The arrengements in this album are beautiful. Sufjan's voice blends with the folk/pop he sings. The lyrics honoring the state of Illinois makes justice as compliments. The melodies he created, for example, in a song like "Chicago"- far best of the album- has an orchestra sound that reminds us how good music can be. Sufjan's hardest, but best work.

i liked this album very much. good music. great music. the lyricism is great and touching. what more can i say....................................................................................................

The perfect record.. and it seemed to come out of nowhere. Michigan was fantastic and so was Seven Swans, but this just wasn't expected. I don't know. Sufjan can be a master at music and this is probably the best example of that.

Sufjan Stevens finds his stride and then some with his second state-dedicated album. Illinois is fun and sad, catchy and haunting, seemingly simple yet undeniably brilliant. Chicago will be stuck in your head for days, The Predatory Wasp is heartbreaking and beautiful. Phenomenal stuff.

Sufjan Stevens couldn't sound any sweeter, deeper and honest than in this album. Describing this state, combining with this description his memories, with so many details that will make you feel that you're there, even when you don't know it, as me. the first song is a beautiful introduction to this album of 22 songs that will never make you tired of them. It's one of those albums that you can listen entirely without skipping any song: nor the happy ones as "Chicago", the nostalgic ones as "The Predatory Wasp Of Th Palisades Is Out To Get Us" or the obscure ones as "John Wayne Gacy Jr.". I think that a lot of people would agree with me if I sat that this is the masterpiece of Sufjan Stevens.… Expand

Rich, expansive, deep, just a really really good record through and through.

Obviously a gifted multi instrumentalist who has written some of the most wonderful songs. Soothing and creative this will last a lifetime. Get a good sound system and listen to beauty in sonic form.

One of the best albums of all time. This is a work that will be treasured by many for decades and centuries to come. If you disagree with this statement, I recommend listening more closely.

I just listened to this again ... for maybe the 100th time. It just grows in depth and beauty. Steven's voice is haunting, delicate. The lyrics are touching, horrific, lifting. The arrangements are glorious, inspiring. Does it ever become unlistenable?

This would be rated a 10, if Michigan had not been created. While this album expands greatly on Michigan, it lacks the emotions of Michigan, which is what made it great. If this could keep those emotions, it would be a 10, but it is gone. Anyways, what lacks in emotion is made up for in grandiose instrumentation, choir chants, and some extra epicness. The lack of emotions is the only flaw I can find. A-… Expand

From start to finish, a masterpiece concept heavy album. Deep, heavy, impeccably easy to listen to, and highly addictive. You will quickly fall in love with the highlight tracks, which, although the whole album is mere perfection, truly stand out. Illinois begins with "Concerning UFO Sighting near Highland, Illinois;" a siren song of flutes that hypnotize and capture your imagination--the overture to an incredibly journey through Illinois. "Come on! Feel the Illinois!" an extraordinary piece that makes your ears thank you for blessing them with the suite sounds of Sufjan Stevens. "Jacksonville," a nice, old-country ballade, and "Chicago," an amazing climax to the album. This album is far from disappointing, and where its highs hit and truly hits with a BANG!… Expand

One of my favorite albums at all time - catchy, beautiful and haunting (especially for someone who's actually from Illinois). Many of the tracks stand out on their own, but as an album the whole thing flows perfectly. Lov it.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM. I cannot stop playing it. Sufjan is one of my favorite artists.

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

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.

This album is pure bliss

predatory wasp of the palisades! - the best thing to write a song about ever

Simply superb.

Best album of the year, by a mile.

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.

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.

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

stunning!

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

The finest album of the year, clasped-hands down.

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

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.

unbeleiveable.

Amazing music that just keeps going and going. Best I've hear this year.

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....

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.

Brilliant. While similar in tone to his Michigan album, Illinois represents a leap forward in both songwriting and arrangement. This year's best.

This album is amazing. Brilliant.

Very nice, but the more expansive it gets, the more I miss the quiet intimacy of Seven Swans, which I still consider his most personal, and best, work.

Only a notorious jerk could dislike this record. An amazing achievement. Insanely good.

magical!

Eclectic, heartfelt, but not sappy. No crying-in-your-beer Paul Simon schmaltz here...Mellow, but digs deep into your psyche.

Best album of the year in any genre - hands down.

This cd owns your life.

Without a doubt the best album i have heard in a year!! Sounds fresh, exciting and intelligent.

it is poo

utterly brillant!

