Illinois

A really beautiful sounding album, with so much unique character and texture. Sufjan's voice and lyrics are gorgeous. Maybe not an enjoyable everyday listen but a brilliant album to dive into every so often.

I've been waiting for this. I had a girlfriend once who liked Sufjan. No, I have no idea how to pronounce that name either. This can go one of three ways; it'll be the hipster tripe I anticipate. It'll be great and I'll love it. Or it'll be the latest in the long line of critical darlings which is actually just bland and forgettable, if harmless. First thing - there's a lot of songs. Points for the ambition and I know the guy is prolific. But for one album it's a lot. It's not exactly The Wall, or my own 46 song concept album about potato picking (which is superior to Illinois), but it's worth calling out. Unlike those two albums, this one doesn't have much variance, so a sense of sameness creeps in long before the halfway point. Plus points for not having a crap voice and making the album size a pain. It does have a lot of throwaway garbage, which is to be expected from something of this size and style. A lot of it is twee and plenty of it deals with people and places that nobody outside of the US cares about. I mean, Abraham Lincoln? Who the hell is that!? Couple the twee nature of the bulk of the music with the overly saturated brass sounds and the slice of life lyrics and whatever emotion is supposed to be on display gets sapped for me. I know there are songs where I'm supposed to feel sad and others where I'm supposed to feel happy, but the do-di-do rhythms like a commercial for the latest broadband deal, and the 'jimmy was a boy, he had a bike, I thought that was, a lovely sight' lyrical approach is too child-like. Yet in other places it comes together successfully. Lots of ideas, lots of ambition, some good melodies, but on a single listen not much hits the mark. I think I would get more out of this with more sittings, but I'll grab a few songs, slap them on the playlist, and see if they become favourites or irritants.

¿El mejor álbum del siglo XXI?

I'm sorry Sufjan, you haven't earned my whimsy yet.

Ouhh Sufjan mit seiner hübschen Stimme Auch so schöne texte Einige tolle John Wayne Gacy, Jr. , Chicago 9/10

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

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

First time listening. I liked it. The only one I have heard beside this is Carrie and Lowell. Not the same but good.

I hate to do this because I’ve got a lot of respect for what Sufjan does and I enjoy a handful of his music. Also, he’s a Midwest person from an area nearby…but I was not feeling this. Just really comes off as a pretentious and long album. Love the concept of this album and some of the ideas explored on these songs, but they just came across as boring.

😧 Yo... what the fuck just happened? I don’t ever want to do that again.

Heard so many great things about this album, lived up to expectations and then some.

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

A hipster millenial masterpiece

(4/7) the music is fine. but after all his effort and research, did he really not come across the proper spelling of "Illinois"? and what's with these song titles that are so long they don't even fit in the space allotted on spotify? I wanted to listen to music, not read a book. next time, let's keep song titles to 140 characters and the album length to 45 minutes

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

Interesting but won't listen again

Инди фолк, весьма мудрёный.

I came to Sufjan Stevens late, but live all his work of which this is arguably the best. His music sweeps you along. At times it reminds me of groups like Flaming Lips, but somehow more focused. Chicago is a real standout with its choral esque chorus and tambourine and trumpet feature. The album as a whole has a dreamy quality to it, punctuated by the occasional bit of brass (especially tracks like the man of metropolis steals our hearts) What’s not to like.

I’m surprised at just how much I enjoyed this - on the face of the length, and the name of the songs, I wasn’t expecting to. But it was lovely.

I was really interested to hear this for a fairly odd reason: I always watch Mic The Snare videos on Nebula/YouTube and he mentions Sufjan Stevens on an extremely regular basis. I'd heard the name enough to think, I really should listen to that, but I'd never got around to it. I am an appreciator of long song names which I will subsequently be unable to ever remember (I'm looking at you, "The Song with Five Names, a.k.a. Soapbox Tao, a.k.a. Checkmate Atheists! a.k.a. Neospace Government, a.k.a. You Can Never Know"), but "The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, 'I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!'" might be the finest example I've ever seen. I also liked the song. On yesterday's album I complained at the existence of at 15 second track, and Sufjan decided to one up The Youngbloods with "One Last 'Whoo-Hoo!' for the Pullman!!" - 6 seconds is not a track! Tack it onto the start or end of another song! Favourite songs: "Jacksonville", "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!", "Chicago", "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!". There is a lot about this album that should make me dislike it, not least the length of the whole thing, and the individual lengths of some of the tracks. But I don't dislike it. I actually really, really enjoyed this and fully intend to listen to a lot more Sufjan Stevens in the future. 4/5

I think the vision to make an album this full and complex is super impressive. Sufjan Stevens takes an orchestral approach in arranging songs that sound like a-list movie scores - quite the feat for an indie musician. Some of this is almost a little too theatrical for my preference but it's done so well it's hard to find fault.

I don't even know where to start with this album. It's one of my favourites, but I do need to be in the right mood to listen to it. It's incredibly ambitious to try and write an album about all 50 States. You would think that such a project would result in a lot of half-assed, patriotic gimmicks, so it's even more incredible that an album this elaborate and unique came out of it. The orchestration is complex and beautiful and the lyrics are deep with references to the history, culture, art, and geography of Illinois. Seriously, who else could pull off such a beautiful song about John Wayne Gacy?

It was an interesting concept, and I did enjoy parts of it. I can see why they made a musical out of it. Overall, it made me pretty bored, and was a little too long. I also can't really parse the lyrics as they come at me, so it's tough to connect many of the songs to the Illinois theme.

song i went back to first after first full listen: NONE - i wanted to be done i'm sorry

Boring

Some really great songs on here.

