When I was a young child of six, my dad got a new job. Consequently we moved from our comfortable house in Portland, Oregon to an equally comfortable house in the suburbs of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I grew up there. I remember the summers spent on the shores of Lake Michigan, basking in the sun on Grand Haven beach. My dad frequented Detroit, our older, bigger drug addict of a sister city on account of his job in the transportation industry. We went there for the music, but stayed away because of the dilapidated buildings and dirty streets. As an adolescent I found the state an absolute bore but as I matured I appreciated the state for it’s quaint sense of charm, it’s hardworking people, and the preemptive nostalgia I held for the memories built there. When Sufjan Stevens wrote his “Michigan” album, I fell in love with it instantly, hearing the stories of my youth put to song. When college came, I stayed in Grand Rapids and went to Sufjan’s rival school. I graduated, moved to Chicago, and now proudly call Illinois my new home. I’m ready to fall in love again. With “Illinois,” I did.
There is so much speculation and commentary on this album that I am reluctant to put my thoughts down to page. However, I do think this album is important and noteworthy enough to discuss. The album starts with “Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois,” the beginnings to the historical researched record we are about to ingest. “Concerning” is beautiful, timid and languishing, but grabs the attention of the listener with Steven’s commanding yet breathy vocals. The song chronicles, no surprise, a UFO sighting that many residents claimed to see but romanticizes the event so that we are not only empathetic but convinced that it might have happened. Stevens’s songs aren’t completely historical nor are they completely made up and it’s this delicate balance that allows the listener to perceive authenticity. It’s also this that provides us with the intrigue and curiosity to study further in order to fully understand. What’s most complex, and sometimes hard to believe regardless of what Sufjan says, are the instrumental tracks with ridiculously long names. Case in point, track two “The Black Hawk War, or, How To Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning.” Was Sufjan actually contemplating the 1832 battle between Native Americans and the American settlers that resulted in the annexation of the land that is Illinois when he wrote that song? Is there some multifaceted meaning behind the epic, grandiose, triumphant music? Is Sufjan commenting on their nefarious relationship and the revisionist history that may have taken place after a settler victory? He claim’s so, at least in part. In a recent interview with The Onion Sufjan defends his verbose titles with a simple “Yea!” in responding to a similar question. The titles are certainly well thought out and the music corresponding could be explained away by overanalyzing hacks like myself but take it for what it is; beautiful interesting instrumental songs.
Next, “Come on Feel The Illinois” provides a linear connection to the previous state project, “Michigan.” Its bouncy, odd time signatured splendor is so familiar it’s on the verge of repetitive but stops short at evocative. It’s like the obligatory poppy “single” on overly ambitious rock albums; it doesn’t quite fit, but it has the hooks needed to appease the marking team behind the record. The only difference is, Sufjan’s “Illinoise” is a two part epic that challenges but ultimately rewards the listener after an almost seven minute journey. What comes next however is equally beautiful as it is disturbing. “John Wayne Gacy Jr.” is the humanization of the notorious serial killer that dressed as a clown for his victims. Stevens has his character demonically emulating the killer by exclaiming, “On my best behavior, I am really just like him.” While the subject matter is morbid, the song is drenched in interesting sociology. The childhood upbringing of a man that would terrorize thousands and kill dozens makes for an alluring narrative and in the vein of a comparable storyteller, Flannery O’Conner, Steven’s blends irony, despondency, and shock to grip his audience.
Jacksonville, the albums most soulful and surprising song, propels this record to new heights. It’s a spirit filled romp of folksy banjo mixed with bright anthemic horns. It’s unexpectedly catchy; a sing along for the new folk/musical revolution. At a jam-packed five and a half minutes, “Jacksonville” breaks the mold of the possible radio single and holds interest past three minutes. After a short reflection with Mary Todd, who went insane, we lighten things up with “Decatur,” which serves as a brief history of the town, or at least the old wives tales connected to it.
Stevens’ recorded music is often hard to picture in a live setting. The layers upon layers make it impossible, or at least improbable, to recreate. I have seen Sufjan in concert several times in the last year and in every concert, he played the “new” song from his latest state project, Chicago. It was reflective and quaint, with Stevens belting the chorus gently, as he only knows how. I was excited to hear the song recorded but never expected what the album version had to offer. Chicago is huge, fast moving but full, much like the city. The chorus is a thundering gang vocaled fest of jubilance and insecurity. The song is so colorful it’s black; so powerful that you can see through to frailty. Steven’s finds a way to break your heart and enflame it simultaneously and displays this in the next song, “Casimir Pulaski Day.” The vivacity and expressiveness that permeates through simple songs like this astounds me. The next few tracks signify the possible end to a great album but Sufjan has more in store. The instrumentals cleanse our musical pallets before we hit my other favorite songs of the album “Wasp (shorted version of title)” and “Zombies (shortened version of title).” Wasp remains delicate but wrapped in layers and Zombies is downright danceable. Both these songs signify a bright future for Stevens’.
Some may weave their way through the album without a full listen and miss the innovation. On the surface, the album feels similar to “Michigan” and “Seven Swans” but this is a highly narrow view. If we pan out, look at the entire masterpiece as it is, we see that although the complexity and substance is obvious, this seems effortless to Stevens. The States project is self-admitted gimmick but could we be lucky enough to actually have it happen? Sure the distance between the albums would have to be unbelievably short, and the difficulties of writing about Iowa are daunting, but I have faith in the fact that Sufjan could do it, and make it exciting. “Illinois” is the album of the year by far.
This review originally appeared on http://www.sctas.com |