So, it's nice. You ca't say it's not nice. It deserves an 8. I guess. I don't know. I never listened to it after about two weeks. it's nIce. makes you feel like the stick cotton-candy gets wrapped around. Like filling a hot-tub with kool-aid, and splashing around with your very best chums. More thrilling than a good deed, and more than enough to hold over accountants until the next Dave Matthews album drops. "One Sweet World" you guys! I don't know. It is technically good. That's not really debateable, Patrick Argh. It's just a little too good, something I suspect it knows, and that - for some reason - is irritating. Cloying, precious, joyful. Give me distortion and scratches. This could pass as a recruiting tool for Vatican 3. I'm really not sure why I gave it an eight. That I know it probably deserves it just makes me resent it even more. It doesn't care if you listen. It needs no reassurance. It is a series of saccharine song-cycles subsumed within a strange sense of self-satisfaction. Sssssssso. decide for yourself: if you read bulk fowards from your aunts about the importance of living today like it was your last, most beautiful day, this may be what you're looking for. Otherwise, Hypermagic Mountain awaits. Let's go there now...… Expand

From the first time I listened to this record, something was bothering me about it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Sure, it is, musically a very solid album; perhaps more than a little pretentious, but that wasn't what was bothering me. When I listened to it again this morning, it hit me; it was the emotion of this album that was getting to me. I have nothing against melancholy music, but the emotion of Illinois strikes me as incredibly inauthentic in an extremely annoying way. Allow me to explain- When I listen to something like an Elliott Smith album, or a John Lennon album (Plastic Ono Band, specifically), I feel like the singer actually MEANS it; really pouring their soul into their work. When I listen to Sufjan, it's like he's phoning it in, never expressing anything beyond a vague, indifferent sadness with his kitschy lullabies about fictional people, or at least people he doesn't know "crying themselves to sleep" (A lyric that appears at least twice in the album... how cliche). Am I tearing this album apart over a completely superficial quality? Well, I suppose that is your call. This is a forum of public opinion after all. I really do want to love this album, and I feel it is quite well composed, but I find that the whole tone of the album bothers me to a point where it's hard to enjoy.… Expand

When I first threw "Illinoise" into my CD player it took me a couple of songs to form a reaction: wow...this is really bad. By the time I bought the CD Sufjan Stevens had received an ungodly amount of hype, and I was ready to sit back like in those decade old commercials and be blown away by my audio equipment. Too bad "Illinoise" wasn't up to the task. The first thing I noticed about the album is how the production makes much of it sound limp. The production reminds me of a Coldplay album where the songs have their rough edges sanded down. If you're going to make use of this many instruments, then I want to be reminded of Mahler and Prokofiev not Chris Martin. While there are a couple of standouts (I recommend downloading "Chicago") there's just not enough high points in the twenty-two tracks to recommend the album. The lyrics are too often overtly self-conscious and overwrought. One of the worst offenders is "John Wayne Gacy Jr." The idea itself is interesting: try and create sympathy for someone who has committed atrocious acts. However, Sufjan isn't clever enough to pull this off in a three minute pop song. When talking about Gacy's victims he directs a hushed "Are you one of them?" at the listener. The results are laughable at best. Imagine the following line delivered with utmost earnestness and a fist clutched to the singer's heart (at least that's how I picture it) and you'll get an idea at how ridiculous his songs can be: "And in my best behavior/ I am really just like him/ Look beneath the floorboards/ For the secrets I have hid." Trying to create a sense of connection and empathy with a monster is an interesting idea, but Sufjan Stevens just can't do it without being overly sappy. The amount of hype this album has gotten insures that Sufjan will have a few more albums critics can overhype and then forget. I'm just hoping that he gives the whole state theme up before he reaches my home state of Ohio. If you screw that one up Sufjan, then don't expect us to go easy on you.… Expand

Melodic to the point of perfection. Some of the most beautiful music you will ever hear. Album of the year.

I'm getting a post-christian, after school lunch special feeling when listening to this. Yes it's voicings are fresh, lyrics are MFA without the pretension but, this is not pop music. You get the sense that the insular small town white boy is just getting his rocks off on some hyper-orchestration.

I was really amazed with this albumn, I've been listening to it on and off over the last few months and have really fallen inlove with it.Sufjan's voice is really soft on the ears but still commands your attention.The use of the rest of the band as a backing chorus and sometimes singing entire choruses together really adds body to the songs.The arrangements are excellent and the variety of piano,guitar and brass used in the songs really gives this albumn depth.I'd give this albumn ten but nothings perfect.… Expand

The first hint is the 100+ word titles -- how clever; the second hint is the relentless keyboards; the third is the sophmoric lyrics -- this album is garbage. The critics pulled one over on the hipsters again....thekid.

innovative

My only problem about giving this album a 10, is that Sufjan might be capebable of makeing an even better album about NY - that is, when he finally leaves the place... Illinois is both intimate and grand in a way no other album I´ve ever heard.

This is beautiful. Without doubt the most acomplshed album of the year by far. I was dubious about buying this album after reading all the reviews. Believe . . . it's even better.

One of the best albums of 2005! (so far)

What oftern gets ignored about this album is how well the songs can hold up alone, let alone on the album

There's so much there to marvel at that it's rarely left my player since it came out.

Best album of 2005. Don't let the first listen fool you, it takes a couple of listens to grasp the intricacy and masterful musicianship of this album. You'll probably learn something, too.

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.

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.

Sufjan is a genius, period... I cannot get enough of this album

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!

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

Sufjan's best album so far.

