Illinois

by Sufjan Stevens

Illinois cover art

'Illinois' merges chamber folk with maximalist orchestral arrangements, characterized by shifting time signatures and a vast instrumental palette largely performed and layered by Stevens himself. The album's ambitious songwriting explores the history, culture, and geography of its titular state, juxtaposing meticulously researched topics like the World's Columbian Exposition and John Wayne Gacy, Jr. with intimate, personal narratives. Self-produced using primarily lo-fi recording techniques, the resulting work is a sonically intricate and textured album that earned widespread critical acclaim and marked Stevens' commercial breakthrough.

Genres

  • Chamber Pop
  • Singer-Songwriter

Tracklist

  1. Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois
  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...
  3. Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream
  4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
  5. Jacksonville
  6. A short reprise for Mary Todd, who went insane, but for very good reasons
  7. Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step-Mother!
  8. One last "Whoo-hoo!" for the Pullman
  9. Chicago
  10. Casimir Pulaski Day
  11. To The Workers of The Rock River Valley Region, I have an idea concerning your predicament, and it involves an inner tube, bath mats, and 21 able-bodied men
  12. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
  13. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
  14. A conjunction of drones simulating the way in which Sufjan Stevens has an existential crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze
  15. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
  16. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!
  17. Let's hear that string part again, because I don't think they heard it all the way out in Bushnell
  18. In This Temple As in The Hearts of Man For Whom He Saved The Earth
  19. The Seer's Tower
  20. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders Part I: The Great Frontier Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings Now
  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
  22. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I shake the dirt from my sandals as I run