Illinoise
Subtitled Come On Feel The..., Sufjan Stevens & The Michigan Militia have moved to Illinois (dubbing themselves the Illinoisemakers) but this new album is the same Sufjan we know and love. Fingerpicked ballads of delicate twang, tasteful orchestration, and titles that are murder on the ID3 tags. While this album unmistakably owes its inspiration to the sound of Michigan, Sufjan has managed to take his orchestra-like folk template and expand on it, tapping into unexpected genres and bringing unexpected instruments like strings and woodwinds to the forefront, all while relating tales of the state's history as well as possibly fictional stories about its residents. To sweeten the deal, Sufjan's vocals have also improved some: he's managed to make his thin, meek vocal presence a little more noticeable, and while that doesn't stop him from using members of the quirky Danielson Famile as his own personal choir, it's nice to hear him sound more assured on some of this album's mellower moments. Rough Trade. 2005. more
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ILLINOIS
Subtitled Come On Feel The..., Sufjan Stevens & The Michigan Militia have moved to Illinois (dubbing themselves the... |
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| Illinois | See it |
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ProductReviews82/100 (100 Reviews)
Recent Reviews
- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Apr-13-2008
- Creative songwriting, good sound, I love it
As you may have heard, Sufjan Stevens wishes to come out with an album for each state and tailor the songs on each album to that particular state. I love the creativity of his songwriting, I love his voice and I love most of the songs...
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- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Apr-06-2008
- Great album; good for new and old fans
You won't take this out of your cd player for days. Good quality Sufjan at his best. This would be good for newer fans as well; it's a good album to get acquainted with his sound and discover why so many love his music. This has the...
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- 4/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Mar-15-2008
- very artistic very original but lacking ketch
This album was the first Sufjan I heard and it bored me. I had not yet perfected my present taste in tunes and his untraditional style totally threw me off.Later however I began to recognize his artistic qualities that point out real...
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- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Feb-28-2008
- Quirky, Brilliant, Easy on the Ears
A friend introduced me to Sufjan Stevens, and I'm so glad she did: from the very first track, this CD is quietly addictive. It's been a long time since I've found a CD I could enjoy from beginning to end, that is mellow enough to be...
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Selected Reviews
- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Apr-13-2008
- Creative songwriting, good sound, I love it
As you may have heard, Sufjan Stevens wishes to come out with an album for each state and tailor the songs on each album to that particular state. I love the creativity of his songwriting, I love his voice and I love most of the songs...
- read full review | report as inappropriate
- 3/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Jul-31-2007
- Overrated... I really wanted to love this album.
I don't see what the big deal is about this album. I mean, I see how it could be appealing... I like the fact that there are a variety of instruments, complex arrangements, and creative/unusual song structures (not to mention titles)....
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- 2/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Oct-03-2007
- Bland?
Sufjan Stevens "Illinoise" is not worth the price of admission to this so called tour of Chicago. His main strength is his musicality and for that he gets 2 stars since he decided to start singing along with the music. By the time I got...
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