Illinois
On the second installment of his absurdly ambitious "50 States" project, Stevens presents the 74-minute spectacular Illinois. In the wake of last year's quieter Seven Swans, this album finds the baroque, full arrangements of Michigan reaching stunning, nuanced heights, with the help of a small army of backers-- including a choir and string quartet.
With two states down and only 48 to go, Sufjan Stevens' ambitious musical map of the Unites States of America should be completed -- if he puts out one a year -- sometime around 2053.
Clash Likes To Score: Ten 21st Century 10/10s... the Clash team identifies ten albums from the (relative) recent past deserving of a 10/10 score
That Stevens plays most of the instruments and still writes songs that often surprise for their minimalism is just stupid good.
It's a sparkling blue spring morning in Chicago. I'm riding the Brown Line of the city's famous El transit system. Well, I shouldn't say riding
Phase Two of Michigan singer/songwriter’s brilliant and audacious project: an album for every American state