This is a tough one to review. Circa 2005, Sufjan was my jam. I blared Chicago in my car, saw him play when he visited my city on the Illinois tour, and learned how to play his songs. I have a very distinct memory of being stricken while listening to Casimir Pulaski Day while riding my bike one afternoon. What a terrible, beautiful song. From the start, I preferred his albums which came out before this, and then had trouble with all Sufjan’s output afterward, with the exception of Carrie & Lowell. The problem is mostly in regard to editing. Illinois is a long album with overly long songs. A companion album of outtakes called ‘The Avalanche’ was also released, and that album is also overlong. The first Christmas album box set is unlistenable. Recently, I revisited Sufjan’s discography. The blast of fresh air that he and his fellow Indie tidal wave of musicians brought to the world has aged and now sounds of a distant time. I sense from Illinois-era Sufjan, a lack of determined identity. He was somewhat closeted at the time, trying to justify his religious outlook with his sexuality by singing love songs to Jesus (see Seven Swans). It’s a bit cringy to look at in retrospect. This same indecision and Sunday School religiosity is stamped all over Illinois. When I blasted Chicago in my car earlier this year with a fellow past fan, we both admitted it had become stale. The song was always ponderous, seeking a triumphant end, but always only was a rambling journey. One feels the indecision in Sufjan’s life not allowing him to reach a point of definition in his songs. The research behind the construction of this album is admirable. I can see why he wouldn’t want to study that much again for another state. I imagine he set himself up with a lot of pressure and shackled himself away from creative freedom by saying he was going to do an album for all fifty. Kitsch and attention grabbing though it was, he lost me as a listener when he poopooed his fifty states mission. I would have listened to all of those albums. He would’ve had a significant fanbase no matter what he put on those albums, because if you’re say, an Iowan, who else is making an album called ‘Iowa’ all about your state’s history? After Illinois, Sufjan frankly betrayed his fanbase. These days, he’s more honest with himself and more honest in his music. He is and always has been very good. But Illinois strikes a sad note in my heart. It’s the quick end of what might’ve been, but also, in being the second state, an exercise in what never should have been. We might’ve been better off with just a Michigan album, seeing as that was Sufjan’s home state, and a project seriously close to his heart… Unless he does eventually keep going… I’d love to hear Sufjan’s Hawaii album.

67. zombies

I wish I. Would rate this as a 3.5. I started out liking it, then I didn’t, then I liked it again, and then I hated the last song. It really was a unique, interesting album that I could see listening to again, though, so I’m going with the 4.

Love Sufjan. I’ve heard a lot of this album already but never listened all the way through. It’s so good!

Not my style

The lord giveth and the lord takes away….

I love the song titles. Ohhhh, it’s the dude that made some of the Call Me By Your Name songs. Is that why he has so many streams? I can’t explain it otherwise. I didn’t like Mystery of Love in the first place, but this album is worse than that song. God, that song. It still haunts me from COVID times. Why did I have to be reminded of Timothée Chalamet fucking a peach? This music is so eh. His voice annoys me, and the instrumentals are just there. A lot is happening but kinda nothing at the same time. The only song that didn’t make me want to waterboard myself was Prairie Fire That Wanders About. It’s still far from decent, though. How the fuck do almost all songs sound the exact same? It’s the same goddamn melody. I hate this so much. God, why did you bestow this trash upon us? Haven’t we suffered enough already? It’s also over an hour. Was that necessary? HELL NO. Even thirty minutes would’ve been too much. If you like this, good for you. Just don’t talk to me. Enjoy it by yourself. Am I too European for an album on here again? Why was this so acclaimed? Why is this folk/indie folk, you get the picture, so fucking idolized in America? It’s some of the worst things to come out of music since rocks and sticks. Every day I wake up and thank all the gods I’m not American. Fucking Pulaski. Bad day to speak Romanian. I’m cackling like a 13-year-old boy.

Someone tell Sufjan to stop joking and get back to writing about the other 48 states! This is so silly and fun, but there's also some genuinely good music.

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

J'ai beaucoup aimé l'album. L'avantage qu'il a c'est d'être très long et donc de contenir une variété très larges de styles, ce qui est vraiment agréable. Bon souvenir et belle découverte !

Best Track - "Chicago"

Ah Sufjan, where you can be super boring or really interesting depending on what track you hit. I liked Come On! It's a fun song... Maybe it's because the Black Hawk War is so damn boring. Then John Wayne Gacy Jr is a bit of both. It's a fun experiment album, changes tone pretty quick and full of stories. It was already in my library, but I have to be in the right mood to listen to it.

I love Sufjan Stevens and have never sat through this album all the way through but I'm sooo excited. I've heard that Illinois is better than Michigan, which I still thought was pretty good but no Carrie & Lowell. Really interesting goofy song titles as always lol Really beautiful flutes and backing vocals at the beginning that sound absolutely ethereal through good stereo headphones. John Wayne Gacy was unexpectedly emotional and had SUCH strong storytelling. Sufjan Stevens has a beautiful falsetto that adds to this song a lot and shines on this track. Chicago is a classic, no other words needed. Orchestral rock is typical for Sufjan Stevens, but it never gets old - it sounds almost theatrical and They Are Night Zombies!! is a perfect example. The choir in the back and pit-sounding instruments could have come right from a musical (but a musical with really good music). This bangs all the way to the end. This is definitely a 5/5. There is clearly so much love and passion put into this - and not to mention sheer talent. The heavy use of winds and strings make this record feel so immersive, dynamic, and theatrical that makes it just fun and interesting. The production went absolutely crazy too. I felt like I was in orbit for some of those. Standout tracks: John Wayne Gacy Chicago They Are Night Zombies!!...

Wonderful trip

Easy album to rate - great album. Best of Sufjan.

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

Illinois is an ambitious and interesting album, packed with musical ideas and lots of instrumentation. It was more expansive and orchestral than I expected, especially since most of what I knew of Sufjan Stevens leaned toward quieter, folksy guitar songs. There’s real musical value here and moments that are genuinely fun to listen to, but the album is very long and can feel a bit unfocused. While it’s clearly well-crafted, nothing really stands out or feels especially inspiring on repeat listens. A good album overall, just not one that fully grabs me.

Inoffensive, maybe a smidge anodyne, but I like gentle folk-rock. I'll probably give this another go.

Absolute classic (albeit slightly too long). RYM: Y (#63) Saved a song: N

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

Something new for me

Good and sad

Nice album. Never heard of this before. Sounds somewhere between Wilco and Sigur Ros.

An old favorite.

Great album. Deceptively simple at first, but with killer songwriting. There's more here than meets the eye. Strong 4 stars.

