Illinoise

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
You certainly can’t fault the man’s ambition. (Come On Feel the) Illinoise is Sufjan Stevens’ second offering in his attempt to record an album for all 50 American states (the first was Greetings from Michigan). And rather than make life any easier for himself, Illinoise is itself a 20-track concept album, tackling a range of relevant topics from serial killers ("John Wayne Gacy, Jr.") to poets ("Come On Feel the Illinoise, Part II: Cars Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream") to Superman ("The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts").

Taken as a whole, the album sounds like a stage musical history of Illinois, sung with enthusiasm, and full of flourish and energy and a cast of characters that include the Blackhawk tribe, Abraham Lincoln, Al Capone, steelworkers and small-town heroes. Perhaps most surprisingly, considering its depths of knowledge and research, most of the album was recorded by Stevens in Queens, New York. But to its credit, Illinoise is always accessible, and never academic--if he can tackle such diverse topics within the course of just one album, then Stevens is just the musician to attempt the remaining 48 states. --Robert Burrow

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Customer reviews

review by: who likes reading date: 2008-05-26 rating:
Loves it
Its hard to say things about this album that haven't been said before, or that won't be immediately noticed upon listening to it. So what I want to concentrate on is the flow of the songs, the sheer artistic sense of musicality that Sufjan Stevens has. Each song leads effortlessly on to the next, and its a crazy mixture of half-minute muzak and 5 minute reminiscing, story-telling, faith clanging epics.
There is so much here to hear. I loves it.

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review by: date: 2008-04-05 rating:
love it
Illinois is the second instalment of singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens' ambitious '50 States' project, in which he aims to make a concept album about each of the American states. This album of twenty-two songs is a collection of Indie-folk music. It is released on Sufjan's own record label Asthmatic Kitty, typical of Indie music, which gets its name from being independently produced. The music has an ethereal quality, often being acoustic, and very much focuses on the lyrical aspect of the songs. Some of the instrumental arrangements may seem out of place, like banjo or flutes solos in the middle of a song about a serial killer, but they end up adding uniqueness and a folk feel to the music. One song on the album which really stands out is "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.", about the murderer who dressed up as a clown. Not only does it stand out because of its subject but also because of the gentle ebb and flow of the music and lyrics. The effortless fluency of the song makes me feel content and laidback. I would recommend this album to anyone who has enjoyed any of Sufjan Stevens' previous music, indie music, or just need something calm and inspirational to listen to.

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review by: Toypom date: 2008-02-16 rating:
Poetic masterpiece

Illinois contains a wealth of catchy melodies and gripping imagery, plus plenty of variety in theme, musical style and presentation. The music is an original blend of soulful folk-pop with orchestral infusions. There are some scattered bursts of electrical guitar here and there but the banjo is prominent throughout. Interspersed with colorfully titled brief instrumental snippets, the songs embrace a range of emotions from joy to melancholy. For all its dazzling variety, the album is surprisingly cohesive.

The following are my personal favorites:
The celebratory Come On Feel The Illinoise with its intricate arrangement, the buoyant Decatur with its witty rhyme scheme and lilting beat, the poignant and solemn Casimir Pulaski Day, the sensitive treatment of a horrible subject like John Wayne Gacy, the mix of sadness and elation in the rousing tune Chicago,
Man Of Metropolis with its segments of hard rock guitar and the tender Tallest Man.

On these exquisite melodies, Sufjan's intimate voice is often framed by elegant backing vocals over a complex and stirring instrumental mix. Infused with an appealing sense of spirituality, Illinois offers an inspiring and uplifting listening experience.

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review by: Toypom date: 2008-02-10 rating:
Incomparable masterpiece
This inspired concept album is incredibly rich and varied in its themes, musical styles and presentation. The lyrics are poetic whilst the music may be characterized as soulful folk-pop with orchestral infusions. The banjo plays a leading role but there are some scattered bursts of electrical guitar here and there.

The songs encompass emotions from joy to melancholy, and are interspersed with colorfully titled brief instrumental snippets like A Short Reprise for Mary Todd or vocal ones like One Last Woohoo for the Pullman. For all its dazzling variety, the album is surprisingly cohesive and the following are my personal favorites:
The celebratory Come On Feel The Illinoise with its intricate arrangement, the buoyant Decatur with its witty rhyme scheme and lilting beat, the poignant and solemn Casimir Pulaski Day, the sensitive treatment of a horrible subject like John Wayne Gacy, the mix of sadness and elation in the rousing and catchy tune Chicago, Man Of Metropolis with its segments of hard rock guitar and the tender Tallest Man.

Wow what a listening experience Illinois proved to be. On these exquisite melodies, Sufjan's intimate voice is often framed by the most elegant backing vocals over a rich and graceful instrumental mix. The music is infused with a stirring sense of spirituality. Illinois is the most inspiring and uplifting album I have heard in a long long time.



review by: date: 2008-02-04 rating:
f6ukf7ciu
I love the way so much stuff has been crammed into this record; tracks like "One Last "Whoo-Hoo!" for the Pullman" are not 6-second throwaways, they're vital in making Illinois interesting in the first place. Some nice arrangements, the song about zombies is great, but... I dunno, the lyrics are just really, really bad. And for all of the album's supposed experimentation, the actual tracks are no crazier than anything you'd find on an Arcade Fire CD. I actually gave this record away to a friend who was going to study in Illinois for a year, more for the context of it all than any sort of musical gift. I can't say I've missed its presence too much...

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