Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinoise

Inconceivable as it may be, I'm sure there are some people who have never heard of Sufjan Stevens, much less own this album.

"Illinoise" is the latest offering from Michigan native and former Danielson Famile contributer, and it is brilliant. Stevens' has an uncanny ability to use any instrument he can get his hands on and craft brilliant songs. For those who don't know, "Illinoise" is the second in his series of "States Albums", where he researches the history of a state and then creates a concept album. His first was his home state of Michigan and it's rumored that his third will be New York.

Never too shy to share his beliefs, Stevens included the song "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." on the album; a song chronicling the serial killer's life and then finishing the song by saying "but on my best behavior I am really just like him", saying simply that no one is too far gone for Grace, and that in our sin, we are all equal [in the eyes of God]. This is truly a brilliant album and I would be remiss if I didn't offer it to you.

Tracklisting:
1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
2. 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!'
3. Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
5. Jacksonville
6. A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons
7. Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step Mother!
8. One Last 'Whoo-Hoo!' for the Pullman
9. Chicago
10. Casimir Pulaski Day
11. To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament
12. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
13. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
14. A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze
15. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
16. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!
17. Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell
18. In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth
19. The Seer's Tower
20. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders
21. Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to Name a Few
22. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run

Highlight Tracks: "John Wayne Gacy, Jr", "Chicago", "They Are Night Zombies!!!...", "The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders"