Illinois
by Sufjan Stevens
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 792 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 721 out of 792
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 792
  3. Negative: 55 out of 792

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  1. LawrenceP
    Jul 14, 2005
    10
    I hate to say it, but this guy is a genius. Keep the tunes coming.
  2. TravisS
    Jul 14, 2005
    10
    I need to be honest. I have followed this web site for the last two years and agree with 75% of their scores. I have been somewhat apprehensive to go out and buy their top rated albums without listening to them (I usually agree but sometimes they let me down). I really love indie rock music but never heard of Sufjan. I noticed all of the acclaim it got and was convinced to buy it (took me I need to be honest. I have followed this web site for the last two years and agree with 75% of their scores. I have been somewhat apprehensive to go out and buy their top rated albums without listening to them (I usually agree but sometimes they let me down). I really love indie rock music but never heard of Sufjan. I noticed all of the acclaim it got and was convinced to buy it (took me 5 stores to find the album in NYC). I have to admit that this is one of the best albums I have ever listend to. He is simply amazing. Everything about his music and supporting cast is golden to ears. It has convinced me that I have a lot to learn about the indie rock movement and that I need to check out more Sufjan albums. Anyone who enjoys music needs to pick up this album! Enjoy it and have a good one.… Expand
  3. EthanH
    Jul 13, 2005
    10
    This album is amazing.
  4. BradP
    Jul 13, 2005
    10
    Do yourself a favor and listen to "Illinois" on good headphones all the way through; the details will amaze you. This is a remarkable achievement - homespun and epic at the same time. It will take many focused listenings to take it all in. A near perfect example of the power of great pop craft.
  5. RyanJ
    Jul 13, 2005
    8
    Michigan in my mind is untouchable. A classic album...pronounced Soof-Jan...now a household name. Can't wait to see him in Portland...I heard The New Lows will be supporting
  6. AaronS
    Jul 12, 2005
    10
    This album will be remembered for many years to come. Sufjan Stevens will no longer go unnoticed in the music industry. His genius is profiled in this album. Simply beautiful in all respects!
  7. TorM
    Jul 12, 2005
    10
    Just magical. Hard to believe that 'Michigan' could be matched or bettered but this album would seem to do that. The arrangements are staggering, the harmonies are heart-breaking and the lyrics are inspired. Stunning.
  8. JamesC
    Jul 12, 2005
    10
    Best album of the year, by a mile.
  9. J.D.Howsley
    Jul 11, 2005
    10
    By far the best album I have heard all year! Cannot wait for his live show to see how it pulls it off.
  10. MattW
    Jul 11, 2005
    10
    he is now my favorite musician of all time
  11. FlashFlooder
    Jul 11, 2005
    10
    Sufjan creates a multi-layered musical gem in his 2nd state-devoted cd. Truly amazing, we can only hope for such greatness for the next 48 states. Frontrunner for album of the year.
  12. RoMac
    Jul 11, 2005
    9
    The Gacy song is super creepy. Creepy enough that while I can respect the artistry, I don't want to hear it anymore. Other than that, there are about 6 amazing songs. "Jacksonville," "Chicago" and "Casmir Pulaski Day" are staggering achievements of melody, lyric and instrumentation. Onward to Wisconsin Sufjan!
  13. chrisb
    Jul 11, 2005
    9
    Great CD, a little out there but overall a great album
  14. RamaS
    Jul 11, 2005
    10
    This is the first time I vote in here. And this is because of this perfectly beautiful album. It just blows me away, I can't tell the last time in recent years I ever feel so sure to give a 10 on an album. The music and the lyrics are just extraordinary.
  15. OskarE
    Jul 11, 2005
    10
    Beautiful album, getting better and better with each listen (almost a hundred now!). Such a seemingly effortlessly crafted album, so subtle...not a microsecond of oversentimentalty, still one of the most passionate, emotionally charged albums I've ever heard.
  16. Doogin25
    Jul 11, 2005
    10
    It's hard for me to say that I like this album more than Michigan, but, OK I'll say it: I Do. God. Every song is an epiphany. ESPECIALLY 12-16!!!! Oh yeah....and also 1-11and 17-22!!! !
  17. ScottT
    Jul 11, 2005
    10
    One of the most affecting albums that I've heard in the last few years. Tends to grab on to you and not let go. Gorgeous album, pick it up.
