Illinois

This one already was a favorite of mine, it's sooo good literally perfect I listened to it 3 times today. Every track is a 10/10

Stunning piece of work, and one that my relationship to has changed alot over the years, culminating as my soundtrack to my bittersweet Chicago trip in '23 - I can't imagine another album ever being so evocative to me for a specific time and place as this one.

Very good album, very refreshing.

Very enjoyable

Excellent overall: orchestration, lyrics, beautiful and sad.

After listening to it a second time later that evening, I agreed with many users who wrote that this was a 5-star album. The truth is that sometimes it can be really depressing, and it's certainly not an album to listen to on all occasions. So when I listened to it at night, when everything was quiet and it was almost time to go to bed, that's when it worked for me — calm, with great stories, sad stories, for sure, but well constructed and presented — a kind of great work of art that really matched my mood and made me love it! I'm adding this singer to my favorites, as he's on another level, far removed from the singers out there who write songs to be consumed and spat out in the moment. No, not Sufjan Stevens, this guy is more like a craftsman and knows his craft well ;-)

Great album, love the horns

A desert island album.

The orchestration is often moving and beautiful. The storytelling is engaging and the lyrical delivery is both delicate and powerful. A great concept and brilliantly executed.

A 5* in 2005, the same in 2026. Touches something deep, you may have needed to have been there 20+ years ago but this still stands up imo

One of my favorite albums of all time! I get the voice and atmosphere Sufjan creates can be offputting to some, but the lush sonic landscape, the instrumentation, and the story each song tells combine to one of the most enjoyable experiences one can have listening to music. I get chills whenever I hear the opening piano notes of the opening track. Some of Sufjan's best work is here (Chicago, John Wayne Gacy, Predatory Wasp), alongside some underrated gems like The Tallest Man and The Avalanche (outtake, I get it, but still one of his best). I think the longer intermission song titles are funny but understand if they come off as bizarre - just can't take the album too seriously. 5 stars, if you enjoyed this PLEASE give Michigan and Carrie & Lowell a chance - his two best pieces of work in my humble opinion.

Just stunningly brilliant.

I’m always excited when I’m tasked with an album I own a vinyl record of. Always a pleasure to spin some Sufjan Stevens!

Oh wow….never heard this before. How did I miss this?? This is right up my street. It’s just beautiful music. Straight into rotation. 5

Loved it, a lot of that is because I never heard of the artist before, the other part of it was that it fits my soundscape quite well.

Fun album

My easiest ever 5. The off-the-scale ambition, the novel-heavy narrative detail, the endless euphoria within each peak, the crushing revelations in each slower passage, the riveting stories, the blaring horns, the sensational folky backbone, the fascinating historical lessons, the evident camaraderie in the band, the enchanting group vocals, the wacky experimental vignettes, the gut-wrenching personal anecdotes, the fucking weird sentence-long song titles, the tiny interludes that might as well have been added to the surrounding songs' runtimes, the riveting instrumental builds, the poignant opener and the poignant closer. All of it, and so much more, make it my most cherished musical experience of all time as of the quarter point of the 2000s. Sometimes I feel a little silly having so much passion for literally just some guy. That's all he is, as is anyone else. But just the mere prospect that a person can willfully create something like Illinois is enough for me to always hold out hope that things will be okay in the world, because humans are capable of *this*.

Surprisingly good. On my list

Loved Decatur

SOOOOOO GOOD

Vilket konstverk! Nästan varje låt är en banger och jag blir imponerad över Sufjans talang. Och så är det ett intressant koncept på det?? Wowza

Im sorry sufjan stevens i wasnt familiar with your game.... kinda death cab for cutie if they were more folk and lots, LOTS of flutes. this was really nice, i like it a lot 9/10

Loved it

Like of course they made a musical out of this

Singlehandedly renewed my love of this platform. A beautiful album through and through. An absolutely enchanting journey 5/5

Wild ride, good humour, quite beautiful songs intermixed with weird songs and some interludes, it does not get boring... I am torn between 4 and 5, but it is closer to 5...

I was thrilled to see this. Love this album and have not listened to in years. Chicago is a masterpiece. I’d say the album is more of a 4.5 to 4.75 lol. But have to round up and I believe it deserves 5 stars all the way through! John Wayne Gacy, Jr hit me differently this time bc I now know who he is.

Would give 6 stars if I could. Absolutely flawless which is impressive for an album so long. Have known and loved this album since its release as my dad played the cd in his car.

Still waiting for him to finish the rest of the states... Just a beautifully crafted album with intricate songwriting and a strong concept. One of my favorites. 9/10

It's so good, this was my favourite album when I was 16 i reckon, still huge for me. It is so emotive and visceral. He is a genius and this is him at the top of his powers. Its such a hipster album obviously, but it moves me. Also i think it should be an hour longer IMHO. Too many favourite songs and they all have stupid long titles, so I will say John Wayne Gacey is the best.

100

I love the attention to cool timbres, inventive parts and riffs, and everything just feels so creative and of unique. At times very quirky and zappa-esque, Brian wilson-ish, and yes-like. "Come on feel the Illinoise pt 1" is gorgeous!

Magnificent. Grandiose. The musical equivalent of “that drama kid” - it’s just so extra. And yet it’s perfect. I am realizing there is nothing I like more in life than some “disco strings”. BB, you are a close second.

This old and I'll be interested to see if it hold up.

So many things about this album are over the top: it's full of strings and horns, there are songs with titles that take longer to scroll across your phone than for the song to play, it basically has three opening tracks, and it's crammed with instrumental interludes. But it's also such a touching, human album. It dwells on evil and wonders how much of it lives inside of all of us ("John Wayne Gacy Jr"), celebrates the joy and fear that come with independence ("Chicago"), and mourns the moments we weren't able to be ourselves ("Predatory Wasp"). And in its most heartbreaking moment it strips the flourishes away and tells a story of loss that doubles as a question about what faith is. It's this deep, nuanced exploration of life that makes the grand instrumentation shine instead of overwhelm and the amount of material feel like a gift with so many sounds to explore.

Surprised by the number of thickos who dislike this.

It's difficult to review this one objectively. As a teen coming to grips with faith, I resonated deeply with Sufjan's music. Illinois has everything: coming to age ballads, Illinois-based trivia (and not just fun facts from Chicago, either, but of the entire state), and the questioning of faith and maybe who we are at our core. The album balances whimsy with a strange sadness that sounds like Sufjan is about to break down weeping at any moment.

Such a unique album, it's a 5/5 that I listen to like once every 2 years. It's probably a touch too long but really enjoyable.

This thing was ambitious of Stevens in just how big of a project this album was given how much of the instrumentation was Stevens playing it. With that said, this thing just oozes the the mid-00s indie pop wave era it was made in. But it at least has the decency to hold up to today's standards. I'm alright that the whole 50 states project was a joke if it meant that we got this gem of an album out of it.

This album is so important to me and reminds me of when I first started college. Every song is so thoughtfully produced and arranged, and somehow the tracks dance between this deeply personal intimacy and an element of whimsy. It’s all just perfect. Best Track: Casimir Pulaski Day

Que bom, que bom!!!!!

sensational

I absolutely love this concept album and Chicago is one of my favorite songs. This was a peak Covid full on depression spiraling out album find for me personally. Did you know he plays every instrument himself? There’s so many of them. There’s Carl Sandburg references and he’s my favorite poet. Also, I cry every time I listen to Casmir Pulaski Day.

This was really good, got almost hypnotic at parts. I really liked the instrumentals and he’s got a really calming voice. I could listen to this for hours tbh

One of my favourite albums of all time, perfect blend of folk with Steve Reich esque layered instrumentation. Perfect.

Mega gut

I didn't realize how good this was 20 years ago

Just Fantastic. Introspective, historical, heart-wrenching, poignant. Everything one could ask for in a musical piece of expression. Loved it the first time I heard it and will love it every time it hits my ears and my heart.

Are You Writing From The Heart? 1001 Albums Generator 138 (10/13/2025) Illinois is one of my favorite albums of all time. I don't understand how someone could listen to this and think it's boring; nearly every song has multiple parts that are so catchy, they could be a chorus. I absolutely love how Sufjan applies the principles of minimalism into a rock/chamber pop context. To those who call this album boring, do we really need another indie album of basic verse/chorus song structures and song titles that could fit neatly on a bumper sticker? Don't get me wrong, I love some of those types of albums as well, but while there are thousands of those, Sufjan made something truly special with Illinois. And by the way, just because many of these songs are built on a single chord progression with instrumentals that ebb and flow, doesn't mean these songs are "basic". First of all, the variety of instrumentation on display here, nearly all played by Stevens himself, is very impressive. Additionally, my prog brain loves how many of these songs play with strange time signatures. I don't think this is the type of album where you can talk about individual songs, since the whole thing works better as a whole, but nearly half of these songs have made their way onto various playlists of mine throughout the years. From the bombast of Come On Feel The Illinoise and The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts to the soft sadness of John Wayne Gacy, Jr. and Casimir Pulaski Day, there is something for everyone and every mood here. Always a pleasure to sit down with this piece of art. 5. Favs: Come On! Feel The Illinoise! ... Jacksonville The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders ... Least Fav (non-interlude): The Seer's Tower

how does he do it . i was 2

Sufjan Stevens is a genius who can make you cry happily. It is a roller coaster album with a touch of love in every song. The " Chicago " track is a masterpiece and deserves more recognition.

Another reviewer said of Illinois (2005) by Sufjan Stevens “This sounds like what a Wes Anderson movie would sound like if it were an album.” But where they see that as a negative, I see it as a great thing. Like many Anderson films, on the surface, Illinois is a fun and at times silly journey. But when you dig deeper, you see something profoundly emotional. Though less explicitly religious than his preceding album Seven Swans, Illinois deftly weaves in and out of the highs and lows of his faith. As a result, his music often feels like a peek behind the curtain of his soul, and you’re left feeling like you saw something deeply personal. But don’t be turned away by the Christian themes—in the words of a Pitchfork reviewer, “Sufjan invites not our religious conversions, but our innate human compassion.” To some, this may be too long with tracks overstaying their welcome. To me, the instrumental interludes provide a moment’s respite as you prepare for what’s next. 5/5

Straight masterpiece absolutely justifies its length. The productions great love the horns. Casimir Pulaski Day is phenomenal, lyrically one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard. Big fan of all the interludes

One of my favorites of all time. 10/10 album

Sufjan is amazing and I love him

Way better than I expected. Adding this to my listen again pile

This album sounds soooooo goooood! You can use it to test your stereo system.

