by a 5 tear old.

Fine. Nothing special.

Not saying this album is unlistenable, but holy hell was it hard to get through. I have a disliking for singers with a high, whiney voice and Sufjan Stevens fits the bill. The instrumental parts were good at points but largely overshadowed by his annoying voice.

Merke: Bei der sich dem nächsten Film-Noir-Fest anschließenden Diskussionsrunde wäre dieses Album eine passenden Hintergrundmusik: Experimentell - Abwechslungsreich - nervt nicht - lenkt nicht ab.

The music was pretty good, but nothing in the lyrics really got me going.

Far too precious and self-satisfied to be enjoyable.