This record is massive! It’s beautiful and informative and sad and hopeful; overdone yet understated in many ways. This is more than a love letter to Illinois - it’s a messy, yet thoughtfully curated, museum celebrating the Midwest. If I was to offer any criticism about this record it would be that an editor could have taken a swing at some of these track titles. As a whole, the album becomes hypnotic toward the end of its behemoth 70+ minute run time. The entire time I wished for a visual accompaniment to help keep everything grounded. This is theater. Overall a magnificent experience that I will be revisiting. Who knows - maybe this review will add a star with additional listens

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

Concerning the ufo sighting near highland, illinois - 3 The black hawk war, or, how to demolish an entire civilization and still feel good about yourself in the morning, or, we apologize for the inconvenience but you're going to have to leave now, or, 'i have fought the big knives and will continue to fight them until they are off our land' - 3 Come on! feel the illinoise! (part i: the world's columbian exposition / part ii: carl sandburg visits me in a dream) - 3 John wayne gacy, jr. - 4 Jacksonville - 5 A short reprise for mary todd, who went insane, but for very good reasons - 4 Decatur, or, round of applause for your stepmother! - 3 One last "whoo-hoo!" for the pullman - n/a Chicago - 4 Casimir pulaski day - 4 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 - 3 The man of metropolis steals our hearts - 4 Prairie fire that wanders about - 3 A conjunction of drones simulating the way in which sufjan stevens has an existential crisis in the great godfrey maze - n/a The predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us! - 3 They are night zombies!! they are neighbors!! they have come back from the dead!! ahhhh! - 4 Let's hear that string part again, because i don't think they heard it all the way out in bushnell - 4 In this temple as in the hearts of man for whom he saved the earth - 3 The seer's tower - 3 The tallest man, the broadest shoulders (part i: the great frontier / part ii: come to me only with playthings now) - 4 Riffs and variations on a single note for jelly roll, earl hines, louis armstrong, baby dodds, and the king of swing, to name a few - 3 Out of egypt, into the great laugh of mankind, and i shake the dirt from my sandals as i run - 2

im glad ive come across this. most of the stuff feels bland and ordinary but at the same time super dreamy. its like what you hear in your dreams when you go near a stream and there are nymphs that are laughing in the background for some reason ya know?

ik vind de muziek zelf heel mooi, maar vind het mooier als hij niet zingt want ik hou niet zo van zijn stem also ik snap de yoghurt comment wel die is heel valid

Sufjan Stevens is wel echt altijd goed. Het contrast tussen Chicago en Casimir Pulasky Day is zo peak das echt insane. Also ik zag iemand het album beschrijven als "if a yogurt made a sound this would be it." en dat deed mij zo hard lachen da ik het nog een extra punt heb gegeven.

the piano is the most beautiful of humanity's instruments.

no soy de los musicales, pero muy buen album de musical. la verdad que me encanto. nose si lo escucharia mucho pero igual

I wish I had more words to describe my thoughts on this album because I do love it. But due to recent personal events in my life that have to do with Illinois, I leave this listen with much sadness in my heart. I'm sorry, Happy Birthday C. This one's for you (10/10, 5/5 on this scale).

Loved the complexity of the orchestration, the overall vibe, the lyrics

rah rah rah (wah wah wah)

Um disco primoroso, inspiradíssimo, com temas e melodias sensíveis e repletas de lirismo. Arranjos extraordinários e execuções precisas. Maravilhoso!

Long and lilting. Some nice storytelling and a few catchy tunes, but very samey.

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

Intressante Musik mit Stimme dazu. Gefällt mir

one of my favorite albums as of late, what a treat to get it on here <3

Não gostei, achei muito cliché.

You have to be a real imbecile or psychopath or void of feeling to dislike this record.

My favorite indie folk/ “twee” album of all time. Sufjan at his best (with “Carrie & Lowell” and his most recent one right behind). “Casimir Pulaski Day” is brilliant lyricism paired with beautiful, heartbreaking folk

Magnificent

Too long. Of its time. But still good. Best song: John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

Perhaps the greatest album of the century so far, and hard to know if it will ever be topped. World encompassing and deeply personal, inventive, diverse. Both sprawling and unified.

"I made a lot of mistakes, I made a lot of mistakes, I made a lot of mistakes, I made a lot of mistakes" - Sufjan Stevens No mistakes detected. 10.0 Fav track: The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us! Least fav (longish) track: The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts

Listening session: february 1st, while cleaning my room Listened to before: no Thoughts: I only know Sufjan Steven’s later work but I was pleasantly surprised with this album and really really liked it Favourite tracks: Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland Illinois, Chicago & Come On! Feel the Illinoise!

bons vocais e bons arranjos, sinto que é muito bem estruturado e quer passar uma mensagem, parece até a trilha sonora de um filme. Bom álbum! 6/10

I liked it

It's hard to know where to start with this album- I have so many memories attached to it. I somehow now live just a block away from the record store where I purchased the CD in 2005, and amazingly, it's still a record store (though it mostly sells vinyl now, not CD's). I remember listening on a long train ride up to the Adirondacks and fixing the stereo system in the 100 year old cabin we stayed in so that we could listen there as well. In August of 2005, I stood in the audience at the Bowery Ballroom watching Sufjan and his band in their University of Illinois cheerleader outfits. And I remember serving coffee to the man himself in the shop I worked at in Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn right around the same time. My unspoken suspicion was that Sufjan could be the voice of our generation, serving up a dramatic-geographic research project worthy of a University performance art class, seamlessly integrated with raw and intensely personal observations and stories that exhibited the honesty and vulnerability I was seeking as a young artist in the big city. The enhanced fidelity of the recording made Michigan feel like a mere warmup, Sufjan’s ambition amplified with cinematic precision and head-spinning arrangements. This was an artist truly coming into his own, and we were watching it happen in real time, intensely admiring his talent and believing that the glorious realization of such a strange, left-field project meant that we could also explore our own left-field ideas, and maybe they would find a place in the world. We fantasized about inviting him over for dinner, and it really felt like he might have said yes (we were ultimately too chicken to ask). Thank god this was a time before social media- our parasocial relationships remained firmly in our imaginations. Mine was a mostly-secular social circle, so Sufjan's much-publicized Christian faith was a source of fascination and mild consternation, even if the majesty of this record mostly washed away any religious resentment owing to then President George W. Bush's embrace of evangelical self-righteousness. But as someone who grew up in the church who no longer counted myself as a believer, the album did speak to my private, emerging and probably unsophisticated interest in the philosophical underpinnings of Christianity. One evening, at my regular DJ gig at a Brooklyn Thai restaurant, 2-4 vodka gimlets deep, I played 'Chicago' and had a memorable epiphany regarding the repeated refrain 'I made a lot of mistakes': how freeing to accept that our mistakes are what make us who we are! And to understand that we'll never STOP making mistakes. And maybe, that by humbly acknowledging our mistakes, we are made new. Is that concept an innovation of Christian theology? Maybe it was not what Sufjan meant, but to a 25 year old who was struggling and striving, personally and professionally, the idea resonated with me and helped bestow, as the song says, 'freedom from myself'. Beyond the personal reflections, this album is a masterpiece of sequencing. In particular, placing 'Gacy' as track 4 (really feels more like track 3) took some real guts. The song casts a dark pall over the entire proceedings, never letting us fully feel joy without an undercurrent despair. In a time when the horrors of the Iraq War, 'code orange' terror alerts and police carrying weapons of war on the subway contrasted so starkly with our own, relatively carefree young adult lives, that dichotomy was entirely familiar. Despite some heavy themes, the playfulness of this album can’t go unacknowledged. From the lengthy, tongue in cheek song titles, to the cherry picking of obscure historical facts, to the faux grandiose orchestrations, Illinois sidesteps pretension and instead makes clear it is in on the joke.