Love it, I get some of the critiques but the top reviews calling it indie landfill or whatever are not being serious, has way more in common with 70s prog pop than it does with Animal Collective or Arcade Fire or The National or whatever. Actually try listening to it rather than skimming the pitchfork review please :) This is probably one of the great achievements from the 21st century so far. His next album Mr be even better though!! Has to be a 5* especially after a few listens

How do you begin to review this album? I guess I'll start with the song titles. I got a good laugh out of a few of them, especially the short instrumental tracks that have no real reason to exist, but I love them for that. That honestly sums up this album. Does an hour long album about the US state of Illinois need to exist? Absolutely not. But is it one of the best pieces of art ever made? Absolutely. But seriously, those titles are something else. A whole paragraph as a title is crazy and it's balanced out by the one word "Jacksonville" and "Chicago" unless you're reading the vinyl version for some reason. The album itself is beautiful. I didn't instantly click with the singing, but after a bit I got used to it and enjoyed it. I think I actually prefer the female vocalist to Sufjan Steven's himself, but they work so well together. So many instruments are at play here too and it never feels like too much. The lyrics aren't my favorite part of this album, but even they are really good. Whether it's a story or just emotions, every word feels important. Something about this album feels nostalgic and familiar. I have definitely heard "Chicago" somewhere. I didn't know what to expect with this album. I honestly thought it looked like a jazz album, which isn't too far off at times. I was absolutely blown away by this album. Thank you generator for showing me this gem.

I love all the song titles in this album

This is one of those albums that makes me so sad I didn't listen to it sooner. I think listening to this album earlier would've really shaped the route of my music exploration. It's a feat, a true gem, and will absolutely be an album that stays with me for a long time. It's more than an album. It's a full musical without the need for a stage. It speaks for itself and by itself. I cannot think of any piece of music I've listened to that is similar, even Sufjan's indie folk contemporaries lacked the vision that this album has. As an instrumental alone, I would give this 5 stars. The fact that such contemplative, heart-wrenching lyrics accompany the vast soundscape is astounding. Simultaneously being a profound poet and an immensely skilled musician is so rare. I was truly amazed by this. I feel like I'm overhyping it, but this was truly one of the most beautiful, moving pieces of art I've ever consumed. Immersive, interesting, and sharp. This album could not be any better.

Likely hugely biased as listened to this a lot when it was first released. Probably not his best album (Michigan or Carrie and Lowell are probably better standalone pieces of work, Seven Swans my personal favourite), but perhaps the best introduction. Could see why some people might find the shift from more symphonic pieces to more delicate arrangements jarring but I like the meandering styles that it dips into. There’s a lot of lovely sprinkles in the mix to make the music pop (the woodwind on ‘the predatory wasp..’, piano on ‘John Wayne Gacy, Jr’, horn section on ‘Jacksonville’, the shift from 5/4 to 4/4 in ‘come on! Feel the Illinois’). If there was a criticism, it would benefit from having some of those ideas refined a bit more but I enjoy the maximalist approach of just throwing everything into the pot by virtue of the concept and variety of stories attempted to be told.

This album is brilliant. That’s all that really needs to be said about it. Sufjan Stevens is a musical genius, and I think this album will end up being one of the best albums of the century. Now that the hyperbole is out of the way, I’d heard about this album in 2005 when it came out because all I heard was this album was incredible, it was the best of the decade thus far, and blah, blah, blah. I was knee deep in System of a Down, the White Stripes, and other metal-ish music, probably even nu-metal, ugh. I’m not sure I would have appreciated this album as much if I had heard it in 2005. Sufjan Stevens is a singer/songwriter who claimed he was going to write an album about each state. He started with Michigan, which is where he was born, and then Illinois was the second album. Turns out he was joking about his 50 albums for 50 states, but thank God he at least got to Illinois. This album is hard to explain. The style is indie rock? I guess? It’s not the Strokes or Wilco or whatever indie rock is supposed to be, I don’t think. There are orchestras, lwith oboes and strings and bells and it’s like the soundtrack to a musical that wasn’t created yet. Though they did make a musical out of this album in later years. Here’s a peek inside my brain, I love musicals. Don’t know why. Maybe it's because I love music, I've got to have it in my life. So if the songs are good, I’ll buy into people singing to each other all day long. The songs are a mixture of history about Illinois and Stevens' life growing up in and around Illinois. There’s a song about losing a friend to cancer, that almost had me bawling at my desk here. There’s another song about the dead rising from their graves to attack the living. There’s a very beautiful but creepy song about John Wayne Gacy and how each of us has that evil side that we try to hide from everybody else. This album is a must-listen in my mind. Check it out one time and if you don’t like it, I’ll give you your money back. As long as the listen costs you nothing. I’m excited to add this to my regular rotation of albums to revisit every so often, to explore it even deeper than the two listens I had yesterday.

The first 'new to me' artist/albums that's gotten a 5 star rating. Incredibly well done album

I don’t know where to start when talking about this album. For me, and many others, it is a true time-capsule that when revisited awakens the full spectrum of emotion. No exaggeration there. Just is. These songs unlocked something wondrous and led to my personal discovery of other artists and songwriting techniques I hadn’t considered before. Masterpiece.

yeah it's long and twee and peak millenial self-seriousness...but that was what was up! all 74 minutes still hit so hard for me, bringing me back to so many different moments in my young adult life. i'm glad he didn't actually devote his career to 50 different state albums, but would have loved to hear his take on Torrington, Connecticut.

Endlessly interesting. So much to enjoy on this, I've listened three times today and still want to hear more. Only knew 'Casimar Pulaski Day'. Songs are sad, happy and beautiful. Hell of talented man this Sufjan.

One of my favorite albums of all time.

Sufjan is almost uniquely able to combine extreme beauty with the kind of light-heartedness and lack of pomposity that brings you song titles such as 'To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and It Involves Tube Socks, a Paper Airplane, and Twenty-Two Able-Bodied Men'. In some ways, all SS songs follow familiar lines, highly-skilled guitar work and his unique, instantly identifiable voice. But there's also so much variety and mystery in each song. It's very good, is what I'm driving at here. I wonder if the Project will see fit to give us Carrie and Lowell, because that's probably a 5.0 for me, and I've scored Illinois accordingly.

all time classic, really makes you wish you were from illinois.

I already listened to this one.

this album is perfect progressive chamber beauty and it's so charming

Jeg er op og ned på de her 00'er-10'er indieboys men den her var virkelig fantastisk

Det er så vildt at den her plade eksisterer

Masterpiece. Every song is unique and perfect.

Incredible album.

This was great. What a trip!

One of the absolute best!

If you like LCD soundsystem, stereo lab, Geordie Greep, etc. you will like sufjan stevens. I worked out and did chores listening to this.

Not delved Into Sufjan’s work before but this was a surprise. One that kept me intently listening, I really enjoyed the journey it weaves through with its occasional interludes. Hard to pigeon hole into a genre but the arrangements were lush and an interesting concept for an album.

I KNOW DATS RIGHT!!!!!!!!

Very Indie. Very enjoyable. Not every song hits, but when they do they do. This is right up my alley. Soft tones, lyrics with some interest. What's not to love?

This one surprised me; It's one of those albums that never seemed to fit what I was into at the time. I finally listened to this on my way through Illinois as I traveled back to Tennessee and was drawn in immediately. It feels like a musical or a soundtrack , in all that it cover,but the vocals and arrangements are spot on throughout. It made me want to move back even more than I did at that point.

Takes me back to youth group

I adore this album, its perfect in every way.

This was a great listen, added 3 songs from it, and listened to the album multiple times.

Peaceful

Delicate songwriting. The songs can begin to feel very similar and this can seem more like an album of vibes. But I found each song unique and the whole album held my attention.

fantastic

Incredible production. Peaceful and relaxing but also majestic and theatrical. I like the flutters of percussion in the background. Feel a bit like a woodland creature lol, there’s a whimsical element that takes me back to childhood.

Ponad godzinny album i nawet sekundy nudy. Giga fan trąbeczek i instrumentów smyczkowych

One of the very best state-based albums and also one of the best indie albums. #1 state-based indie album.

Can’t believe they actually made Chicago into a real city

Fantastisch album. Mooie instrumentatie, bijzondere liedjes. Gevoelig en complex

5- Stars (13/15)

I love the lyrics in every song. The vocals and sound of the music feel modern and nostalgic. I really love this album. I've even heard some of these songs before without knowing who sang them.

Listen to this now. I mean now.

Groovy

Is it too long? Yeah. Are most of the little interlude tracks unnecessary? Mmhmm. Do some of the songs linger on for too long? Yep. Is this still a 5-star album? Oh hell yes!

Love love love. So unique/off the beaten path.

I've listened to this album so many times in the last 20 years and still to this day when I have a moment to listen to it I enjoy ever second of it. Sufjan Stevens was a huge influence on the band I was in during my college days.

What can you say? I think amongst even his peers in the indie space Sufjan remains a fairly singular musical voice. His methodology around composition of single pieces is maybe only matched by his attention to the album as a whole, and how the album flows. This is easily showcased by his choice of starting song (Concerning the UFO...), the small musical interludes that space out songs and move the album from one sound to another, and ending the album with a pulsing and discordant instrumental. As a lyricist, he is equally talented. Singing songs ranging from personal loss, Lincoln, John Wayne Gacy, and Superman, Stevens is masterful at weaving narrative into his melodies. I wish I could say I had always loved Sufjan Stevens, but it is not true. I think only though having someone show me the depth of his music did I come to appreciate on of the best Indie artists of all time. I think this prowess is shown well by the fact that out of many of the bands that hit it big in the Indie explosion of the mid oughts, you don't hear their music commercially that often. Yet it seems as if "Chicago" creeps out of nowhere to appear in some modern media at least once a year.

There's something about this album that makes it PERFECT listening for working overnight at Toys R Us in 2007 and stocking shelves or unloading freight in the truck bays in the quiet of the night, as you sob silently

Another one I'd heard before... and am happy to listen through again! My current favorites are Chicago, John Wayne Gacy Jr., Predatory Wasp of the Palisades, and Casimir Pulaski day, but we'll see if anything else stands out to me on another run through it Update: I really like The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders! Love the switching time signatures punctuated by the clapping. Whole album really hits as an Experience when heard start-to-stop: I don’t do that enough with this music (or music in general really - though my 2025 goal has been to work on that, hence partially this 1001 undertaking!) - usually I just listen to the four songs I cited above within various appropriate playlists

Великий альбом самого нежного американского сонгврайтера. Странным образом, я узнал о нем благодаря фильму "Маленькая Мисс Счастье", который я очень и очень люблю. В том числе и потому, что нашел его музыку, которую люблю с тех самых пор. Лучшая песня - Chicago.

Incredibly fun. The song titles are goofy and disarming, the lyrics pay homage to the state of Illinois while also sneaking in some wonderful introspection, and the music is just so pretty. I can't settle on a favorite song yet.

I love this album. I love his expansive vision of what music can be. His lyrics are poetic and playful. It was a major discovery for me in high school and I think truly an album that shaped who I have become.

A masterpiece album, though I can't listen to it anew since it's so baked into my early 2000s life.

A weird relationship with this I love it y hate it i feel asleep and i woke up in joy 10/10

Sufjan’s best, although a few of the more recent albums have been close to rivaling this indie masterpiece.

