Its creator promoted it as being the second of 50 albums he was planning, one in each of the United States. And when the record turned out so well, folks began waiting for the next installment in the series. They’re still waiting 20 years later. But we can’t really complain too much that Sufjan Stevens never did another state album after Illinois. How could he possibly top one of the most original tour de force albums of the era?
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Geographical Greatness
Sufjan Stevens had already built up an eclectic catalog when he released the album Michigan in 2003. Nobody took him too seriously when he insisted that it would be the first in a wide-ranging series that would take him across the states. Perhaps he knew that he was at least going to try one more, making it a great marketing hook.
After Michigan received excellent notices, the announcement that he would indeed be following up with a musical look at another Midwestern state helped garner much more attention to the project. What did it matter that Stevens hadn’t really spent all that much time in Illinois, his new target state?
He quickly immersed himself in some of the odder parts of Illinois history. As with Michigan, the idea was to use the state gimmick as a way of sneaking in personal material. But his musical approach deviated a bit from what he tried with Michigan, which was a quieter album on the whole.
Instead, Sufjan Stevens indulged himself with playful string and horn arrangements that bounced all around his folky melodies. He played many of the instruments himself, layering and sequencing at will. Guest instrumentalists often wondered how the parts they were playing would fit until they were ultimately stunned by the beauty of the finished product.
Illinois took the indie music world by storm in 2005. Ever since, Stevens has played it somewhat coy about whether he’d ever return to his project. The two decades that have passed since probably make it a long shot. But if it did nothing else other than inspire this marvelous album, the whole gambit was worth it.
Revisiting the Music of ‘Illinois’
Illinois would work pretty well if you took all the lyrics away. You’d still get the emotional sway that Sufjan Stevens wanted to convey. The thrill of discovery, the fear of the unknown, the pain of loss: It all emanates from the compositions and the instrumental choices made by Stevens throughout.
When you add in the weight of the words that he sings, it’s quite overwhelming. (If there’s a flaw with the album, it’s that he lets the music do too much of the talking in the closing few songs.) Stevens’ vocal delivery manages to evoke the wonder of innocence and the weight of experience all at once.
The moments where it all comes together induce chills. “Casimir Pulaski Day” and “The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us” combine the musical thrills with lived-in, heartbreaking recollections.
Sufjan Stevens manages at times like these to make us reconsider our own memories and experiences, making us wonder if perhaps they’re all momentous enough to be surrounded by bright fanfare and majestic melancholy. In that respect, Illinois transcends its sense of place. Even those of us who’ve never been there can recognize the emotional landscape.
Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)
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