I had only seen this album cover floating around online but this is so good. A little musical theater-y but in a way that I’m not mad at. His voice is great and I think the mixed meter stuff is done really tastefully, easy 5

AMDG

I didn't like it. I don't know why. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for something like this. But I didn't like it.

Terrific

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

This album was incredible. It reminded me of so many hours, listening to it. It has ups and downs and it filled my heart.

звучить як повноцінний мюзикл, у мене прям перед очима вимальовується єбучій ілінойс цікава концепція, приємне звучання, але трохи нудно

definitely an album not for everyone, i personally enjoyed it more than i thought i would but it still didn't impress me. i like the concept for this work, as i was listening i thought at times (especially during "come on! feel the illinoise!...") that these songs would fit really well into a musical which turned out to be a correct assumption after reading the album's wikipedia page hahaha, coming back, i really appreciate the way in which sufjan stevens built this, especially the interludes which were nicely executed in terms of the idea for the whole album. i also believe i have to comeback to it at some point in the future to explore the lyrical layer in bigger detail but for now this album was simply okay and quite pleasant, some songs were less "interesting" than the others - just nothing eye-opening or mind-blowing but as i previously said, it is certainly a well constructed and executed concept album

what a banger. good crying album

Too long but some were good. Wanted to listen to sufjan stevens a while. Feel like I should've started elsewhere

Preferred this offering over my first several albums -- appreciated the quiet take on covering a state in music and can understand why Sufjan stopped after Michigan and Illinois. Going with my first 4 out of 5 on this one.

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

all this time i thought this was someone related to Cat Stevens...or even Cat Stevens himself? Proven very wrong and also very much enjoyed this!

Great listen, a lot of fun with some really moving tracks thrown in.

Sufjan Stevens you will always have my heart

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

That was a long hour and fifteen minutes that will be forgotten in five minutes.

honestly didn't know he had songs that didn't sound diabolically sad. was a fun morning listen

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

Not bad but a bit over hyped. Now I am not saying that I would change it if it came on a Playlist, but I wouldn't seek it out.

Really good album, 4.5 stars

This was good. I’d like to listen again

some great ones. but sufjan is kinda weird

This was an interesting listen, as I had no clue what kind of genre it would be. I found myself really enjoying some songs but others I found a bit boring. I like it and would listen to it again, but I'm not in a rush to own it.

I enjoyed this, but not as much as I was expecting to. Another 3.5 star!

This album wasn’t for me.

Beautiful album and I’m glad I listened to it all the way through. I found new favorites

Okay I went into this one kinda dreading it and I low key really enjoyed this! It was a lot of fun! It was original and interesting throughout! It felt like a movie soundtrack. This was cool Liked Songs: I am not writing out these long af titles, but this was good and there was good stuff here lol

Boring 2

Not bad. Some tracks were more enjoyable than others. 3.5/5

Really chill and beautiful Orchestra , I really like it .

der erste track war richtig gut und hat mir Hoffnung gemacht, dass das ganze Album so ist. Leider gab es nur ein paar Lieder die sich ähnlich angehört haben. Die meisten Lieder hatten so einen Zirkus vibe zu sich. Fand ich jetzt ned so gut.

I don't know. I guess it's good but I didn't enjoy listening to it. I don't know.

So that’s where all that annoying 2010s indie came from. Poor imitations of this, for sure. Thoughtful instrumentation and storytelling, even if it’s not really my thing.

God bothered.

Primera vez escuchando este álbum, un experencia de principio a fin. 4.4

What a great surprise. Big, interesting compositions and arrangements. So glad I found this one

I do like myself some sad hipster music

Long album, was unsure about this one but grew on me towards the end.

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

Hørte 3/4 av albumet, har hørt før og blir å høre igjen. Glad i Sufjan sin stemme og når man har hørt mest på Carrie & Lowell blir dette veldig ekspressivt og orkester og alt

i think with what it's trying to do, it does very well. unfortunately i just didn't vibe with it that much. made me feel weirdly sad and it didn't help with how long it is. also kinda reminded me of the whole millenial optimism trend, i'm sure they were eating this up

Honestly I was pretty shocked to see so many positive reviews of this record. I thought the vocals were unbearable to listen to. The record is so long and all sounds the same. There’s an occasional good lyric or well written song, but I just could not stand the music or the vocals. Sounds too much like mediocre Sunday morning Church music.

хз,тема так то прікольна,но мені не зашла,7/10

This is an incredible album: not just a set of individually-satisfying songs ("heart-wrenching melodies" with "over-the-top arrangements" as two critics said), but a concept album, with public history themes, also engaging with Stevens' private history. Prolific/skilful singer-songwriter in full flight, tackling big subjects with engaging and challenging lyrics, looping catchy harmonies, satisfying orchestrations, great though apparently "lo-fi" production (home recording and Pro Tools), passionate songs, extensive dynamic range. Many standout songs. In contrast to what I know of his other albums, this is largely acoustic instrumentation, I have no problem with that. Came back to say I'm currently rating this 11 out of 10 :-)

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

Always thought of this album as sort of like being a Belle and Sebastian wannabe? But on this listen, I'm realizing that the arrangements here are much more complex than anything Belle and Sebastian ever did, even though at the same time most of the songs are weaker. That being said, if you tried to tell me that something like "Come On Feel the Illinoise", "Chicago", or "Casimir Pulaski Day" surpasses Belle and Sebastian, I wouldn't exactly agree but I couldn't really rush to tell you that you're obviously wrong, you know?

It's really good, just a little too long

Literally my favorite album

Mer fan av de nyeste bangerne hans. Dette blir litt for mye musikal for min smak. Eller filmmusikk for en sånn rar europeisk film

Great, but I find some of his other albums (Carrie and Lowell, Michigan) are my 5s!

Not what I expected but it’s good very well melachonic and a tad bit sad yet still hopeful

Love this album. Easy to listen to and comforting

A little to quirky

Toggling between intrigued and annoyed with this one. Zappa-esque in places. I kinda like it in small doses.