Det här blir lätt. En femma. Har lyssnat väldigt mycket på detta album och Sufjan i övrigt. Det var ett tag sen sist. Men jag njuter lika mycket som förr. Det är en ljudbild som tilltalar mig. Melodiskt, intressant, piggt och varierande, aningen bombastiskt. Jag kan dock förstå om det inte riktigt klickar för någon (typ).

Not what I was expecting at all. The album is experimental and flows nicely. It's just a little too long

Brilliant, love it

This album is great. Really dig the crazy ass song titles. It's obvious this guy is extremely talented musically. I like this type of indie rock and I'll look a little deeper into his catalog. Now I understand why Spotify keeps recommending his albums.

An odd and beautiful album that is equal parts haunting and quirky. This is a great album to encapsulate that sensitive alternative rock that emerged in the mid 2000s. I’m glad I didn’t hear this album when it came out because I would have been insufferable with the amount I would have become obsessed with it. This album is definitely one to listen to multiple times, and an easy recommend to others.

As a guy who grew up in a small town in Illinois, never feeling connected to the boring, midwestern world around me, Illinois helped open my eyes that the Midwest could be cool, and was full of history! I'm not gonna say that we have it all figured out, and that it's the greatest place on earth, but I've grown to love the Midwest and Illinois along with it, and Sufjan's album here definitely contributed to that feeling. It's a beautiful, lush album full of wonderful harmonies and strings. Choirs and woodwinds. It manages to fly by in a brisk hour and fourteen minutes. Truly one of the greats. *Heard before

One of the best albums of the 2000s. Cohesive, catchy and emotional.

Really really loved this one. He has such a good voice and the instruments all sound just perfect and the lyrics are really good as well. Have to give it 5 stars

this was so Important to 16 yo tylore it’s unreal. I know it’s long, and there’s too many transitions, but every song has a moment where I go “this is the best thing ever written” and that’s enough for me! (chicago -> casimir palaski day is the best song of all time)

Favorite Track: Chicago

Chicago, John Wayne Gacy Jr and Cassie Pulaski Day have always been standouts for me. I will always love this album and I wish he would have made a few more state-themed albums.

Very good songwriter with great melodies

This was excellent!! Loved the music!

I have this album

a lengthy folksy concept album that's dedicated to the state it's named after, lots of callbacks, references and cultural lyrics from beginning to end. it's a very humble album, definitely the sort of music fitting for a small town instead of a big urban city. there's an even blend of gospel, country, and mid-century singer-songwriter energy this gives. when the album first started i wasn't feeling it too much, but the more i listened to it the more i ended up liking it. apparently a musical was made after this album released.

Love this album. Brilliant

Engaging storytelling, music and titles. Puts you under a spell. 10/10

Super nice surprise …

noch nie habe ich so gefühlt

Another album I have been looking for a reason to check out for years. The song Chicago popped up on my discover weekly not to long ago and I felt bad for enjoying it so much without the context of the album. This is an absolute masterpiece in songwriting and production. The wide variety of instrumentation used across this sprawling epic makes the run time feel less intimidating, and though most of the album is interconnected it gives you plenty of room to breathe. It is lush and dense and Sufjan knows how to paint a picture and fill it to the brim with emotion. The melodies are great, the vocal harmonies are plentiful, the instruments are gorgeous. I don't know what else to say about this other than I throughly enjoyed it and this will become a regular in my rotation. Oh and the song titles are long and emo af haha, hits a soft spot for me. Favourites - Concerning, Come On!, John Wayne, Jacksonville, Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day, Man of Metropolis, Predatory Wasp, Night Zombies, Out of Egypt

This is the kind of album where I give it five stars, then some people be like OF COURSE you gave that five stars, and then I'm like yeah no shit I just gave it five stars. I prefer Seven Swans and Carrie and Lowell and I tend to be sparing on how much emo guy folky music I allow into my life, but as far as that stuff goes, this is primo.

Illinois as an album A+, Illinois as a state: F-

the first boy i ever kissed played me come on! feel the illinoise! the first time i found myself in the passenger seat of his beat up old car. i was totally enamoured (with both him and the music). horns! pianos! the softest voice you’ve ever heard! the full album feels both cohesive (in its instrumentation) and diverse (in its subject matter). instrumentals paint sweeping landscapes, and the tracks with vocals delve into feelings of joy and fear and wanting and sometimes murder. it’s a beautiful journey to go on. it’s a total coincidence that this album was generated a few days after illinois turned twenty, but i have to bring it up, because i've been spinning it pretty often in the past week to celebrate. i’m predisposed to give this album five stars. the amazement and awe of first loves and first sufjan albums creeps up and makes my chest ache every time i listen. only 48 states to go!

Lovely album. (Have heard prior) 8.8/10

I've never been but I'd like to go. 5 stars.

For reasons I can completely understand, this album has always been somewhat divisive in my friend circles. I've heard it described as "too indie" or "cringe" by close friends whose music opinions I highly value. But I have to stand by it; this was the single most formative album of my adult life. I listened to it for the first time nearly a decade after its release, so I wasn't exactly on the hype train for it in '05. It was my first exposure to Sufjan, and my first listening experience coincided with the release of Carrie & Lowell, the saddest of sadboy albums. Hearing these albums back-to-back solidified my love of experimenting with music. Sufjan was the first artist I really resonated with who didn't follow what I understood to be standard rules of songwriting, and from then on, there was no going back. Few artists or albums have opened doors for me in the way this one did, and I'm forever grateful. But how does it hold up 20 years on? Well, it's still virtually perfect, if even for just the fact that there's never been anything really like it since. It somehow manages to capture the feeling of being human; what it's like to experience great joy and great loss. If you're willing to go with it, Illinois takes you on an incredible journey with homemade production, kid's toys used as instruments, bizarre lyrics and themes, and heartbreaking, yet life-affirming revelations.

I think the best way to approach this album is to look at these as musical, compositions and arrangements and not really songs. A lot of of the storytelling here is done with the instrumentation which carries you like an old wooden roller coaster. High Lowe’s and lots of trumpets. Took me a while to become a Sufjan Stevens fan, but this album definitely was one of my faves his later albums get a bit weirder and the songs get longer and longer. Always give artist credit when they go past three minute, mark. My favorite part is this album is the quick nod to The Cure so Van does this a lot in his music he’ll play a chord structure similar to another song and then for a brief time actually play that song to show that he knows he’s ripping it off, but it doesn’t matter cause it’s music and it should be built on. This album is not for everyone, but definitely something. I’ll put on later in the air when I’m in the mood.

Holy shit. Casimir Pulaski Day made my cry within 20 seconds.

This is why I signed up! New artist to me and it’s amazing music. Quickly songs and song titles super talented musician. 8.7

I FEEL THE ILLINOISE

Pleasantly surprised. I see myself keeping this in my library

GOAT

already listened 10/10

With a bullet

***Sufjan Stevens** invites you to Come on feel the Illinoise* [2005] I am so tempted to give this five stars but I'm going to keep it at a rather heavy four and a half just to let it sink in... but I fucking love this album. And it is this specific sound which is why his *Songs for Christmas* box set is one of my absolute favorite annual plays. I love his arrangements and I love the way his production of his albums around this time. It sounds Lo-Fi without sounding like dirty garage. Very clean recordings but so little effects on them that the performances speak for themselves. All the way right down to the very last note of the album which is sound of the pedal lifting from the piano. It's in your face and it's real. (9.85) ★★★★½

Loved it. Very soft and gentle with some oddly dark themes

remarkable album.

Damn this album is really good though

I really like Sufjan Stevens. His music stands on it's own as something unique. I just wish I had found it earlier in life. I hadn't ever listened to Illinoise in one go before, and I have to say I wish I had! I'm going to have to give this one another full listen again in the near future.

Great fucking god man, I've never understood Sufjan's stuff before now but after giving a full record a shot I really get it. This will likely end up being one of my favorites I listened to for the first time this year. Beautiful compositions front to back, with some lyrics ripe for picking apart.

A post-2000 indie epic that is up there with other greats like "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea", "The Hazards of Love", "Is This It", "Funeral", etc. "Chicago" is one of my favorite indie songs ever, and maybe one of my favorite songs ever regardless of genre. It's a gorgeous magnum opus inside of Sufjan's magnum opus album. It feels genuinely like love to me; it is warm and comfortable and exhilarating all at the same time. I adore this album and Sufjan himself. It is epic, complex, triumphant, delicate, and emotional. The flow is incredible and with so much intent, the lyrics are both tangible and fantastical, the performances are energetic, and amazingly the arrangements are the highlight. That's hard to find. I love how "major" this album sounds. So much good indie music is minor keys and minor pentatonic melodies, and this one really rejects that trend. Even when lyrical content would typically match a major/minor tonality by Western world standards, he breaks away from that. I'm obsessed with the vocal melody in "Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream" at around 4:10, "I cried myself to sleep last night And the ghost of Carl, he approached my window I was hypnotized, I was asked to improvise On the attitude, the regret of a thousand centuries of death" It's so beautiful. And I love the following vocal parts too. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." is stunning. I let out an audible "ooomph" when I first heard the piano part today after not hearing this song for a few years. Stunning! I grew up listening to a lot of metal, and specifically death metal, where brutal topics are prevalent. With that being said, I don't think anything captures the unimaginable shock and horror of this kind of topic like this song; when Sufjan sings around 1:20 "Twenty-seven people Even more, they were boys With their cars, summer jobs Oh my God Are you one of them?" That "Oh my God" is so desperate, scary, and horrific. It's amazing. And to think, that's just the surface level of the song. My interpretation (the common one I think) is that this is about Sufjan being in the closet and not able to see himself as better than anyone, and comparing himself as a "bad" person in the faith that he was raised to someone like John Wayne Gacy. "And in my best behavior I am really just like him Look beneath the floorboards For the secrets I have hid" When I think about the importance of Pride month, I think about stories like this one, and how profoundly sad that comparison is at the end. Sufjan is probably the person I think of first when I think of the word enigmatic; "difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.", although I say this with love and adoration. Why? He didn't want this to be a huge double record because that would be "arrogant", and yet he titles these songs with the longest most verbose language you can find in an English song title. He also wrote, recorded, engineered, and produced all of this material himself. All of those are usually separate jobs, and he decides to do it all himself. He's perplexing! For my anecdote: while it came out in 2005, I didn't really discover it along with my friends until college; some 3-5 years later. It was a revelation in my friend group though. I don't feel like we often listened to it together, as it's not really a big party or get together album. It's too shifty and adventurous to put on and expect people to have conversations over. When I refreshed my browser and saw this album come up, I was just about to step away and make myself a cup of coffee to start my day. And I did, and I got to thinking while I had time to think about the record without listening- "It's a 4/5, right? I love this album, but I really love the track "Chicago", and I always wanted more of that on the record. I wanted that song done 50 times in 50 different arrangements." But as I sat here re-listening, after not hearing the album full through in quite a few years, I realize that "Chicago" is so extra good because of it's place inside of the album. It's not a singular great track on an otherwise OK album; it's an amazing song on an amazing album. It's a 5/5 for me, a modern classic, and lands in the #20-25 range of my favorite albums of all time.

