Remember that nerdy kid in sixth grade? The one who knew all the state capitals? Well, he might have missed his calling as a geography teacher, but he certainly has become quite the folk troubadour.
The master of longitude and latitude himself, Sufjan Stevens, recently released Come On, Feel the Illinoise!, a whirlwind tribute to The Land of Lincoln. A follow-up to 2003's Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State, Illinoise is the second installment in Stevens' "Fifty States Project." The determined musician plans to write and record an album for every state in the Union. And though absurdly ambitious, Illinoise absolutely justifies Stevens' musical tour de force.
Our 74-minute journey begins with the piano ballad "Concerning the UFO Sighting near Highland, IL." Embellished by breezy flutes, Stevens' choirboy voice channels an awestruck stargazer catching sight of a revenant "in the spirit of three stars." Like other Illinoise songs, the track describes an actual event from the history of The Prairie State, in this case, a high-profile UFO sighting in 2000.
Illinoise, however, doesn't truly gain musical momentum until its self-titled third song. With an off-kilter piano backbeat, the song easily molds 5/4 -- a usually challenging time signature -- into a rollicking foot-tapper. Accents from a supporting brass section and a tambourine that just won't quit give this song a distinct urban jazz feel.
In stark contrast to the celebratory title track, "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." is a fragile, finger-picked acoustic character sketch about one of America's worst serial killers. Stevens closes with the chilling lines: "And in my best behavior/I am really just like him/Look beneath the floor boards/For the secrets I have hid."
When not referencing actual Illinois events or residents, Stevens simply uses the state's geographic backdrop for his own narratives. For example, Illinoise's highlight, "Chicago," is a veritable love song to the city following a spontaneous road trip. Triumphant and hopeful in the way that all great music should be, the string-laden song closes with a soaring trumpet solo.
Staying in the Windy City, Stevens casts his musical glance to the famous skyline in "The Seer's Tower." Pun most certainly intended with its title, the song compares Chi-town's modern marvel to the biblical Tower of Babel, which men tried to raise as a temple to the heavens.
Ultimately, Illinoise's most striking element isn't its passing references to all things Illinois [Carl Sandburg, Sears Tower, etc.], but rather the album's potpourri of influences and styles. Everything from jazz and rock to post-modern classical and middle-American folk appears in one form or another, imbuing a "feel first, listen later" attitude.
With its eclectic style and studied references, Come On, Feel The Illinoise! is an endearing hodgepodge of an album destined to become a staple in your music collection.
Someone ask that nerdy kid what he knows about Virginia!
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