RollingStone has a decent review of Sufjan Stevens’ current release,
Illinoise, which is only the
small beginning to a very big concept project. To say the indie artist is a little
gung ho would just be one HUGE understatement and who else has tried making albums based on every single
state? I’ll admit, I’d never heard of the multi-talented musician (he plays acoustic guitar, piano,
and banjo, with his specialty being over-the-top arrangements) until now, but I surely wanted to find out
more. We’re talking about 50 albums folks. Has anyone ever made 50 completely different albums? Obviously, I’m not
talking about ‘greatest hits’ and ‘remixes’ here.
So what does he ultimately say about Illinois? Aside from singing about historical figures like Superman and
Honest Abe, we get to follow two friends out of Chicago sleeping in parking lots in their van. Not to
mention the painful experience of a friend who dies from cancer. I’ve never pinned those
particular thoughts to the state, but that’s the beauty of the project. From the sound of things,
it’s still pretty universal.
Though RS states it may take a couple of listening’s to get used to Sufjan’s sound, the four stars
definitely suggest it’s worth some attention. You can hear a few tracks on his web site
here if you aren’t familiar with the
singer. And even if you find you aren’t a fan of some of his antics you’ll anxiously be waiting to hear what
Stevens has in store for your state. This could very well be the soundtracks to that long-awaited, cross-country
drive you’ve been thinking about.