The track titles suck but we can forgive a masterpiece for that

A wonderfully delightful album that is very pleasing to listen to.

God tier

I had only ever heard one song from this album before. Just blown away by how good this is! And I LOVE the song titles. :-)

arrangements are unbelievable

Incredible my absolute fav.

If this album has one downside, it's that it can't be enjoyed through singles. A meticulously crafted masterpiece through and through. There's genuinely nothing else like it.

Loved this one. Loved the orchestral aspect, the mood, emotion. A repeat

Суф’ян Стівенс у своєму альбомі Illinois перетворює пейзажі Середнього Заходу Америки на строкату мозаїку людських історій, де величне сусідить із буденним, а трагедія переплітається з піднесеним. Продовжуючи ідею альбому Michigan (2003), Стівенс занурюється в камерний фолк, але з таким розмахом, що Illinois виходить далеко за межі простої музичної розповіді. Це альбом про дух Америки - її мрії, розчарування й тихі драми, що ховаються за фасадами провінційних містечок. Музично Illinois - це пишна барокова подорож, де дзвінкий вокал Стівенса, підкріплений хором Illinoisemaker, струнним квартетом, духовими й десятками інших інструментів, на яких він грає сам Стівенс, створюють багатошарову звукову палітру. Відкриваюча The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning - це оркестрова увертюра, що наче запрошує до Іллінойсу, виділяється помпезною, але злегка тривожною інтонацією. Довжелезні назви пісень, сповнені іронії й поетичності, задають тон альбому, який балансує між театральністю й щирістю. У центрі Illinois - історії звичайних людей, розказані з такою теплотою й увагою до деталей, що саме це робить альбом “фолковим” у найглибшому сенсі. Хоча музично він далекий від кострубатої простоти традиційного фолку, Стівенс зберігає його дух: єдність у розповідях про людські долі. Casimir Pulaski Day розриває серце ніжною розповіддю про втрату під акомпанемент банджо, а Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! змушує усміхатися й пританцьовувати. Навіть моторошна John Wayne Gacy, Jr., що присвячена серійному вбивці, вражає своєю літературною глибиною, розкриваючи не лише жах, а й людські слабкості. Illinois - це не просто альбом, а літературний і музичний епос, що вимагає терпіння. 21 трек - від коротких інструментальних замальовок до масштабних композицій на кшталт Chicago - гімну американській мрії про втечу від себе, яка пульсує енергією хору, що співає "All things go!”, обіцяючи звільнення.

I’m gonna call this one a masterpiece. Yeah, I said it.

Heel fijn voor in de achtergrond + ik herkende opeens de soundtrack van m’n favoriete film!! Geweldig :)

## In-Depth Review: *Illinois* by Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 album *Illinois* (often stylized as *Illinoise*) is widely regarded as a landmark in 21st-century indie music. As the second entry in his ambitious (and ultimately abandoned) “Fifty States Project,” *Illinois* is a sprawling, intricate, and emotionally rich work that blends history, personal reflection, and musical innovation. This review will examine the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, concluding with a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## **Lyrics** Stevens’ lyricism on *Illinois* is both literary and deeply personal. The album is nominally a concept record about the state of Illinois, but Stevens uses the state’s history, geography, and culture as a canvas for broader meditations on faith, mortality, love, and identity. His approach is both encyclopedic and intimate, weaving together historical events, obscure local references, and autobiographical confession. - **Historical and Personal Interplay:** Songs like “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” juxtapose the story of the infamous serial killer with Stevens’ own confessions, ending with the chilling line, “I am really just like him, look beneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid.” This move from historical narrative to personal revelation is emblematic of Stevens’ lyrical style, blurring the line between reportage and self-examination[4][7]. - **Detail and Research:** Stevens reportedly spent months researching Illinois’ history, and it shows in the specificity of his references—from the 1893 World’s Fair to the Pullman labor strikes, to obscure towns and local legends[5][6]. - **Emotional Honesty:** Tracks like “Casimir Pulaski Day” deal with themes of loss and faith, narrating the death of a friend to bone cancer with heartbreaking directness and spiritual questioning. Stevens’ lyrics are often unflinching in their vulnerability, as seen in repeated refrains like “I made a lot of mistakes”[1][4]. **Pros:** - Rich, poetic, and densely layered lyrics. - Balances historical storytelling with raw personal confession. - Evocative imagery and emotional depth. **Cons:** - Some listeners may find the density and specificity of references alienating or difficult to parse without context[2][5]. - The narrative can sometimes feel fragmented due to the sheer scope of topics covered. --- ## **Music** Musically, *Illinois* is a tour de force of orchestral indie folk, blending a dizzying array of instruments and styles. Stevens draws on folk, pop, classical minimalism, and even gospel, creating a sound that is both lush and meticulously arranged. - **Instrumentation:** The album features a vast palette: banjo, piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, and choir vocals. Stevens’ arrangements are intricate but never cluttered, with each instrument serving the emotional and narrative needs of the song[6][4]. - **Song Structures:** Many tracks are multi-part suites, such as “Come On! Feel the Illinoise!” which shifts from a gentle, acoustic opening to a more electric, dynamic second half. Interludes and instrumental passages provide breathing room and maintain the album’s flow[3]. - **Melodic Strength:** Stevens’ melodies are memorable and often uplifting, even when the subject matter is dark. “Chicago” stands out as an anthemic centerpiece, its driving rhythm and swelling chorus capturing both the grandeur and melancholy of the city[7][5]. - **Vocal Delivery:** Stevens’ voice is gentle, almost whispery, which suits the album’s introspective tone. Some critics, however, find his vocals lacking in passion or energy, describing them as “sleepy” or subdued[2]. **Pros:** - Ambitious, multi-layered arrangements that reward repeated listens. - Seamless integration of diverse musical styles. - Effective use of choir and orchestration to amplify emotional impact. **Cons:** - The understated vocals may not appeal to listeners who prefer more dynamic or forceful singing[2]. - Some tracks and interludes may feel like filler, especially on such a long album[2][5]. --- ## **Production** Stevens produced *Illinois* himself, and the album’s production is a testament to his meticulous attention to detail. - **Clarity and Warmth:** The album’s sound is clear yet warm, with each instrument occupying its own space in the mix. The production enhances the lushness of the arrangements without overwhelming the listener[4][6]. - **Cohesion:** Despite the variety of styles and the album’s length (over 74 minutes), the production maintains a cohesive sonic identity. Songs flow smoothly into one another, aided by interludes and recurring musical motifs[3]. - **DIY Ethos:** Much of the album was recorded in home studios, lending an intimacy and authenticity to the sound. The production is polished but never sterile, retaining a sense of humanity and imperfection. **Pros:** - High production values with a personal, handcrafted feel. - Excellent balance between complexity and clarity. - Cohesive album flow. **Cons:** - The sheer density of the arrangements can be overwhelming on first listen. - Some may find the album’s length and uniform tone fatiguing over time. --- ## **Themes** *Illinois* is thematically rich, exploring a wide range of subjects through the lens of one state. - **History and Place:** The album is a selective history of Illinois, touching on events like the World’s Fair, the Pullman strike, and the life of Abraham Lincoln, but always using these as a springboard for broader questions about American identity[6][7]. - **Faith and Doubt:** Stevens, who often grapples with his Christian faith in his work, uses songs like “Casimir Pulaski Day” and “The Seer’s Tower” to interrogate the limits of belief in the face of suffering and evil[3][4]. - **Mortality and Redemption:** Death, regret, and the possibility of redemption recur throughout the album. The final tracks suggest a kind of hard-won optimism, a belief in community and the possibility of grace despite darkness[1][3]. - **Empathy and Human Complexity:** Perhaps most striking is Stevens’ empathetic approach, even to subjects as troubling as John Wayne Gacy. He refuses easy moralizing, instead recognizing the shared brokenness of humanity[7][4]. --- ## **Influence** *Illinois* has had a profound impact on indie music and beyond since its release. - **Critical Acclaim:** The album was universally praised upon release, appearing on numerous year-end and decade-end lists. It is frequently cited as one of the best albums of the 2000s[5][4]. - **Influence on Indie Folk:** Stevens’ blend of orchestral arrangements and confessional songwriting has influenced a generation of artists, from The Decemberists to Fleet Foxes to Phoebe Bridgers. - **Expansion of the Concept Album:** *Illinois* demonstrated that concept albums could be both ambitious and emotionally resonant, paving the way for similar projects in the indie world. - **Cultural Resonance:** The album’s songs, especially “Chicago,” have become anthems, featured in films, TV shows, and covered by numerous artists. --- ## **Pros and Cons** | Pros | Cons | |----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | Lyrically rich and emotionally nuanced | Some vocals lack passion or energy | | Ambitious, intricate arrangements | Album length and density can be overwhelming | | Cohesive production and album flow | Some tracks/interludes may feel like filler | | Balances historical and personal themes | Dense references may alienate some listeners | | Empathetic, non-moralizing approach to difficult topics | Narrative can feel fragmented due to scope | | Significant influence on indie music | Uniform tone may fatigue some over long runtime | | Memorable melodies and standout tracks | Not all songs are equally memorable | --- ## **Conclusion** *Illinois* is a masterwork of modern songwriting, combining encyclopedic ambition with emotional intimacy. Stevens’ ability to weave together the historical and the personal, the grand and the mundane, results in an album that is both intellectually stimulating and deeply moving. Its lush orchestration, poetic lyrics, and thematic depth have ensured its place as a touchstone of 21st-century music. While the album’s length, density, and understated vocals may not appeal to everyone, these are minor flaws in the context of its achievements. *Illinois* stands as a testament to the power of music to capture the complexity of place, history, and the human soul.

Some people like 'precious' music, some people don't - and I get why they don't. But I LOVE it.

my friend, more than any other album has been rly. sufjan's specific combination of folk and minimalism (the type of classical music, not the broad aesthetic goal) on this record has always just hit like the sound of eternity to me, everything ive ever known, or have wanted to know. every emotional portrait feels like something i have gone through or have wanted to go through. i am deeply scared of changing my surrounding circumstances, living situation etc, even for the better, and theres something ab how this record both feels so familiar and comforting AND feels like packing your bags and trying to start over Yet Again that just absolutely kills me. this has soundtracked multiple full resets of my conception of myself, and has made even more sense each time. yet before i could articulate any of this, it was still always There for me...i remember back when i was 16 or 17, hearing it for the first time, i had practically decided on the spot that it was my new favorite album ever. maybe i wasnt even wrong.

Illinois is a masterpiece and I am an absolute idiot for only having listened to it once prior to this day.

Had Sufjan Stevens somehow gone through with his 50 States project, it would have been one of the greatest musical achievements of all time. Instead we are left with Illinois(e) - and I can’t complain. Absolute masterpiece.