This was a long album! There were a few songs that I especially liked, but most were just average; nice to listen to but nothing that I’d listen to again.

Could this album have been better if it was half the length? Perhaps. But part of me appreciates that it was so long. This interesting fusion of singer-songwriter music and orchesetral music was pretty cool, like a combination of Neil Young and Steve Reich. This album also feels very American, in a good way. It does a good job at capturing the essence of the country, with the songwriting voice representing individualism and the orchestral arrangements representing the country's vast landscapes. It was cool to read about the historical research that went into the creation of the album as well. My favorite tracks were Come On! Feel the Illinoise! and Chicago. A very high four. Favorite Track: Chicago

Great!

Very very good. A musical tour through cities, places, and people of Illinois. Musically varied and ambitious. I can’t wait to listen again. Might become a 5, but a strong 4 for now.

Have not listened to this in a long time. Wow, so much variety, depth, and humour to everything. The best album in weeks. There has been a slight improvement in the albums, hopefully it contines. 5 Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes: 44/176(25%) Will I get. Already have

Second ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ album on the bounce. What an absolute gorgeous album, a work of art.

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

too long, could've been 5 stars

I like Sufjan, he has a couple of albums I think are excellent, and some others that are solid and a few I don't care for at all. This one is considered his best, but not even close for me. Some incredible songs (Casimir Pulaski Day is excellent) and some pretty good ones and a whole lot of filler and excessively fussy orchestration. Those excellent SS records I mentioned? Seven Swans and Carrie and Lowell, both very stripped down, which really showcases his songwriting and avoids his tendency towards MORE. This is the height of Sufjan excess and sometimes it works but most of the time it's just a hat on a hat

Chicago is one of my favorite songs in the world- great day to be Bree I love albums where I have to use my photographic memory to remember song names. -Chicago and Jacksonville are some of my favorite songs in the world- great day to be Bree. New favorite song from the full listen through: Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition Part 2: Carl Sandburg Visits me in a Dream *makes me want to dance with all my friends and feels very much like I am at a world fair loving my son

An absolute beast of an album in terms of scope and length but extremely comfortable soundwise. On repeated listens the complexity of the orchestration got a little overwhelming for me but I still wholly fuck with Illinois. I think people that like this should really listen to Gabriel Kahanes "The Ambassador" Decateur is definitely my favorite track

So that's what Sufjan Stevens sounds like. Hope he finishes the 50 States series one day...

Enjoyed this. Pretty epic record of bright, inventive ideas. Had some standout tracks and some forgettable moments. Most enjoyable when channeling Reich-like rhythms and arpeggios. The track Chicago is absolutely amazing.

A lot of emotions triggered by some of these. Really like Jacksonville and Chicago. All the songs seem to have great stories and messages

Chicago is one of those songs. I can't really quite put my finger on why but its just one of the greatest songs ever. Americans talk about "Great American Novels", this album feels to me like the equivalent of a "Great American Album". I don't really see many flaws with the album except that its a bit long. Its like a good cohesive experience, but only a handful of the tracks are ones that I actually want to go back to individually. Fave Tracks: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!, Jacksonville, Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day, The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us! 4.4/5

Obviously the theme of the album is a spoof, so it was never going to be that meaningful. However the sound is bland and there's very low energy for a spoof album to warrant being here. The performance is just so lackluster indie, it's just easy listening, and is far too long.

Another boring album, I thought this was a soundtrack for something (something terrible) at first but apparently not. It was so incredibly long winded and dull, it should be playing in a hipster coffee shop somewhere and not in my ears.

these song titles are sooo longgg holy he’s got a beautiful voice wow chicago is sooo good the transitions in this album are smooooth tho very music heavy; not much lyricism this album was just okay! it wasn’t really my vibe, because i like more upbeat things that keep building throughout the song. there were a few songs i liked; only two i put on my playlists. i think my main grievance with this album was what i said earlier: it was too musical, with an extreme lack of lyricism. as someone who bases what she likes off the complexity of the lyricism, this was a let down for me. also— the intros were TOO long. when a song wasn’t just purely instrumental, it still took wayyyy too long to get to the fist verse, so that knocked the album down a few notches. again, it’s not a BAD album, just not for me because it doesn’t align with what i already like. but, i do think sufjan stevens has a beautiful voice & that this album has a great uniqueness in its sound. overall, i’d give this album a 4/10.

After listening to this album, it gave me this feeling that I need to join a cult. Buy some white cotton to sew some flowy robes, make a flower crown and learn how to whittle a tambourine.

A Great collection of ecléctic songs

Tremendísimo y colosal álbum. En el top 10 de discos del siglo XXI. Sufjan te busca los intestinos desde la grandilocuencia y el intimismo nunca mejor empastados. Una instrumentación digna de estudio, con viento y cuerdas en primer plano, coros, piano y teclados, xilófonos y percusión adornando la suave voz de Sufjan para completar una sinfonía alérgica al 4/4 para alegría de las almas disconformes con el mainstream. Si no lo has escuchado todavía, tu vida está incompleta.

Enjoyable, inoffensive songs. The album about the state of Illinois I never know I needed.

nicht aufregend

Well this was a nice and harmless listen. Maybe a little too clever for its own good in the arrangements but very well recorded nonetheless. There’s a mellow, progressive folk thing going on here which doesn’t change too much for the course of its 74 minute run time which makes it seem a bit bland by the end but every song does have some interesting things happening in them. This does fit very much in its time as I’ve heard many bands from this era try this kind of music. They are all very interesting but there’s an overly intellectual vibe that makes me turn towards something a bit more emotionally intense. Some may say its a bit pretentious but I do understand the intellectual approach to this kind of songwriting so I’m not offended. I probably won’t ever listen to this again but if I heard it playing somewhere I would probably enjoy it.

I just don't know about this one. Is it really worthy of space on here. fuck is that goat doing on the cover.

I never felt bored listening to this, which is an achievement with its runtime, but did not enjoy everything equally. There are some really beautiful songs on here, others don’t do much for me. All the short songs in between were a bit weird. And the excruciatingly long songs titles bug annoy me so much. I would say it’s a 3.5, and I’ll round up this time.

3/10

1000000000/10

Very whimsy. It's just perfect to listen to while driving.

This was a weird, fun album. To me or felt like a cross between the soundtrack to a very obscure independent film and a love letter to IL. Overall, I liked the album. It was a good mix of genres.

