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THE REVIEW
Two hundred years of music collected in 75 minutes.
From nineteenth-century classical music to modern classical, from traditional North American folk to Anglo-Saxon pop, from jazz to rock & blues, from white gospel to orchestral funk: all together in a single album or, better, in each individual track.
22 tracks, whose detailed description, in terms of artistic quality and emotions evoked in the listener, would require several days of work and a booklet attached. And it would probably be insufficient.
It is better, then, to close your eyes and listen to this "Illinois". And it will happen that landscapes and soundtracks will materialize over the course of a fantastic journey.
Philharmonics with their formal and impeccable demeanor playing alongside street orchestras with a little jar for passersby’s offerings. Chopin taking the piano to the countryside and improvising a duet with Neil Young and Will Oldham. Morrissey, Thom Yorke, and Morricone arranging a meeting to play in a saloon. Bill Evans and Benny Goodman playing with Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith somewhere in heaven.
Choruses and orchestrations (never epic or baroque) intertwined with more intimate and minimalistic moments. A multitude of instruments, styles, sounds, atmospheres, images and, ultimately, emotions.
Masterpiece.
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Summary by Bot
Sufjan Stevens' Illinois is an extraordinary album that blends diverse musical styles from classical to jazz and folk across 22 tracks. The review highlights the album's rich orchestration and emotional depth, calling it a masterpiece. Listeners are encouraged to immerse themselves in this sonic journey. It is celebrated for its intricate arrangements and evocative atmospheres.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
01 Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois (02:08)
02 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!" (02:14)
03 Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition, Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream (06:45)
06 A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons (00:47)
08 One Last "Whoo-Hoo!" for the Pullman (00:06)
11 To the Workers of the Rockford River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament (01:40)
12 The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts (06:17)
14 A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze (00:19)
Read lyrics16 They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh! (05:09)
17 Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell (00:40)
18 In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth (00:35)
20 The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders, Part I: The Great Frontier, Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings Now (07:02)
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 (00:46)
22 Out of Egypt, Into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt From My Sandals as I Run (04:21)
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for intimate folk songwriting, ornate orchestral pop, and periodic pivots into electronic music. His acclaimed albums include Illinoise and Carrie & Lowell.13 Reviews