Yeah, I mean. Millennial classic. So sad, so wild, so parade-y, so fey. Horns and orchestra. Andrew Bird always wanted but could never. Just a fun time all the way through.

An amazing album! One that I loved when I first heard it in the 00s and still love now!

A treasure to the whole world, not just Illinois!

Man, what an incredible album. The lyrics are strong (although imo too cute at times (looking at you, Decatur)) and you can tell all the references are well-researched. The star of the show is the composition, I was blown away the entire album. Favorites are Come On! Feel the Illinois! and The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!

Goat

Astounding. This is an utterly unique achievement, combining winning song-craft and especially beautiful piano with an intriguing concept (the history of Illinois?!).

WTF, where has this guy been all my life? I feel like this album dropped from space straight onto my eardrums. Instant add to my playlist.

Jag vet inte varför men det är bara bra. Chicago är en av världens bästa låtar och resten av albumet är en enda stor härlig vibe! ❤️

I've heard of Sufjan Stevens, but I haven't heard his music until now. He's a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has worked in various genres, including electronica, indie-folk, and baroque pop. He's released multiple albums since his last semester at college, including starting the rather ambitious notion of writing an album for each of the fifty U.S. states. Though thus far, he's only made an album each for two states - Michigan and, in the case here, Illinois. Lyrically, Illinoise draws from the imagery and iconography surrounding the state. From the UFO sighting in the town of Highland on the opening track, to the World's Fair expedition in "Come on! Feel the Illinoise!", to the state holiday of Casimir Pulaski Day in recognition of the Revolutionary War cavalry officer, to even Superman as the fictional town of Metropolis is based on Chicago. Even if I haven't been to Illinois yet, Sufjan gives a well-detailed look into the landscape and historical moments that resonated with him about the state, while also interweaving personal stories into the narrative, such as a memory of summer camp on "The Predatory Wasp of Palisades is Out to Get Us!" and especially on "Chicago" drawing on his time spent in the capital. I also can't help but notice the Christian undertones on tracks like "Casimir Pulaski Day" and "The Seer's Tower" that gesture towards a higher deity without being entrenched in biblical references. In conjunction with the intricate detail of the lyrics, the instrumentation and backing choir add are well-ornamented without sounding overbearing for the listener. The horn pickup and chorus reprieve of "Chicago" to the sung-duet segueing into the choir with hand-claps on "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for your Stepmother!" to the juxtaposition of distorted and acoustic guitars with the choir and trumpet accompaniment on "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts". There are a great deal of refined and layered arrangements centered about Sufjan's banjo playing and soft crooning, in a manner that reminded me of Nick Drake without the backing band being as busy as it was on Bryter Later. If I had to nitpick, Illinoise is a rather long album, clocking in at 74 minutes with multiple less-than-a-minute interludes. Yet paradoxically, it also doesn't feel as long, as the variety of ideas and arrangements kept it engaging through the runtime, with new sonic details rewarded on subsequent listens. Not to mention, the interludes are meaningfully connected between pieces while having referential titles that further added to the iconography of the state. I was not expecting to be genuinely impressed with such an elongated album about a state I haven't visited yet, but Sufjan Stevens did just that with Illinoise. I know he stopped focusing on the 50-state albums project from the looks of it, but it did result in this wonderful experience.

YES! This one is special and will be a 5. It's one of a kind, really. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. is a favorite, as is Jacksonville. Too many favorites, Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day. Interesting music and cool harmonies throughout the album. I love it!

Makes me wish I had grown up in Illinois to appreciate this even more! Great album to relax to.

A collage of vibrant vignettes that swept me away. I honestly was prepared to be this album's biggest hater but it completely turned me on my head. Excellent.

First album to pop up in this listen that I already know and love, and listening to it all the way through only reinforced that love. One of the most intricately crafted, dense, gorgeous albums I have ever heard. Even if it’s not your style (it’s certainly very theatrical at times) you can’t deny the pure talent and effort that went into it. Not to mention all the research put into the Illinois lore. Truly a one of a kind album

The patron saint of midwest Christian hipsters of a certain age, and for good reason. It's all too much at times but respect at all times.

Some of these song titles are the wildest I've ever seen. On first listen, I really liked Feel The Illinois, Jacksonville, Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day, Predatory Wasp, and Tallest Man. This version of Chicago sounds different from the one I've listened to in the past but I'm into the added strings and chorus towards the end. Still probably my favorite song on the album. I read in the global reviews that this felt like listening to a Wes Anderson movie and I've never read a truer statement. This was an album that took a few listens to fully digest but I enjoyed the music quite a bit. There are deep-rooted themes, intricate song structures, and a variety of different styles of music here. Even with juggling all of that, the result is a beautifully produced album. I feel like this deserves a 5. I plan on coming back to this one for sure despite it being pretty lengthy.

It was only a matter of time before we met again. What a fantastic album with some of the longest song titles known to man. I don't have the energy or focus to break this down track by track. All I can really say is that there are no misses here. I feel like the quirkiness could be offputting to the uninitiated, but I challenge anyone to give this 3 listens across a week and not grow in love with it. The tracks are individually beautiful and even better than the sum of their parts when composed into this album. Hard to call them standouts, but some of my favorites include: Come On! Feel the Illinoise! -- a great standalone mini opera of sorts. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. -- a sobering ode to one of the most disturbing serial killers in memory. Decatur... -- a wonderful balance of plucked banjo, accordion, and smooth guitar lines. Honestly I'm not sure why I'm trying here.. there are none that I don't love. This is an unquestionable 5/5

EXCELLENT

Kenne ich. Ich weiß nicht wie oft ich dieses Album bereits gehört habe. Aber es gehört zu meinen liebsten. Casimir Pulaski Day ist zudem eines meiner absoluten Lieblingslieder. Egal wie oft ich es höre, werde ich emotional. Es ist so traurig, so menschlich.

The GOAT babeeeee

Absolutely loved this music. Different sound. Really interesting melodies/harmonies. Some songs interesting rythems (spelling?). Interesting lyrics.

IN THE TOWER ABOVE THE EARTH

Sufjan made one of the greatest albums of all time with just a small budget, and that alone makes Illinois feel like a miracle. His ascending vocals feel like they’re lifting you up into the skies, carrying every emotion with grace. The writing is vivid and detailed, painting everything he wants with so much care that every song feels like its own little world. The production is absolutely BEAUUUTIFUL arger than life, yet still intimate, wrapping you up like a blanket while also feeling grand and majestic. It’s the kind of album that somehow balances comfort and ambition at the same time. There isn’t a single bad moment here. Every track flows perfectly into the next, and I can listen to it over and over without ever getting tired of it. It’s truly comforting, endlessly beautiful, and one of those rare records that feels timeless the second you hear it.

Being that my hometown is a suburb of Chicago, I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to sit down and listen to this album in full. Dunno why I haven’t yet, just one of those projects I’ve always put off. Love what I’ve heard off of “Carrie and Lovell,” adore his collabs with Angelo de Augustine, and excited to dive into this. Album cover is goofy as hell— feels like an illustration on a board in a small town museum, in a great way. Very hokey and likable. Immediately enamored with the hilariously specific and long winded song titles too. 1. Kinda want the tempo to slow down a couple of clicks? Doesn’t feel as patient as an opener should be. Okok wait the flute is incredible, and his voice is a fresh witchhazel wipe to a flushed face. Love that the first song is about a UFO sighting, makes this project feel campy and sincere and earnest and silly and good. “3 stars” like those of a night sky, but also like a rating— funny. Great opener. 2. My singing monsters type intro? Clarinet (oboe?) and flute go dummy, though, love the orchestral notes throughout these first couple of songs, feels really ambitious These trumpets are making my home state feel kinda epic! We’re on the edge of theater-core here, and it would be schlocky if it wasn’t perfectly done— since it is, it’s just delightfully camp and catchy to boot. Woulda been cheesey if it were the album intro, but for some reason works great as the second song. 3. God his voice is just pleasing dude, just pleasant!! Kinda no idea what these lyrics are about but they sound good. Very jaunty, nice upbeat tempo and the 5 sounds great. Wish more indie stuff was in 5, it just feels perfectly quirky and fun. Worried 6 minutes would be too long, but the song is super patient and layers really nicely. Just a good sounding song!! 4. Ugh dude a song named after and about a serial killer should not be this pretty lmao WOW! Falsetto is so vulnerable and beautiful over gently diligent guitar and stumbling piano, subtle backup vocals are great, and goodness the lyrics are spellbinding— that last line, “under the floorboards,” gives Poe a worthy spiritual successor. I’m immensely impressed by the mic and mix quality, Stevens’s voice is so close, so intimate— I can hear the mouth working and soft breath texture and it is very forward in the mix but the instrumentation is still so lush! I think they panned all the instrumentation either slightly left or right and kept the vocals front and center, and it allows everything to operate as a whole while still having space for breathe. Great stuff. 5. The banjo is hokey for two seconds, and then it just submerged itself into the mix of Ladybug Transistor trumpets and beautiful strings and some lovely electric guitar noodling, that just kinda sounds like someone improvised one long solo over the song! It’s all so organic and folksy in the best way. Drums are to the left, shakers are to the right, cool balance, I have mo idea what his lyrics are saying ahaon, but I just like how he says “Andrew Jackson.” There hasn’t been a bad outro so far too, and this is no exception: strings seem reticent to end, and mourn the song’s passing before finally growing quiet. Love 6. Ah okay that strings outro I was talking about was its own song— love the song title, love the moment, feels very natural and I wouldn’t skip it. This and track 8 are really nice touches, makes the album feel really cohesive and fun 7. Sequencing is great so far too, banjo’s introduction last song leads into what is proper Americana folk, accordion and all. Delightful lyrics again, feels like a childhood roadtrip. Word to Abe. Such great balance of treble and bass on all of these songs— because Stevens has a generally breathy and trebly voice, the hurdy gurdy (or maybe it’s just low notes on an accordion imitating the drone?) give the lead vocals and their accompanying backups a solid foundation from which to roam. I like the clapping at the end, for some reason it feels like a part of the song in a way a lot of clapping doesn’t. 8. Lmao no wonder the clapping sounded like a song, it was one! Cute, and I wouldn’t skip it— fits like a glove 9. The central rhythm and melody of the vocals is super catchy, but I do think the instrumentation takes a bit of a backseat this song. I do like the vibes (word to the vibraphone too lol), but I’ve just been so pleased with how intimate and ornate the songs have sounded, this feels a little composed. It’s still super catchy, though, and feels really bombastic and certainly still carries emotional heft. The trumpets still continue to be essential to the DNA of the song. Vocals could stand to be like 2 dbs louder, and could do without the sleigh bells. I dunno, this song is the weakest on the album so far imo and it’s a strong strong 7/10, so. Hrm maybe 8/10, cos the lyrics feel really personal and human and good. 10. Side note, my high school marching band played in the Pulaski Day parade, it’s like a Chicago thing because the Polish community is big and also the parade in Ferris Buhler’s Day Off and oooo he’s talking about cancer oopsy. Okok love the dueling acoustic guitar and banjo, the former is space heater warm and the latter is your favorite scratchy wool blanket warm and Stevens’ voice is like Swiss Miss hot cocoa made with 2% milk warm. Absolutely adore the lyrics in this, doesn’t sacrifice meter or rhyme to tell a great human story. Super impressive. Just a beautiful song good God. Outro with the “dadadaas” layered with trumpet and the guitar and banjo and subtle backdrops of synth and flute it’s all so textured and warm and good!!! 11 Holy intro Batman omg I could listen to those twinkly plink cascades of guitar piano and vibes and percussion all fucking day dude, shit is musical ASMR— everything is panned super far out to the right or left except the trumpet and piano are kept center and it’s incredibly satisfying 12 trashy guitar tone bookends lovely indie goodness, really like how the edge being draped in satin backup vocals and cute glockenspiel accents. Just a nice track, though my brain doesn’t like how he says “man of steel” as much as how he says other things (e.g. “Andrew Jackson” from earlier) and that is kind of the heart of this song. Not a standout, and probably a touch too long. Still don’t think I’d skip it on future listens though. 13 Gos I love vibes dude they sound so good, wish they were used more often. Love the old timey synth and oboe, crazy combo. This kinda tries to do that layering from the 11th track, but I think there might be a little too much here, the vocals totally get lost in the sauce and the drums and oboe are a bit too forward in the mix. Sleigh bells work better here to give some whimsicality, just kinda doesn’t all come together as cohesively as most tracks here. 14 cool little interlude, little bit of a sudden transition into the next track but I’ll allow it 15 loooove the plot flute intro. Feels like they clocked that the flute is just a great pairing with Stevens, and I agree. Penguin Cafe Orchestra feels like another point of reference for this song with all the orchestral and choral elements! Irked I didn’t connect that sooner, instrumentals are very “Sings of Life.” Vocals are still so special though, love Stevens’s performance in this. Love the repeated image of the titular “wasp.” Drone outro sounds crazy cool, but kinda sudden transition here too— first questions raised about the sequencing 16 kinda by the numbers guitar riff, which feels odd this far into such an intricate album so far. Still built well, got me tapping my foot. Not super convinced by the backup vocalists’ hook. Funny song title, just wish the tone shift to more tension was used more substantively, feels kinda directionless 17 Strings plus bits of vibes interlude, catchy enough but not a standout. Transitions into the next song well though. 18 Julianna Barwick type vocals cloak this interlude in ethereality, i think it’s beautiful and really cool. Just odd to have two interludes back to back like this, but fun! But wish the first was as meaty as the second 19 Funny pun in the song title justifies by cool lyrics about looking down from the top of the Sear’s Tower. Dunno if this was written before the name change, but true Chicagoans will never call that magnificent temple the W***** Tower! And I’m definitely one of those lol uuuh good song but long album, starting to feel it on a slower song like this. Who’s Emmanuel? First truly forgettable song on this album, if it weren’t for the song title and cool vocals over from at the very end 20 Now here’s some proper Broadway shit. Them claps are crisp! Or is it more Wes Anderson movie? Love the play with time, alternating 5/8-6/8 sounds great, especially with such intricate piano and oboe lines. Cymbals are panned so far back and forth, weird but fun. Delightful listen, really justifies its length and reinvigorates my ears just as I was flagging, def a standout 21 very jazz trumpet for sure, so much texture in each tracked trumpet. Cool interlude 22 we made it! Very cool Steve Reich sorta intro, “Cournerpoint”-esque pulses complete with mallet percussion— had to be an inspiration. In the context of this album’s intricate webs of rhythm, though, such unison is almost unsettlingly whole, and when the pulses start to splinter and separate I’m almost believed to be within entropy again. This is just an absolutely stupendous closer to an absolutely stupendous album. Piano being the last note after the vibes get a little solo sounds like Stevens gives a little thank you to Reich— but also the beauty of Illinois as a state. Just great.