Great album

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

Run'o'the mill singer song writer. Some interesting melodies. En trea

Interesting titles and lyrics :3 Fave song: chicago

This sounds a little like a film score in places. Also what the heck is with the song about a serial killer? Overall, yes it's musically quite nice, but I'm not sure about the lyrics. Gonna give the album a 3 overall (2 for lyrics, 4 for music as I do like the orchestral bits. It's a lot more exciting than some of the guitar-heavy indieboi music one hears).

When this album came out I would have probably given it 5 stars. It is a great album but it’s not a perfect album. The second half drags a bit. In general it’s great but I’m not sure it deserves anything more than incredibly memorable. It isn’t perfect but it definitely has a place on this list

Casimir Pulaski Day made me ugly cry while doing the dishes…

This album was not my vibe. I found it very boring

I always love when artists use a wide variety of instruments in their music, and the strings, horns, keys, and quirky electronic bits made this such a fun listen. Even some of the more experimental and weird songs were still interesting. Super ridiculous song titles but somehow still charming. Eclectic, melancholy, and beautiful 4.5/5 but I’ll round up because Spencer loves this album

It’s really interesting and unique I wasn’t sure what to expect

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

Theater kid music

Listened before: YES My parents have a big CD collection and when I was a kid they would let me pick what to listen to so I picked this based on the cover. I hated every song except Chicago. When I was in high school I revisited it because I loved Chicago so much and fell in love. Far and away my favorite indie album, potentially because of nostalgia but also it’s soooo good. And he played every single instrument!! Come on Feel the Illinoise my beloved <3

Never listened to Sufjan Stevens before with any intent and he's an interestig musician. Album was long but pretty cohesive. Elements of indie, folk, pop, gospel, and even broadway? "Chicago" was the highlight, understandable given the album's name, but I also enjoyed "Decatur", "Casimir Pulaski Day", and "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us"

I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

I enjoy most songs here and don’t have a lot of negatives other than I’d be hard pressed to identify the uniqueness of each track as they kind of blend into a melange that is inoffensive.

very cool album/performance

Weird

3.93

I'm a sucker for a good concept album, and this one was great. Jazzy instrumentals and nice singing wrapped up in a cool sounding indie pop form

Folky but so so unique. I loved Carrie and Lowell but this was quite different.

Amazing how much of this I remember. 4

?????????????

Most of it was good. Some of it was reaching for something that wasn't there.

I've seen this album everywhere, but never actually put it on to listen. The concept is an A+. I gave it a first listen and liked the vibe, but it's not totally my thing. A second listen deepened my understanding and made me love it more. I'm giving this a 5 because I love that it exists. I don't know that I'm going to listen to this on repeat, its a little long. But I see myself returning, and the love of it growing.

Fantastic album, added to collection and saved for later listening. Might return for that fifth and final star but for now 4/5

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

Eclectic mix of experimental pop with orchestral/country/jazz flourishes. Soft vocals are a bit grating though, like it was recorded in a bedroom trying not to wake up the rest of the house. Seems a bit self-indulgent/opaque. Not sure what it's about or what the point is. Best track - Jacksonville, Decatur 3 stars

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

ok

This album was so fun and unexpected! Each song almost felt like a different genre and it kept me on my toes (in a good way). Really enjoyed the quality of his voice, too.

Agradable sin más

Quite liked this.

Quirky and listenable, although perhaps a relief that he didn't complete an album for all 50 States.

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

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

very chill, interesting that it's so long

This album showcases a beautiful story. It starts out sounding very light and hopeful, but the longer it goes on, the darker each song gets. In my eyes we start out in a normal city. That normal city slowly grows more and more corrupted, until… a hero shows up. The hero tries his best to help the townspeople and save their city from total corruption, but fails. After this we reach a very desperate point in the album. That is, until another hero shows up. This time, he saves the town and things slowly return to normal. This is when the music start to get more dainty and hopeful again. We end with a very joyous song, that shows all is well that ends well. Sufjan Steven is a storyteller who does not get remotely enough recognition outside of his work for the CMBYN soundtrack.

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

Une excellente découverte!

Pai da Phoebe Bridgers. Album bom mas talvez eu tenha ouvido na hora errada. Deve ser ótimo ouvir com tempo e com calma, pra relaxar.

Pleasant and mellow music to play when working from home. Sufjan has a nice voice and the album theme is fun.

Både mysigt och roligt! 5- och 11-takt som passar en söndagseftermiddag, det är snyggt skrivet! 4a från mig. Annie tycker att det var en riktigt eskapad! Välbalanserat. 5a från henne!

10/10

Listenable. Not really my thing but pleasant listening.

Wasn't a fan ngl, couldn't get through 3 songs

Well I read some mixed reviews before listening, and it may be well produced have fantastic musicality and deep soul searching lyrics. But 20 minutes in I thought I was still on track one, it’s just bland and tedious. I gave up at minute 21 and that was more than enough for me

Very nice. Nothing really stood out. An easy and enjoyable listen. Might check out some more of his stuff after this.

Sad Boy Sings Sad Songs Somewhere

According to The Ringer, Sufjan Stevens made it cool for indie rockers to put down their Pavement and pick up a banjo. That is probably worth five stars right there. I'll give it four stars for the music, another for his service reducing the influence of Pavement, and a sixth in escrow only to be released upon the completion of the fifty states project.

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

i liked it, pretty chill.

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

Um dos melhores álbuns já feitos. Sufjan é um gênio.

I get how others can find this repellingly twee, but this is absolutely my thing.

This was an unexpected experience. I loved this when it came out, and now I can't really remember why. It has not aged well. It is still pleasant to have on. It has a lot of nice instrumentation. Whatever emotions it spoke to at the time aren't connecting anymore. It also doesn't hit me with the nostalgia high that some music from the era does. Maybe I'm just dead inside, but this is the most 3/5 stars I've heard so far.

I didn't know this artist. Good background music while working. A good album overall.

Sufjan Stevens will always elicit a very specific brand of melancholy from my heart that hurts so good

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

não imaginei que ia gostar, mas tem músicas muito legais. as mais lentas são bem chatinhas, o que dá uma puxada pra baixo na nota, mas no geral foi interessante de conhecer. singer songwriter segue sendo loteria......

sehr schöne instrumentals, emotional, manchmal traurig, manchmal hoffnungsvoll, seine stimme ist eh traurig, millenial hope core, zwischendurch interessante titel, sowieso interessante texte und melodien und album aufbau

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

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

Δεν ξετρελάθηκα, έχει πολλά τραγούδια που θα μπορούσαν να είναι είτε background music σε vlog είτε σε tik tok που έχουν να κάνουν με αχυρώνες και ζωή στη φύση 😭. 4/10

Great album. Makes me happy, yet has melancholy vibes.