  18. PeterB
    Jul 10, 2005
    10
    Bump. World hunger would end if we all listened to Sufjan's music more. No Transfiguration on this album, but a few very nice songs indeed.
  19. Danielle
    Jul 10, 2005
    10
    I LOVE THIS ALBUM. I cannot stop playing it. Sufjan is one of my favorite artists.
  20. MattC
    Jul 10, 2005
    10
    Sufjan is a genius, period... I cannot get enough of this album
  21. BjarteS
    Jul 10, 2005
    10
    Sufjan's best album so far.
  22. ChrissieS
    Jul 9, 2005
    3
    This album is recycled and boring. You hear one track and you've heard them all.
  23. vincentx
    Jul 9, 2005
    10
    At the moment there are only 2 names that matter in music: Rufus Wainwright and Sufjan Stevens. With this albums Sufjan is a notch more genius than Rufus. What a perfect album, what gracious music, what splendour! 48 more "States" albums to go...if he keeps this up, the future is bright indeed....
  24. AlexV
    Jul 9, 2005
    10
    It is difficult to imagine a better record.
  25. KeithR
    Jul 9, 2005
    10
    I was first exposed to Sufjan's music about two years ago when the shockingly good Michigan disc was released. Who else out there was self-mixing and composing banjo, acoustic guitar, Trumpet, xylophone, vibraphone, drums and god knows what other instruments into lush, vibrant tone poems? Michigan was a breath of fresh air and unlike anything else I had ever heard. It told a story as I was first exposed to Sufjan's music about two years ago when the shockingly good Michigan disc was released. Who else out there was self-mixing and composing banjo, acoustic guitar, Trumpet, xylophone, vibraphone, drums and god knows what other instruments into lush, vibrant tone poems? Michigan was a breath of fresh air and unlike anything else I had ever heard. It told a story as big as the Great Lakes but with all the personal detail that tied everything together and drew the listener into the state and into a state of mind. Could anyone possibly listen to Romulus and not empathize with Stevens as a child or feel the intimacy of "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti?" These stripped down compositions contrasted fantastically with the orchestral "All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace!" and "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)" which gave the listener a sense of the mighty industrial power of the great mid-west. Next came last year's deeply spiritual Seven Swans release. I haven't been to church in at least 10 years (not counting weddings and funerals) but this collection of musings on the Bible (in particular Revelations) led me to contemplate my place in this world and the possiblity of an almighty creator (anyone want to discuss the Big Bang Theory or the theory of Evolution with Sufjan?). Oh yeah, and the music was out of this world as well. See "The Transfiguration" and "Seven Swans" for examples of that. So it was with great expections (No, I haven't been reading Dickens for the past seven months) I awaited the release of Illinois. Would it match the splendor and personal emotion of Michigan? Would it capture the religious themes of Seven Swans and translate it into palpable everyman's music? Where to begin? I'll begin simply and state that this is hands down the release of the year so far. No it doesn't have the catchiness of Spoon's "I Turn My Camera On" off the very good "Gimme Fiction" disc or the splendid imagery of the Decemberists on "Picaresque," but is both more intimate and more grand than either of these fine records. Illinois keeps me rapt throughout its 77-minute-plus running time, each time I pick up some new instrument or sound that only adds to the disc's grandeur. You may be a skeptic like I was when I first heard about Steven's plan to do an albumn on all 50 states. How could you possibly capture the essence of a whole state ( and more than 200 years of history) in one release? Without question Steven's only skirts the surface of the entirety of the state of Illinois but through songs such as unweildy titled, ""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!,' "Jacksonville" and "John Wayne Gacey" he manages to cover quite a bit of ground. Highlights of the disc include what may prove to be Sufjan's breakout hit on Indie radio, the eminately singable, "Chicago," a song that is more about our need to travel to try and escape our problems and lethargy than about the broad shouldered city it is named after. Don't fret, The City of Chicago more than gets its due in the third track on the disc, "Come on, feel the Illinoise, Part II"" and "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts." two mind-blowing compositions that weave Steven's hushed vocals with numerous brass instruments, electric and acoustic gutars, strings, percusion instruments and choirs to convey the gravity of the great city. Perhaps it is in the use of these strings and choirs that this release differs the most "Michigan" and "Seven Swans." Steven's ability to draw us into his personal experiences can be found on this release as well, as the deeply moving "Casimir Pulaski Day," "Decatur" and "The Predatory Wasp of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" draw heavily on his formative years in both imagery and content. Time to wrap this review up as I've rambled on enough and frankly I'm at work and desparate to get in my car and listen to this for the 30th time in less than a week. Buy it now!! This man is a musical genius and needs to be heard by those in the know! P.S. I strongly encourage everyone to check out Pitchfork Record's glowing review of this masterpiece for further confirmation that this disc is well worth the purchase price and is one of the best of 2005.… Expand
  26. AdamX
    Jul 9, 2005
    10
    Brilliant. Just brilliant.
