Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
 |
Rating: 5/5 Released: July 5, 2005 Reviewer: Nathan Atnikov |
Sufjan Stevens is in the midst of one of the most ambitious projects in the history of pop music. Intending to release an album about each of the 50 states in the union (and having already covered Michigan), Stevens reaches incredible heights on just his second effort, (Come On Feel The) Illinoise. The temptation would to rush through your releases when immersed in such a daunting task, but quite the opposite is true of Illinoise, which is a sprawling 22 track, 75 minute affair. What’s better? There is not a boring second on this record. Stevens’ concoction on Illinoise is primarily folk driven, with fusions too numerous to name. Imagine Badly Drawn Boy if he got into choirs, bells, and horns, although that’s far too simplistic to do Stevens justice.
Stevens’ greatest talent is his sense of balance. Every time it seems as though the album is about to get away from him with over-instrumentation, he reels it back in with quiet acoustic numbers such as The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us! (By the way, this album is worth it for the track titles alone.) The most instantly striking song, and the anchor of the first half of the record, is John Wayne Gacy, Jr., in which Stevens carefully reconstructs the horror caused by the serial killer. Throughout, Stevens is eloquently able to tackle issues large and small, universal and individual, all the while making every song feel like a deeply personal experience for the listener.
Illinoise should be the artistic achievement of a lifetime, and yet there is reason to believe that Stevens isn’t quite done yet. In fact, there are 48 reasons to believe that he isn’t done yet. Let’s just see him get 22 tracks out of Rhode Island.