Picture the classic Mothers of Invention albums such as “Absolutely Free” or “We’re Only In It for the Money” or maybe even “Apostrophe.” Now adjust it to something more serious, more epic, and more poetic. That’s what this album is like, maybe. This surely isn’t for everyone but it displays tremendous talent. If you’re prone to skip, at least slow down and take in “Casimir Pulaski Day,” which is not very much about Casimir Pulaski Day.

I can feel the Illinoise! And it is still resonating in my soul after listening to it for the first time in years. There are few artists and albums that immediately feel like they are both engaging and beyond you at the same time. Stevens' songs are compelling, moving, and will challenge your thinking, philosophy, and faith. And he does this with gentleness and big symphonic intimacy that allows you to accept the challenge in a way that is more contemplative than off-putting. There is no sermon, but there is an altar call of sorts... the kind that compels you to respond!

Day 25 - I am super excited that this album came up today - It was a favorite of mine back in the early 2010s. I had drifted away from newer music but a fellow teacher gave me one of the tracks on a mix cd. I love(d) the sound. It is joyful. Maybe this is just due to reminiscing but the album gets a 5/5 today #musicsky #albumsky #nowplaying #odetojoy

"Chicago" is one of my favorite songs, but I actually never got around to listening to this whole album until now. People give a lot of side-eye to 00s indie nowadays, and I get it - I lived through it, it was a goofy-ass time. But man, if this came out today I think people would still love it. I love the music and lyrics, I love the theme, and I love that it feels like there's so much more to discover on repeat listens. So though this is very midwestern millennial of me, I'm giving it a 5. :)

Fantastic. Amazing. Wow.

I haven’t listened to this whole album in a few years but it still is captivating in ways that few others have ever been for me. John Wayne Gacy, The man of metropolis and The Predatory Wasp are all standouts for me in Sufjans discography.

Pretty good

teljesen őrült dolog ez is, imádom! kellett két hallgatás hozzá, hogy átjöjjön a koncepció meg a játékosság benne, de megérte.

What an album to start this journey with! The lyrics are fairly impenetrable for me, but I love their feeling. The music is genre defining -melodic indie with folk and rock. It feels li-fi, but is so well produced and comped it is on another level. Wonderful 5⭐

Fun listening. Great mood. Nice concept. Glad to know that now.

One of my favorite albums that I only recently got into. It's a little bit whimsical, not in a bad way at all though. Great music, lyrics and vocal work. There is a kind of ethereal vibe to a lot of the songs that I really enjoy. Super chill album to put on and think about life. I own this album and plan to listen to it many more times.

A favorite of mine going back to my college days. Such a rich-sounding album with some really fascinating themes throughout. Also, mind-boggling when you look at the credits and realize Sufjan Stevens did basically everything on here (instruments, vocals, engineering, production) himself.

Never heard of this cat. Kinda like it

There's really not a song here that doesn't still work, even 20 years later. I still think it should have ended with "The Tallest Man" though.

Peak 2000s indie. Stylistically diverse, fun, heart-rending.

It’s been a while since I didn’t listen to Illinois. Almost cried when it started. Sufjan is just REALLY, REALLY good.

This album is so fucking long but great

Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, showstopper, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.

A huge album in my life that came out just as I was moving to Illinois for college. Played the hell out of it then and have listened to my favorite tracks often in the years since. This is my first full album listen through in probably a decade and my god does it hold up.

I had ever heard of Sufjan before but this is a good record, there was one song though which was straight off Disintegration The Cure, the rest was made for a really interesting listen. One to revisit, voice really 👍

Folk Man Signs About A Cool State

Amzng

so musically dense and rich, beautiful melodies and harmonies here. story presented here is interesting and flows throughout the whole experience. what an amazing album.

Xlina

Ookkkk fine metterò 5 (resta troppo lungo)

I was very surprised by how much I liked this unique album. Definitely not my usual genre, but there's a reason I'm using this website

Erstes Goated Album Meine Güte es ist nicht in Worte zu fassen wie gut das ist. Jeder Song ist ein Meilenstein es ist so ein rundes und cleanes Album. Unfassbar 10/10

One of my favourite albums of 2205, if not THE favourite. I am 100% the target audience for Sufjan's ex-youth group-kid, introspective, intricate yet twee songwriting. I bought the CD my first trip to Chicago from Canada, and listened to it on the train all the way home.

one of my main gripes with 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is that classical recordings were excised from the list of inclusions. excluding an album like Music for 18 Musicians from a list of the most essential albums of all time feels like the book is jigsaw puzzle missing a piece. 18 Musicians has had an influence which can be felt through so much modern rock and pop music, from Low all the way to Illinois and into the future. calling Sufjan Stevens a singer-songwriter feels like selling him short. he's truly a master of composition and orchestration (he plays so many instruments here!), and he can write a set of stanzas that will bring you to your knees. he manages to capture so many different moods and make them all cohere together: uplifting rhythmic propulsion, downtrodden acoustic numbers to soothe the soul, and multiple mesmerizing passages of chamber music which, again, feel very Steve Reich-esque. I got to see the musical version of this album on Broadway last year. don't worry, they didn't turn everything into crappy show tunes; it was really more of a ballet with a live band playing the album behind it. transcendent experience. in some ways, it feels like this album was made for the stage. 10/10.

Very good art pop album really enjoyed it

Haven’t listened yet, but I love how this guy was going to make an album for each state and got to 2 states and said fuck it and stopped. Per Wiki, he later said it was a joke and it probably was, but I like the idea that he was going to do it and realized it was too much. I enjoyed the concept here. I have never lived in Illinois and have only been once, but I have family roots in Chicago and the surrounding areas. Best song to me was John Wayne Gacy Jr.

One of the good things that came from late 2020 was my personal discovery of Sufjan Stevens and this album specific. This is a masterwork, one of the three best concept albums of all time (The Wall / Hounds Of Love) and lyrically + musically a very strong and enriching album for me.

2005. 74 minuty. trochę dziwactwo

it's a nonstop larger-than-life spectacle and i do love being transported

I expected this mid-00s classic to hold up well, but I genuinely forgot how many *great* songs are on this one. I still think it's slightly too long, but wouldn't even know where to begin cutting, and you certainly have to be in the right mood, but still, what an achievement.

I liked it, made me feel like i am on a hill next to a bustling city while stargazing with an imaginary friend. 4.5/5

In college, I feel like I listened to every new release. So my introduction to Sufjan Steven’s was his 2015 album, Carrie and Lowell. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I knew he had acclaimed records before that, but I never got around to finally listening to them. The runtime was intimidating. After finally getting to listening, it instantly hit. Illinois is special for so many reasons, and despite being over an hour and 22 tracks long, there’s little to no misses on this record. I have yet to hear Michigan, but I think it’s time someone makes an ode to Indiana even if it’s the worst of the Great Lakes Midwest.

Perfection.

heard. musical-esque, a must-listen while travelling any bustling city.