Epic recording . . . An impressive expansion of the sounds on "Seven Swans" . . . Calling him "folk" seems a little, I don't know, insulting, because his musical vision is so grand . . . By comparison, I've always loved The Clash's "London Calling" because of the numerous musical genres represented on one album. Here, Stevens has similarly employed any number of instruments, time signatures, and music styles to create a beautiful album.… Expand

Utterly bewitching. It's one of the most wonderful things to be heard this year.

gorgeous and affecting

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.

Sufjan Stevens has taken a huge risk and succeeded, going above and beyond anything he has ever done before musically.

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.

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.

Sufjan has done it again!

What a stunning album. A beautiful tone poem to my homestate. One of the most ambitious albums to come out this year.

Reich rythyms run thru this beauty. Glorious.

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.

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Plenty of people have given Sufjan Stevens favorable reviews I totally agree with. He is very talented and even if you agree with what I have to say you should still listen to his albums if you haven

Great album, almost no complaints, but I think it could have been tighter. Also, too much flute. Still one of the best albums this year though.

this guy has God given creativity and he uses it more than any other musical artist in history

Best album of 2005 so far by a mile, would recommend this to anyone who knows what music is and should be all about.Well done Sufjan on an excellent recording!!

A home run, if not a grand-slam, if not a pinch-hit grand-slam onto Waveland Ave. in the bottom of the ninth.

One of the best albums of this decade. Truly great music. The kind of music that would be top of the charts if the media were not controlled by giant media conglomerates.

The most inspirational music that I have heard since the Dylan and folk era of the 60s/70's. Soulfull, haunting, with lyrics and harmonies that cut across generations. Cant wait for the next state.

This is one of those albums from which I have to step back and critique separate from my personal affection (or lack thereof) for the cd. Mr. Stevens is clearly a gifted musician, ridiculously so. This album, all of it, every note sung, played, and written is wonderfully original. He is an artist of the first rank in a musical climate that is downwright depressing for its lack of artistic vision and risk. I admire that he crafts songs so lyrically and musically intricate. And to say that his influences are ecclectically drawn is a vast understatement. And I look forward to listening to the album repeatedly. As with most singer-songwriters, the more I listen, the more I will come to like it, I'm sure, as his genuinely touching and intelligent songs come alive. I must confess that, while comparisons to Radiohead and Sigur Ros and other "art rock" musicians seem appropriate, I don't find his music as palatable as I do these others--but I suspect this is just a question of taste. I do find his musical style, while utterly accomplished, to be a little too cloying and precious. Tenderness and delicacy is no fault, even in a male singer, but here I find it, particularly when the volume of horns and strings and vocals are turned up, a little tiresome, almost syrupy, particularly some 15 songs in. What at first is completely transfixing and beuatiful, becomes almost, creepy? To me, Stevens is best when he keeps it simple. I kept wanting a bit more of an edge, just a bit, in the orchestral arrangements. But, these are I suppose minor complaints, and I admit to feeling guilty for having any against an album so intelligent and sensitive and unique. And even with my misgivings, I can't help but give the album a 9. It is an impressive achievement.… Expand

so far (and barring any unforseeable events) this is the best album of 2005, perhaps the best of this young millenium. stevens somehow writes music that is both immensly universal and intensely personal at the same time. this album is simply unbelievable.

a musical experience...so great!!

Absolutely fantastic, one of the few originals in today's musical landscape, Sufjan is brilliant.

I liked it mostly but it's way too long and needs to change up more. It would've been a lot better if it had a lot less fluff.

fantastic

This is the best album I've ever owned. &i have about 5,000, not including vinyl. So, that right there is saying something.

beautiful album

The songwriting's inspired, the musical arrangements are great. One of my favourite albums.

I have listened to Illinois for 2 months now. Can anybody help me get this out of my CD player. Blood,Sweat & Tears, John Sebastion, Paul Simon, and Elton John on stage being directed by Stravinsky's ghost this is how I try to relate the sound of this Indie aldum to my friends. If your tear ducts don't start twitching during the choral arrangement at the end of Predatory Wasp you are not human. But don't worry the zombie cheerleaders in the next cut will take care of you.… Expand

May be the best album I have ever heard. I hear something new everytime. Every album seems to get better.

one of the best this year.

Sufjan Stevens is an intelligent songwriter, one of my favorites.

Ambitious yet enjoyable. Some instrumental filler, but the songs are all varied and full of wonderful arrangements. The best of 2005 this is.

Wow. This album is amazing. I don't know if the comparison has been made, but the sounds on this album is definitely in the spirit SMILE and in many respects is superior. Pick it up with an open mind, listen to it a few times and odds are you will find nothing ill about the noise on this album.

I find a few of the songs on this album absolutely brilliant and infectious. Then, I listed to all the lousy filler around the moments of brilliance, and I can't help but think this album is barely mediocre. I agree with the comments on the repetitiveness of the sound. This album doesn't go anywhere. It's cerianly worth a listen, but I doubt we'll be discussing the influence or brilliance of this album five years from now... especially since Sufjan will have released another record or two with the exact same sounds by that point.… Expand

A gorgeous album...one of the few that has changed my life