CD: Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens.

Tracks:
Concernign UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
Black Hawk War
Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
Jacksonville
Who Went Insane But For Very Good Reasons
Decatur
Whoo - Hoo!
Chicago
Casimir Pulaski Day
Concerning Your Predicament
Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
Prairie Fire That Wanders About
Great Godfrey Maze
Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
They Are Night Zombies!
Bushnell
Whom He Saved the Earth
Seer's Tower
Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders
Riffs and Variations on a Single Note For Jelly Roll
Out of Egpyt, Into the Great Laugh of Mankind

Performer Notes:

• The second entry from sui generis singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens in his absurdly ambitious project to make a record for every state in America outdistances even 2003's superb GREETINGS FROM MICHIGAN in scope and beauty. A sweeping paean to the Lincoln state, ILLINOIS weaves together history, personal confession, and detail-filled scenarios with chamber folk, expansive orchestral pop, and back-porch pastoral settings for a stunningly progressive indie gem that sound like Brian Wilson, Stereolab, and Neil Young holding hands in heaven.
• Remarkably, in its intricate, gorgeously crafted surfaces, ILLINOIS lives up to its aims. In addition to its symphonic grandeur, the album also showcases Stevens's heartland folk, and some of the album's most shimmering moments are its most spare. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," for instance, is an absorbing narrative that features Stevens's sweet tenor couched by guitar, piano, and backing vocals. "Casimir Pulaski Day," similarly, rides a rootsy banjo and guitar groove while Stevens unfurls image-rich lyrics over a lilting melody. Witty, audacious, and moving, ILLINOIS manages to be spiritual, entertaining, and educational all at once, resulting in an utterly unique conceptual and musical statement.

Professional Reviews: Spin (p.64) - Ranked #8 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "[A] Chicago World's Fair of the ear -- a rebirth of wonder, discovery, and progress..."

Spin (p.105) - "[The album] sounds as informed by middle-American community theater, church choirs, and John Adams' American operas as any canonical 'folk rock' it may resemble." - Grade: A-

Entertainment Weekly (No. 829, p.71) - "...[F]inespun songs variously inspired by Carl Sandburg, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., and the 'Seer's' tower....ILLINOIS sounds quaint and even magical." - Grade: B+

Uncut (p.86) - 5 stars out of 5 - "ILLINOIS is an extraordinary achievement, all the more so as Stevens played most of the parts himself."

Magnet (p.52) - Ranked #5 in Magnet's "The 20 Best Albums Of 2005" - "[The album] continues his brave/insane quest to document the whole of our great nation's quilt of quirks..."

The Wire (p.41) - Included in The Wire's "2005 Rewind: 50 Records Of The Year."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.60) - Ranked #24 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2005" - "A boundless cornucopia utilising choir, woodwind and Vince Guaraldi-like piano..."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[W]hen focusing on life's minute joys or its mundane horror, Stevens' voice is as true and profound as an angel."

Format: CD (1 Disc); Stereo

Country: USA

Release Date: 5 July, 2005

Label: Rough Trade Records (UK)