Illinois
by Sufjan Stevens
Give me Concerning, The Black Hawk, Come On, Jacksonville and Chicago and you have a 5 star set of songs and musical ideas which are right up my alley. Give me an hour more of meanderment and I'm less impressed. Some amazing songs with an unmatched vibe here (I'm not buying the tepid Christian rock/indie narrative), just a poorly curated product with a questionable attachment to the theme, and an identifiable degree of pretension that prevents this being higher than a 3.