I get why people think Sufjan is too much but I love this and the Michigan album and Seven Swans all the way. "John Wayne Gacy" and "Casimir Pulaski Day" both can make me cry when I'm in a human mood.

Golly, just so many great tracks on this one. Was given this as a gift on CD so many years ago and I’ve been following Sufjan’s work ever since. Probably one of the most creative musical acts I’ve listened to in a very long time. This album is such a journey, and one of my favorite headphone albums. 5 stars to you Sir.

This album made me cry. It’s so good. Probably my favorite all year.

It’s impossible to rate this album objectively due to my sentimental connection to it. It was a foundational album for me, and it still holds up.

Per Stereogum, this album recently turned 20 — which makes me feel old, and also reminded me that I missed this one when we started this exercise. Anyway, it’s fantastic, a triumph of composition, arrangement and songwriting. And it makes me remember why I felt a sense of disappointment when I learned that Sufjan would not, in fact, be completing his overly ambitious 50-state album project. (How far along do you think he’d be now, if he had kept at it? What states would he have covered so far?) Illinoise is eccentric and indulgent and obsessive and overly ambitious in the best possible ways, a mix of folklore, history and the deeply personal. “Prairie Fire” is lovely, as is the deeply spiritual “Seer’s Tower.” And I still get the chills when he sings, in “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.,” “They were boys / with their cars, summer jobs / Oh my God.”

Singular and special. Nobody does it like Sufjan. I hadn't heard this in full in a long, long time and was kind of skeptical, but it really moved me.

I initially didn't realise the bombast and the hustle and bustle of this album when I bought it. At the time, I was only familiar with the songs "John Wayne Gacy Jr." and "Chicago." As a result, I was quite disappointed when I first listened to Illinois. The music felt difficult to grasp, with too many instruments and a restless quality. I set the album aside several times but eventually returned to it, and gradually, the music began to resonate with me. I'm not sure if there was a specific turning point or if my appreciation just developed over time. Now, after a few years, I believe this album by Sufjan is his best work. The album just feels like a whole. I can feel such joy and lightness in all the songs, as well as pure emotion. There is a sense of completeness in every note played by the instruments, and his voice is full of vitality here.

Exceptional 🥹

Storytelling music at its finest.

Art is meant to challenge. Not just societal structures, but also your own boundaries and even your concept of self. If there was ever an album that challenged the listener on such a personal level, this would certainly be it. To call the songs anything but as grand and lush as their song titles would be a horrific mistake, but the the music never feels over-the-top, it feels right at home. While it certainly didn't all click on the first, second, or even third listen, I look forward to coming back to this behemoth often, if not to discover new things about the album, then to discover new things about myself. Nothing short of brilliance.

I want to put words on this, but they're hard to place. Illinois (iLLi-noise)' by Sufjan Stevens, is a sonic journey - music the way it's supposed to be: puttting physical substance on metaphysical emotions that no arrangement of statements alone can express. I don't give perfect 5's, but this is as close as it gets. 4.9 out of 5

I went into this having only really been familiar with two tracks from it: Feel the Illinoise! and Casimir Pulaski Day. Needless to say, Casimir had won me over from the start - a hauntingly beautiful track about losing a loved one to cancer and the turmoil that comes with that. For a time, that was the only Sufjan Stevens I needed, but I knew eventually I would finally hear the entire thing. I am immensely pleased that it did not disappoint in the slightest. Every track felt meaningful and expertly arranged, with Sufjan's songwriting, performances, and recording capabilities completely winning me over. Not a single bad track, rarely anything that underwhelmed. Truly an album to be appreciated for the ages, unlike Orange Juice. 9/10 closer to a 10 than anything else.

I had a friend in Ohio who I used to talk to on around a daily basis. I don't really remember much about him other then he would frequently ask me and my friends to play league and then say brb going to get something at the store then spending an hour while we all waited for the queue not knowing what was happening. I don't know if we ever watched movies together but I remembered one day we watched little miss sunshine. The day before we watched it his grandpa passed. I never seen it before and didn't know that exact thing happened in the movie and i felt like such an asshole but he was chill about it. He thought it was a funny coincidence that his grandpa would have enjoyed as well. I watched that film when i was first getting into music and stuff in general. It introduced me to the band Devotchka and Sufjan Stevens. The song off this album that's in that movies soundtrack is Chicago which got me to listen to this album initially. It was a song I would constantly listen to. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- I used to fake nosebleeds in highschool to get out of running the mile. It was easy to do because I have a blood vessel or something that breaks very easily, even to this day I randomly get them. I was self conscious of how I ran and no one really cared to show me what to do with my hands so I was stiff. I asked one time and someone made fun of me, so I tried my best to get out of running. I very much enjoyed running but the shame won. I would download albums from [redacted] and put them on my HTCone and listen to them while sitting in the shade of the buildings surrounding the track. I never really talked to anyone so it was a solitary hour listening to this. I would think of things i'd want to draw when I get home and how life would look like if I was more active and talkative. I never actually drew those things or made those things. They were all fleeting thoughts that I never acted on because I felt too ashamed to make anything. Thought it would be fruitless and a waste of time even though I wanted to do it. I felt like I was made to view other peoples experiences and that I'd never experience things myself. I used to think about what if I was able to actually engage in a life instead of viewing others from a far. The song most frequently played in these moments was Chicago. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- One of my friends later on mentioned being a huge Sufjan fan in a discord call. They are from Illinois and they would talk about their life there. For whatever reason that made me realize that I live somewhere and I also have experiences. It's embarrassing to admit but I was 19 when I figured this out. Everything I said and lived meant something to others and myself. I wasn't divorced from the world but a part of it. He doesn't know about this. No one has ever known about this until now. I guess I never had the words for it until now. I found these words while listening to Chicago.

There's nothing I can add that you yourself did not feel.

10/10 Illinois is one of the extremely rare pieces of art that capture the human condition. This universal work stands shoulder to shoulder with albums like Songs in the Key of Life, To Pimp a Butterfly, Dark Side of the Moon, What’s Going On?, perfectly piecing together a portrait of humanity, history, spirituality, sexuality, life and death. Haha sike! This story is actually Sufjan inviting you to learn about the great state of Illinois! What about Illinois? EVERYTHING! This album uses its setting to brilliantly portray these themes through different eyes, cities, historical figures, and events. Everything from the great city of Chicago, the Chicago Cubs, Illinois ghost towns, the Sangamon River, Abraham Lincoln, to Superman. It’s a beautiful synecdoche of things that I have a tough time putting into words, but we’re shown an inherent beauty to this state that feels representative of a beautiful human experience. On the other hand we also have some pretty horrific tragedy that comes with this state, from the colonization and genocide of Native Americans to John Wayne Gacy. Despite us seeing this state through different eyes we also see some deeply personal and emotional stories from Sufjan himself like his struggles with his faith and sexuality and dealing with the loss of a partner to bone cancer. This is an extremely dense record with that crams as much as possible within 74 minutes, and the only way to match up with these vast subject matters is to present them beautifully with a grand sound across the whole spectrum of emotions. Sufjan’s pristine guitar playing spans across Indie Folk, Indie Pop, and Indie Rock, and very cinematic proggy fusions of Classical music, Big Band, and Jazz, and all fronted by his God given vocals. It feels strange to see this album as being anything more than what the title suggests if you don’t “get it” but it really is a masterful artwork that captures more than you can imagine. Only 48 more states to go Suf!

Ugh, my appreciation for this record is offered grudgingly. I was living in Urbana Illinois when this came out, so it was pretty unavoidable. That whole mid-aughts indie oeuvre wasn't my jam at the time (that was around when I was just coming to accept that I really, actually, quite like house and techno), but this is the best record to come out of that. And it's a fuckin masterpiece. I can't play Illinoise without experiencing intense feelings; those mid-aughts happened to be a period of intense loss and growth for me personally, and this record seems to be, like, shaped at my emotional resonant frequency.

Already own and love this one. "Casimir Pulaski day" always makes me cry.

Classic favorite. Excited to listen to this one again even though it’s long. It’s been too long since I’ve dusted this one off. Might bring up a lot of nostalgia for me. Man I forgot how good this album is. So dense lyrically and musically. The first 10 tracks or so are basically a perfect album. Admittedly it gets kinda exhausting for me before it’s all said and done… there’s just so much going on for so long, it’s a tough album to digest in a single serving. Still a 4.5 for me at least, and I’m rounding up.

I forgot how lovely this album is. Thanks, machine!

Fun and quirky

Not even going to attempt to rank Suf albums, but he's still one of my top 2 artists of all time. Easy 5!

Might be the best pop album of the 21st century

Great album! Almost always, if a song has a horn, backup singers, or a surprise, I'm in. And there are a lot of horns in this album. The track "Chicago" is my favorite (I knew this song before listening to the album). I listened to the album 2x, and am on my third revolution right now. I'll be exploring more Sufjan Stevens.

Really loved this. Not at all what I expected but a solid mix on Ra Ra Riot and other really phenomenal somber/bittersweet indie rock

for me this was all about the lyrics. the music is beautiful but in a way that feels distinctly secondary to the lyrically content -- almost like it's poetry with accompaniment. the lyrics are great though so

I remember listening to this the first time, with a bona-fide Chicagoan; Nate, my great friend from university, who spent a year in Sheffield and many a great night was spent swapping recommendations and rocking out. I even spent a week with him in Chicago and I do miss him. This is almost certainly my favourite of his recommendations and I love that it'll always remind me of him. It was supposedly the start of a project to create an album for every US state. He also made '(Greetings From) Michigan', but then stopped, presumably because 50 albums is pretty ridiculous and more than most artists would muster in 5 lifetimes. This in itself is a gorgeous project though, the songs are deeply affecting and cover both rich and stripped-back production. While its 74 minutes can feel like a lot, it takes you on an emotional journey and is well worth every minute. An indie masterpiece.

I've loved this album since it came out. Sufjan's songwriting really went to another level between Michigan and Illinois: this is a richly layered and beautiful beast. Although some of the songs have quite big, orchestral arrangements, the different sections never feel like they're simply present to create a pointlessly "big sound" - they're all meticulously designed, bringing something each time. Vocals and lyrics are great too - there's a skilful variety of songwriting here covering deeply personal and tender subject matter as well as stories linking to the state concept. Love it. An album to just sit with headphones and take in on a peaceful moment

Good album, good songs, not my fav

Stylistically and melodically varied, ethereal, plays with tempo and time signatures to add interest… this is a very good album! I have heard some of his songs before, but nothing from this album. At first I thought there were parts that were a bit too avant garde for me but through a second listen I enjoyed each song more. 4.5/5

I didn’t realize there was a song about John Wayne Gacy. Great album. Has like the saddest song of all time on it but I love it. Ahead of its time and a little weird

!!!! Elsker !!!! ‘Casimir Pulaski day’= lowkey min yndlings sang i hele verden<3

I forgot how good this is. Im sorry for the times I doubted you sufjan stevens

Very chill americana, reminds me of chill alt rock from the late 2000s

5/5 for sure

I can just tell if I listen to this album more it will grow to be one of my all time favorites

Holy shit, what an album, pardon my french. There’s just so much to unpack here. Its amazingly well done arrangements and songwriting evoke so much emotions. The brass, piano, and string arrangements are just so well done especially, the production on this album as a whole is just so clean and concise. This album is just so emotional and beautiful. Its lyrics are so meaningful and have so much context, and can be very emotional and heartfelt when they want to be. This album is about the state of Illinois, and it delves into its history while acting as a way of self reflection for Sufjan. Sufjan’s vocal performance is absolutely breathtaking, they’re so gentle and heartfelt. This album is an experience to say the least. It’s just beautiful. I was truly was at a loss of words for a moment after finishing this. It’s so emotionally resonant. I had to keep this review short to keep room for the things below, but I truly highly recommend this album. It is truly amazing and one of a kind. Sufjan really did hit it out of the ballpark here.