  27. JeffR
    Jul 9, 2005
    10
    Brilliant. While similar in tone to his Michigan album, Illinois represents a leap forward in both songwriting and arrangement. This year's best.
  28. JoshH
    Jul 9, 2005
    10
    This album is astounding. It's the musical equivalent of movies like Magnolia, Short Cuts and Crash -- it's all over the place, but makes sense when taken in context of the entire work. Highlights include Casimir Pulaski Day; John Wayne Gacy, Jr.; Chicago; and everything else. Well worth whatever you pay for it.
  29. [Anonymous]
    Jul 8, 2005
    10
    gorgeous lush instrumentation with simultaneously rousing and tender lyrics, all supplemented by stevens' evocative vocals, conspire to send tingles up your spine every few seconds or so of the record.
  30. JasonT
    Jul 8, 2005
    10
    So far, no album released this year is even in the same class as "Illinois." Both heartbreaking and exciting, this is perhaps the best album since "The Creek That Drank The Cradle," only it may be better than even that. "John Wayne Gacy" is truly haunting, and the best song I've heard this year.
  31. nicolos
    Jul 8, 2005
    10
    Reich rythyms run thru this beauty. Glorious.
  32. WhitL
    Jul 8, 2005
    10
    perfect
  33. RJ
    Jul 8, 2005
    10
    Amazing music that just keeps going and going. Best I've hear this year.
  34. peterd
    Jul 8, 2005
    10
    unbeleiveable.
  35. MarioT.K.
    Jul 8, 2005
    10
    This is utterly huge and reminds me of nothing because I haven't heard anything like e.g. "Chicago" before. Just give it a listen to "Casimir Pulaski Day" and have a good time.
  36. WillO
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    I thought Michigan was amazing, and somehow he topped that. Even going back and listening to Michigan again, as much as I loved it throughout 2003 and 2004, Illinois completely defeats it. Illinois merely expands on his skills as a songwriter and ability to take almost any emotion and make it work for him.
  37. ClaireD
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    Sufjan Stevens has taken a huge risk and succeeded, going above and beyond anything he has ever done before musically.
  38. ChrisH.
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    Best album I've heard in forever. It is a masterpiece. Epic. Lovely. Poignant.
  39. Jackm
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    This album exceeds the already high expectations I had for it. Simply amazing, simply the best album of the year so far and could possibly, more like easily, hold that status through the year. If you don't have it, get it and give it a few listens and let it grow and grow on you...and grow.
  40. marcs
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    Too bad I can't give it an 11. This has just about everything:creative arrangements,diverse instrumentation,hooks hooks hooks and visually evocative lyrics. What's great is that the songs actually live up to their epic titles.
  41. ChelseaD
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    Album of the year, hands down.
  42. HT
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    This is utterly beautiful, epic, and touching album. Strings, choir, horns, guitar, and banjo are included. But, not in a "Look!!! We have horns and strings!!!!" like the Polyphonic Spree (I still like the Spree). Enjoy. I sure hope we have 48 more of these.
  43. TynanD
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    The finest album of the year, clasped-hands down.
  44. JohnM
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    Album of the year.
  45. JoshB
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    Wow wow wow. Nothing says it better. This is an amazing album from start to finish. Beautiful music, beautiful songwriting. Sufjan is a true wonder.
  46. AaronS.
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    What a stunning album. A beautiful tone poem to my homestate. One of the most ambitious albums to come out this year.
  47. MichaelK
    Jul 7, 2005
    9
    Sufjan has done it again!
  48. whb
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    Sufjan is one of the only musicians right now who takes music seriously. He takes everything so seriously, but without over earnest (ahem Bright Eyes) audacity. Rather, everything is connected and important from a wasp on his arm to a serial killer. This album is an amazing feat.