I like it

Delightful

Ame este album, tiene un aire acogedor y recursos envolventes, me recordó mucho a King Crimson, 5 out of 5

very fun very different album. it was long and not what I'm used to but the track titles we're very funny. It took itself un seriously but at the same time committed to what it wanted to say.

Interesting, but also apparently quite foundational? Beautifully made, there's no doubt, even if Sufjan isn't my particular cup of tea. So funny that this comes up for me though, being a Chicago denizen. And yes, that's what I am. Am I in the minority that hates the deluxe and extended editions being the sort of default go-to on music apps? I want the original bastard record, if I want to go listen to a million demos I will but I want the record to finish when it's supposed to finish.

Super interesting. I’m not a huge fan this kind of orchestration for pop/rock music, but in this case it was done extremely well. I still think I would probably prefer a re-recorded version of these songs in a more typical rock band format, but the songs and the vocals are outstanding.

Dit album is speciaal gemaakt voor insecten die een festival organiseren in het gras en de bloemen. Het is groots, maar ook bedwongen. Alsof het een hele kleine wereld volledig opvult, vandaar het insectenfestival. Het geluid is tijdloos. Erg veel liefde naar het gebruik van een ‘wall of sound’ afwisselend met weinig instrumentatie. Wel veel herhaling en dezelfde trucjes, dus na een half album heb je het gevoel of je het wel gehoord hebt. Een heel irritant piepje in the seer’s tower. Ik denk dat het expres er in is gelaten, maar het stoorde wel! Maar I love Sufjan Stevens en zal er zeker weer naar luisteren als ik het gevoel wil creëeren van in een hele goede Amerikaanse indie film zitten.

This one's a weird one for me. On the one hand, I can really appreciate both the lyrical and musical intricacies of the album. Sufjan Stevens is a great storyteller, and an equally good musician. On the other hand, I just... wasn't captured by the album? Though I wouldn't turn it off, I also didn't find myself remembering a lot of what was going on. This might be a case of 'wrong place wrong time', or maybe the album just isn't for me. My favourite song on the project was 'Calimir Pulaski days'

technisch gezien een geweldig album, maar sufjan is gewoon niet mijn ding, helaas. genoot wel erg van z'n hele bandje met alle toeters en bellen + die man kan goed titels verzinnen. helaas, in een ander leven had ik het geweldig gevonden

It's really good but the songs are too long amazing album tho couldn't listen to the whole thing

3/5 because it's not something I would normally go for. It was just too mellow for me. This was an entertaining album and was well crafted. The songs all paint a wonderful picture. This was my first dive into Sufjan Stevens and while it's not my cup of tea, it was quite enjoyable.

Not too appealing to me, a little bit bland and repetitive. There are some redeemable moments; "Chicago" is good. I don't think I'm a big indie fan.

What a great album. Great song flowing into great song. Beautiful writing and musicianship. Lovely. Had never heard it before

Ah this was adapted to a musical. That makes sense. This is ambitious but long and pretentious and there are nice pieces but this could've used an editor (especially on the track titles). Top tracks: "Chicago," "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts," "The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, 'I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!'"

--Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois...pretty intro --The Black Hawk War...trumpets! --Come On! Feel the Illinoise!...well done baroque pop --John Wayne Gacy, Jr....sad. dark --Jacksonville...something with a little more funk. I don't know how you do that with a banjo but he does --A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons...a short reprise --Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!...a playful ditty --One Last 'Whoo-Hoo!' for the Pullman!!...hmm --Chicago...exhilarating --Casimir Pulaski Day...a beautiful bedroom recording. the quiet elegance of this contrasts nicely with the soaring "Chicago" --To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region...another short diversion --The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts...more of a rocker. it's fun --Prairie Fire That Wanders About...the lyrics seem a little random but sure --A Conjunction of Drones...next --The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!...the arrangements are complex but also seem effortless. it almost makes me angry how easy he makes it all sound --They Are Night Zombies!!...album is long but damn he keeps it interesting --Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell...diversion --In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth...sure --The Seer's Tower...pretty and sad --The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders...if you insist on adding a seven minute epic onto an album that's already over an hour long this late in the game, maybe cut out the 30-50 second diversion tracks? that said, this is still good. I'm being nitpicky --Riffs and Variations on a Single Note...speaking of --Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run...pleasant but unnecessary

This album felt very experimental, and like a nice blend of genres such as jazz and folk. Favourite track: Chicago

This can’t be in the top 1001 albums list!!

odd album.

Come for the completely over the top, ridiculous song titles. Stay for the completely delightful, wonderful listening experience. Perhaps the creative peak of this musical era.

Instrumental heavy, very soothing. Vibe changes a lot. Started off with overlooking city lights from top of a hill feeling. But changed to super orchestral, dark room with vibrant yellow lights feeling. Some Euphoria church vibes too. Banjo use also slows down the album midway. A lot going on musically in every song tho. Made me go to the John Wayne Gacy Jr. wikipedia only to learn that prior to the murders, he had already been convicted for a terrible crime but only served 18 months of his 10 year imprisonment. Did not like that. Personally, it changes tones a bit too much for me to really look at this as something I would want to listen to completely in 1 sitting as an album. 3.5/5

What an amazing album. I’m not even half way through and it’s gonna be a 5’er. I’m glad for a reason to finally listen all the way through.

this goes surprisingly hard in 2025

So, I've listened to a lot of Sufjan Stevens, but only his Christmas Albums. (Which are great non-traditional/ and traditional Christmas music. Highly recommended) And I thought that I had given his non-Christmas music a shot and was turned off by it. I don't think I actually did that though. This album is very good. Maybe a bit long (especially those song titles, amiright?) But there is a lot of fun, beautiful, good songs on here.

I loved this so so much

To me, still his best album, showcasing his songwriting, orchestration and arrangement skills in a way that to this day still blows my mind.

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👻🪟🪦🎡🐐🛸🧟🎈

aplauso señooooore

Ihanaa samalla rauhallista ja tosi kompleksista musaa. Onkohan Collier ottanut vaikutteita?

Good soundtrack for listening to the bus. Not my typical music genre since it doesn’t have a lot of singing parts, but it was pleasant.

Was not expecting such brilliance. Amazing album

Another beautiful album, spoilt by its length. Such a calm, beautiful and thoughtful album. This is what the challenge is about, what a gem to find.