Oh my god. This is probably the best album I’ve ever loved on a first listen. Not going to lie to you it’s a 5/5. 5/5, 10/10, 100/100 - it’s amazing and each one had me in awe

Eksepsjonelt bra album, et av de beste jeg har hørt. Sufjan Stevens har en engels sangstemme, pianoen er nydelig og strykerne er fantastiske. Alle instrumentalene er egentlig sykt forfriskende og livlige. Tekstene er såre og fine. Må sjekke ut mer av Sufjan fordi dette var en banger. Har bare hørt på enkeltsanger fra han her og der. Alltid visst at han var god, men aldri startet på diskografien hans. Må dra til Illinois en gang.

So nice!

9/10 Well this was a massive pleasant surprise. For some reason I expected sad boy singer-songwriter. It kind of is that, but with amazing, expansive, beautiful production. Blows me away that most of this was recorded just by Stevens on lo-fi kit. This sounds a million dollars. The vocals: spot on; music: spot on; arrangements: spot on. The choir might be my favourite part. When I saw it was 70+ minutes before listening I was worried, when it finished I wished it was longer. Wonderful. Best: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!

A golden aura Softly glowing through music Serene, spellbinding

Indie

Man, what an unfair place this world is. Take this album for example. Not only does Sufjan show prove himself to be an incredibly skilled songwriter of delicate melodies; not only is he a masterful and creative arranger; not only does he have the voice of an angel; not only can he pull off a grand-to-the-point-of-seeming-absurd concept seamlessly; but he also infuses every last track with such a wide range of emotion that each song here could make you cry for an entirely different reason. Leave some for the rest of us, Big Soof.

I just love this so much.

All-time favorite.

sprawling, ambitious, gorgeous - so excited to see some sufjan stevens on here. aside from being basically the only christian i respect, he's an immensely talented musician, and while parts of this album feel a little dated to me (unclear if that's due to my own obsessive listening/relistening in high school, or a general early aughts indie sound), it's still an incredible work that eclipses anything else that was happening in the genre at the time. my personal pick of his for this list would be Carrie & Lowell, but i can also see why this would be chosen for how important it was to the time. maybe we can have both in later editions???

Listened to this beforehand on a 'music night'. Masterpiece of an album, amazing use of the orchestra to create a majestic feel to the album. I feel like I'm floating and on a journey when I listen to this. Fun to find out the meaning of the tracks in relation to Illinois, not so fun to listen to some of the lyrics.

Like many elder Millennials, this is a seminal album for me. Bursting with creativity and ingenuity. Beautiful, timeless, endlessly rewarding.

Oh, Gott ist das schön. Allein schon die Hymne über Chicago. Traumhaft wunderschöne Melodien und Arrangemnts. Hier fühlt man Illinoise, hier fühlt man die Schönheit der Stimmungen.

PERFECT

Beautiful album, but the names are where my appreciation lie. Apparently this was adapted to a Broadway play, pretty cool.

Absolutely stunning album. 5 stars.

I’m gonna need more time with this album, but at first pass, I’m at a 4.5 that I simply admire so much that I’m gonna bump it up to a 5. Perhaps it’s the post-election inner fear talking, but this felt like the perfect album at the perfect time – just an inspired biographical reminder of what I hope this country is, what I hope it can continue to be, and what makes it truly great. I’ve never heard a Sufjan Stevens album for this; never even heard of the guy, really. I’m beyond impressed. I’m a sucker for historical references in music; not because it’s necessarily great for songwriting, but because it tells me that I’m dealing with someone who knows and is embedded into history, at least to some degree. As a trivia guy, it just gives me a point of reference to really feel where a song is coming from. This album is jam-packed with them, up and down, and quite frankly, the balance between all the references and being able to actively blend them and weave them into such compelling narratives and melodies is one of the most impressive things I’ve heard in the 310 albums we’ve done so far. Past that, my goodness, the music; what an absolute behemoth of a production this must’ve had. Occasionally, this album gets a little too cute with its vocal mixing at the expense of the listener, but more often than not, that orchestration and instrumentation so perfectly captures a mood that might be impossible to put into words. I say that knowing that his songwriting here is about as impressive as the instrumentation, if not moreso. It’s a deeply bombastic album, fantastically structured, and its long-ass song titles provide the humor in places where it’s desperately needed. It definitely feels like he had fun making this, but he also knew exactly how much weight this thing was carrying. To find such a great balance between instrumentation, songwriting, vocals and production, while making sure this thing doesn’t collapse under the weight of its own ambition and honesty is nothing short of a miracle. Again, there are flaws here; a few tracks go on a bit long, some of the funny filler could’ve been cut instead of doing it to satiate a long song title or to keep the “musical” structure alive, but those “flaws” are more like production choices that just didn’t click with me. I need another pass or two on this album without the misty-eyed dread of November 5th, 2024 looming long in my head, to more critically analyze it, and really take away its theming and lyricism more without clinging so deeply onto its messaging of hope and promise… but if the album’s already got me that hooked, in light of what just happened, it’s doing something right. If anything, I feel like I’ll appreciate it even more. It’s a 4.5 that I’m bumping up to a 5.

I loved almost everything from the cover art to the variety of sound and themes. My only complaint is that it feels almost too polished and there's not enough grit, but that's like saying my greatest weakness is being a perfectionist.

One of his best!

I first listened to this album when I was 21. I had been out of my “all music ended in 1979” mindset for about a year by that point, but I still only listened to what my friends told me about. I stumbled upon this on my own, almost by accident even though it had been out for a few years by that point. Almost immediately, my idea of what music could be was transformed. I’ve listened to this one a lot since then. Listening to it again for this project reinforces everything that this album has meant to me. Every song still brings out such powerful emotions. In these dark times, “Come On Feel the Illinoise” and “Jacksonville” are such strong beacons of light. “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” is still haunting, I still know every word of “Decatur”, and “Chicago” never fails to bring a tear to the eye. And that doesn’t even get to what may be the single saddest song ever written, “Casimir Pulaski Day”. This is a very long album, but it earns every second of its run time. (Also, listening to it now, 350-odd albums into this project, some of the interludes feel like they were meant to be intermissions, which helps with the length). The back half of the album is full of gems. Even after all this time, I was surprised at how affected I was by “Predatory Wasp”, even though nothing about this album should surprise me anymore. And the reward for sticking it out to the end is “The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders”, about as good of an album climax as I’ve ever heard. Illinois is a perfect album, plain and simple. I’m glad to see that such a monumental album in my life remains that way after all these years.

I kinda view this album in 4 parts (I’m not counting the interludes and I’m not calling the tracks by their stupidity long names) Part 1: UFO-> Jacksonville Part 2: Decatur-> Casimir Pulaski day Part 3: Man of metropolis->Night zombies Part 4:Seers tower-> Out of Egypt There now this album is much more digestible: Part 1 is strong I really like John Wayne Gacy for the ‘twist’ at the end Illinoise and Jacksonville are both brilliant, they’re not my favourites on the album (but I’ll get to them) still amazing though. UFO is a nice short opener and Black hawk works well in the aftermath. 4.5/5 Part 2 starts a bit weaker with Decatur which has always sounded like a kiddies song to me, but it’s alright. But Chicago and Casimir Pulaski day are two of my favourites on the album, this is the moment when all things go on Illinois. 4.5/5 Part 3 is my favourite, sure prairie fire isn’t AS good but it’s still a disorienting experience. But then Man of metropolis, Palisades and Night Zombies are just masterpieces. Man of metropolis and Night Zombies come off as a bit surprising as they’re quite different from the album so far but at this point in the album a shift was needed. Palisades is just beautiful. 5/5 Part 4 feels like you’ve ran straight into a brick wall (in the best way possible) seers tower is such a gloomy song but it’s beautiful too. Tallest man drags but it’s a great climax to the album. Then out of Egypt is just a good instrumental. 4/5 It’s a double album of course there’s gonna be filler, I really don’t care if you come up with an ‘exception’ they’ve always got something that’s not as good. And the interludes (especially on first listen) can get annoying, literally a good 10/15 minutes of the album is just interlude. But it still has to be a 5/5. It’s incredible.

I've slept on this artist for way too long. Cracking album, very enjoyable listen.

sooooo good and i wish michigan had been on here as well <3 can't wait for the other 48 state albums!

A comfortable composition of expressive music that is outlined with subtle vocals and great lyrics

A wonderful album.

Full of interesting songs!

❤️❤️❤️

I had zero expectations going into this one. Never heard of Sufjan Stevens before and figured it’d be another artsy indie album that just wasn’t for me. I was very wrong. This album blew me away. The level of detail he packs into the songs, blending state history with personal stories and weird little jokes, somehow works. One minute you’re smiling at how ridiculous a song title is, the next minute you're hit with something that genuinely stops you in your tracks. It’s theatrical, intimate, and weird in the best way. I still chuckle every time I see the full title of “The Black Hawk War...” but then I get pulled right back into something like “Casimir Pulaski Day,” which just hits hard. Easily one of the most unique albums I’ve ever heard — and one of the best.

I love it

Chad recommended this album to me two years ago. There’s some incredible songs on it. Happy to listen to this masterpiece again.

What a phenomenal album. I'm a sucker for dissonant, brassy syncopation and this album was indulgently full of it while somehow keeping it fresh and interesting every single time. Bravo, Sufjan.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this album, having not knowingly heard any Sufjan Stevens before today. I certainly wasn’t expecting miserable alt rock. To clarify, miserable alt is one of my favourite genres, so this is no jibe. The orchestration here stayed interesting throughout, and the vocals were soft and lovely when on their own, and an absolute delight when sang in chorus. My only criticism of this album is that it is a little long which makes for sleepy brains becoming distracted away from the music. Otherwise, this is a great album.

I’ve always meant to get into Sufjan’s work, but never listened to very much of it. Having this on in the car driving on a beautiful fall day was fantastic.

can’t say it didn’t change my life in 2015

Listening to this on Pandora ending up creating such a wonderful playlist.