  49. DavidW
    Jul 7, 2005
    10
    Album of the year, for sure. I would rarely give out a rating of 10, but this album is most deserving of it. Sufjan Stevens is the best singer/songwriter alive today. This album is so ambitious, beautiful, haunting, expansive... just wonderful. It is similar to Greetings from Michigan, which is not a bad thing. The arrangements have surely improved since that album. I can't stop Album of the year, for sure. I would rarely give out a rating of 10, but this album is most deserving of it. Sufjan Stevens is the best singer/songwriter alive today. This album is so ambitious, beautiful, haunting, expansive... just wonderful. It is similar to Greetings from Michigan, which is not a bad thing. The arrangements have surely improved since that album. I can't stop playing this album.… Expand
  50. mkf
    Jul 6, 2005
    10
    stunning!
  51. MagicSam
    Jul 6, 2005
    10
    I think ratings of 10 should be reserved for truely great albums, those that merit the term 'classic' i.e. "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" or "What's Goin' On", by Marvin Gaye for example. So I've given this album a 10. An album with tremendous social and historical awareness, forays into the musical inknown, and melodically gutwrenching, Illinois demands close I think ratings of 10 should be reserved for truely great albums, those that merit the term 'classic' i.e. "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" or "What's Goin' On", by Marvin Gaye for example. So I've given this album a 10. An album with tremendous social and historical awareness, forays into the musical inknown, and melodically gutwrenching, Illinois demands close listening and appreciation of this music as a real art form. Illinois is a painfully beautiful conception of an artist's vision.… Expand
  52. bryanb
    Jul 6, 2005
    10
    gorgeous and affecting
  53. TH
    Jul 6, 2005
    10
    Absolute best album of the year. Everybody, regardless of personal taste or interests, should be made to listen to this album at least once, but preferably until they love it -- which will probably only take one listen, anyway.
  54. matta
    Jul 6, 2005
    10
    One of those rare cd's that is absolutely perfect and deserving of a ten. Everything on this album contributes to it's brilliance and grandeur-yes, even the little five or ten second "tracks" that detractors might refer to as uselss filler. Not a single misstep, but standouts include the title song, which makes me want to cry every time I listen to it, John Wayne Macy Jr., One of those rare cd's that is absolutely perfect and deserving of a ten. Everything on this album contributes to it's brilliance and grandeur-yes, even the little five or ten second "tracks" that detractors might refer to as uselss filler. Not a single misstep, but standouts include the title song, which makes me want to cry every time I listen to it, John Wayne Macy Jr., Jacksonville, etc. I can't listen them all, but please, get this album. Hands down the best album of the year so far.… Expand
  55. LeahT
    Jul 6, 2005
    10
    One of the most beautifully crafted albums I've ever heard. It can't top "Seven Swans" but that's completely off the chart. Sufjan creates pop symphonies and delicate folk songs. He speaks of serial killers, cancer, night zombies, predatory wasps, youthful ignorance and freedom, and God with such an honest and telling nature that hardly any one else possesses. Lord, One of the most beautifully crafted albums I've ever heard. It can't top "Seven Swans" but that's completely off the chart. Sufjan creates pop symphonies and delicate folk songs. He speaks of serial killers, cancer, night zombies, predatory wasps, youthful ignorance and freedom, and God with such an honest and telling nature that hardly any one else possesses. Lord, it's fantastic. Plus, Sufjan plays about a million instruments and even employs a string quartet this time around! You must hear it for yourself.… Expand
  56. BenA
    Jul 6, 2005
    10
    Oh my goodness! The music on this disc is astoundingly beautiful and fun to listen to! I can't stop playing it. It really is the best thing to come out this year, and the best thing Sufjan Stevens has ever done. Bravo! A+
  57. ElliottM
    Jul 6, 2005
    10
    Utterly bewitching. It's one of the most wonderful things to be heard this year.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Album of 2005
1
#1 Most Discussed Album of 2005
7
#7 Most Shared Album of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. AllMusic
    80
    There's a distinct community theater vibe to the whole affair... but the majority of Illinois is alarmingly earnest.
    Read full review
  2. Almost Cool
    90
    Stevens is simply one of the most talented artists creating music right now, period.
    Read full review
  3. Delusions of Adequacy
    90
    Exhausting, enthralling, disorientating, celebratory, and contemplative, Sufjan Stevens has delivered another album that will keep us listening and educated till Christmas.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »