Sufjan Stevens "Illinois" (2005)

It'd be easy to object off the bat to all the gimmicks here - the 50-concept-albums-for-50-states project, the fact that Stevens plays 20+ instruments on the album, some gratuitous rhyming of obscure words (Ronald Reagan / Xylophagen), the ridiculous titles, the 6-minute songs written in odd metres with odder orchestration. Anyway, that's what I thought at first. It's clearly dangerous territory for an artist - you're pretty much doomed to fall flat on your face. Sufjan Stevens pulls it off though with some brilliant, very human songwriting. There are a few missteps - usually oversteps - but no matter, the album is huge, sprawling, relentlessly excessive, and brilliant. Easily one of the best albums of 2005.

From its framing gimmick and its anti-folk folk songwriting to its he-has-to-be-kidding song titles and its show-offy instrumentation, Illinois should reduce to a simple stunt performance. That it's pop-art of the highest caliber, instead, cements Stevens as one of the most vital voices in music today. -Slant Review

• Sufjan Stevens on allmusic.com
• Illinois on metacritic.com
• Illinois on amazon.com
• Informative Wikipedia entry on Illinois
• Illinois lyrics

1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois

Solid. Beautiful opener, particularly with the reverberating piano lines. Little strokes of genius dpt: "or what it was" at 1:33.

2. 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!

Solid. Builds nicely, becoming more compelling with each layer, particularly when the horns enter at 1:28. About the Black Hawk War.

3. Come On! Feel the Illinoise!: The World's Columbian Exposition/Carl Sanburg Visits Me in a Dream

Standout. First real song on here, serious points for a seriously catchy song in 5/4, and a cool transition to 4/4 at 2:20. Great chorus and verse melody for part 1, though it does run a little long by 6:54. The melody on the line "but what would Frank Lyyod Wright say?" kills me every time.

4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

Solid. Touching portrait of a serial killer. The music's quite beautiful but the song's not as deep as it thinks it is.

5. Jacksonville

Filler. I think this song is pretty boring except for the instrumental section with the horns 1:55 and the finale with the chorus, starting around 4:00. Not sure what it's about, and the lyrics aren't really interesting enough to make me care.

6. A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons

[transition]

7. Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!

Solid. This one grows on me each time I hear it. The rhyming may be just a cheap gimmick, but it's well executed.

8. One Last Whoo-Hoo! for the Pullman

[transition]

9. Chicago

Solid. Hooks me from the giant entrance with the cyclone of drums. Great lyrics, great music, totally pulls off the sudden dynamic changes. The one thing I don't quite get is how calmly and precisely the chorus sings the refrain. Why is that? Seriously, if you have an idea - and particularly if you think it's a good choice for this song - tell me!

10. Casimir Pulaski Day

Standout. Good call following Chicago with a straightforward folk song. Just beautiful.

11. To the Workers of the Rockford River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and It Involves Shoe String, a Lavender Garland, and Twelve Strong Women

Filler. But great title! Honestly, you need some pure filler like this on a 70 minute, 22 track album, otherwise you're just overwhelmed.

12. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts

Solid. Interesting, pretty song, particularly the verses. Good, but not 6 minutes good.

13. Prairie Fire That Wanders About

Filler. Not compelled.

14. Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze

[transition]

15. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!

Standout. A beautiful folk song that becomes stunning suddenly at 2:30 (foreshadowed nicely by the odd section at 0:56-1:34). Those quivering winds and rolling drum flares build up a tension that's never released - which is frustrating, but matches the story, I guess. By the way, at 3:27-3:43 you can hear the chorus sing "Lamb of God, we sound the horn. Hallelujah! / To us your ghost is born. Hallelu-". Kind of cast the lyrics in a different light for me.

16. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhhh!

Solid. It's got the brilliant title (Ahhhhh!), it's got the funky bassline, it's got the scary chorus going I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S, it's got a nice verse melody. Awesome.

17. Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way out in Bushnell

[transition]

18. In This Temple As in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth

[transition]

19. The Seer's Tower

Bearable. I don't know that I've ever listened to this song, really.

20. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders: The Great Frontier/Come to Me Only With Playthings Now

Solid. Oh thank God it picks up one last time! There are the horns and the clapping. Incredible verse melody. What time is this in? polymetric 5/4-3/4? Scott? By the way, Sufjan is really into the number 7.

21. 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

[transition]

22. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals As I Run

Filler. Coda.