I really enjoyed this album in the beginning, then the further I got through the more it sounded just like The City on a Hill Christmas Album. Lovely voice, mostly really enjoyed the musicality, just outstayed it welcome by about 30mins

not my favorite from sufjan but still a hell of an album. well made, beautiful arrangements for the strings and piano

I like him but this is an average album.

felt like a musical soundtrack, like the song titles and the instrumental songs in between, flows very easily when you listen from top to bottom, everything felt a little too similar, nothing stood out to me

First song “concerning of the UFO” sounds just like the intro for “habits of my heart” by James young. Cool to figure out that’s where he got that from! Vaguely reminds me of Jukebox the ghost too.

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

My favorite album.

Why's this sound so much like Frank Zappa?

Light hearted. Lots of instruments, kind of folk and cheesy. I’m not exactly sure what mood I need to be able to listen to this. Not exactly my type of music, but I appreciate the artistry. I got through about half of the album.

How not to love Sufjan? This album is enchantingly beautiful, a wonderful trip in time and space through the delightful instrumentations he creates, lovely and nostalgic, vivid and sad atmospheres. Sufjan Stevens is such a great musician, with great taste. And in this Illinois he creates a very poetic – also through the sounds – album. This album is fantastic, very bright from start to end, and how delicious and enchanting it is to listen to it! It's magnificent, for sure.

ive finally started to get sufjan after like three listens

funky! reminds me of something I would have listened to when I was young. kinda deathcab for cutie-esque, but not what I prefer to listen to.

This record feels like stumbling into a secret, magical parade. What a treat on Christmas! Ambitious, sprawling, and totally earns every second of its runtime. Pure, heart-swelling magic. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - Half the Album. Seriously.

Starkt album!

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

sufjan <3 in an alternative timeline this is when i'll listen to the album for the 1st time and will fall in love with his music there and then. but i'm in a better timeline where his music is already part of my soul so i get to revisit one of the best albums of all time :) chicago 2005 united states indie folk

Being from the shithole known as Illinois I think I'm legally obligated to give this five stars. And the fact that he made a song about the Rock River Valley, and I live RIGHT BY the Rock River?!?! Excellent 😘

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

Langeweile pur!

Fun album musically, but does not give the listener nearly enough to chew on to justify such a long tracklist. Album is bloated beyond belief, and holds bland instrumentation throughout

Blew me away. I only ever listened to Chicago from this album. Never expected this album to be that good. So much variation. The song names are amazing as well.

Absolutely amazing. If you close your eyes you start a journey

Very delightful and pretty sounding album. There’s some lulls here and there, but at its worst, the instrumentals sound like filler but at its best, they provide this soundtrack that makes you feel like you’re ascending. Solid listen.

Diverse and competently-assembled folk. I've never known why Sufjan Stevens generally doesn't resonate with me emotionally the way he does for many others, but there you have it. There are exceptions -- 'Chicago' and 'Casimir Pulaski Day' -- but his music stands for me as beautiful, academically, but not as emotionally affecting as folk can be. Maybe it's a little over-orchestrated, over-arranged. Anyway, it's a surprisingly solid and brisk double and well worth your listening time.

Fun, very 2000’s urban outfitters vibe. Reminds me of something that would be a soundtrack to a quirky awkward Michael Cera movie

I've had about nine or ten tracks off this album in my regular rotation since I first listened to it in 2016. It is interesting to see how my tastes have developed. I still think Illinois is a great album, but I found myself enjoying the parts I had neglected to listen to as much. Whereas I preferred the heavily-orchestrated songs like "Come on! Feel the Illinoise!" and "Predatory Wasp of the Palisades" before, now I love the more delicate "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." I do see where critics are coming from when they complain about some tracks on Illinois sounding the same. I enjoy the woodwind textures and layered vocals, but some moments would have benefited from more variation or clarity of sounds rather than using the same thick instrumentation.

Pretty nice folky stuff but it goes on for way too long. Cool production choices though and some good songwriting moments

It's no surprise this was later adapted for Broadway. Feel The Illinoise pt. 1 is big and bold but also playful and full of joy. It's the perfect foil for the ethereal vocals. Jacksonville has more of a groove, but it's the strings and horns that make it. Everything sounds bright and fresh and unexpected. 'Chicago' is more restrained than the title track, but still theatrical with the orchestra and choral backing. Then the slow, somber Casimir Pulaski Day. But the show must go on. Predatory Wasp was my favourite on the back half, and I lost focus a bit after that if we're being honest. Overall though, it's really quite eclectic and so dynamic - often changing tone or intensity within the same song. The interludes feel as vital as the "main" tracks, pulling everything together. 74 minutes is a long album though, and it's a LOT to process. Still very very good.

Brought back memories

i didn’t listen yesterday but idk how to feel about this album so far😭it’s def not my style though. no I don’t think I can finish this bc the john wayne gacy song…it made me uncomfortable because it felt like he was trying to make me feel bad for him? I don’t really know how to describe it but talking about all the normal things he did and how his neighbors loved him is just strange to me.

Some beautiful, heart wrenching songs in here

Chicago is a great song. It reminds me of early 2000s summer. The rest of the album doesn’t grab me nearly as much but I should give it a few more listens before I make up my mind.

I have this one in my collection. I came to Sufjan’s music in reverse after first falling in love with the ‘Carrie and Lowell’ album and accompanying concert at the Sydney Opera House. It was one of the most moving concerts I have ever been to. This too is an amazing album, although I do feel it could have been a bit shorter with some of the repetitive parts left out.

I found this album interesting and engaging and I did like the vibe and feel of this album, reminiscent of 1960-70’s concept albums. The lyrics and vocal sounds are a bit light and whimsical for me to play on repeat but I did like some of the composition. I did like ‘Chicago’ and reckon this is on some film soundtrack somewhere? I would listen to this again and might check some more of their music.

It's album that feels connected, there's a pervasiveness to the whole album that means nothing stands out too far from the overall ambience

Wow this album is much better than I remember it being! This is really IMO the only Sufjan Stevens album you'd ever need to listen to, it's exactly his thing done perfectly (albeit a bit too long).

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

One of the all time greats from 00s indie!

So good! Great instrumentals, and really fun and deep songs.

Vá bara vá

A concept album with a nice storytelling, great instrumentals, moving like a painting. I am not fond of this kind of albums nor Sufjan Stevens, so i can’t tell if it’s great or not. It’s nice produced but too long imo. Fav track they are night zombies !!…