LogFAQs > #976608252

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
FoolFantastic (18)
Sheep007 (32)
Seanchan (38)
Johnbobb (44)
Fluttershy_Pony (46)
MaxGalactica (58)
HBJDubs (74)

General Album Comments

FoolFantastic: Sufjan Stevens Illinois is the most authentically Christian work of popular music I have encountered. Which is not to say this is worship music; far from it. Illinois is a journey from the discovery of god through the realization of ones sins to the pursuit of salvation, only for one to then question their faith after a series of tragic losses and revelations as it heads steadily toward rapture. Of course, Sufjan is much more subtle than that; Illinois wraps all his religious ponderings into a detailed survey of the Land of Lincoln. In doing so, he crafted an album that works solidly on two layers, one tracking his personal experiences as a Christian and another going above and beyond in tackling its surface level concept; there is a track about my hometown making references even I did not know. Sonically and thematically, its among the most ambitious albums ever recorded. To actually explore what it means to be Christian, doubts and all, puts this far beyond the level of typical religious music. He is not trying to convert anyone but simply exploring how his beliefs have shaped his life, somehow making an album that likely appeals more to outsiders than those who would never dare question their faith (there is a reason Sufjan has a large LGBTQ fanbase).

Seanchan: Wasn't anything that was super grabbing me but seemed like one that's going to take more listens for me to get a better sense of. Definitely want to pull up the lyrics on my next listen, as, based on Fool's info, it seems like the type of album that requires more "close" listening. A track early on (not sure which) and then Chicago kind of stuck out in my mind a bit. Also got a capital M Musical sense to the whole thing at points.

Fluttershy_Pony: This might be the album I most dreaded covering. I tried listening to it once years ago during one of my music projects and honestly couldn't make it all the way through the album. It's not that I don't like Sufjan Stevens, but his work is a bit... exhausting. There's so much to analyze in his music, lyrically and emotionally, that they tend to demand a high amount of focus & a long period of quiet reflection afterwards. I feel that after I've experienced one of his songs in full that it'll be a few months before I'm ready to tackle another one. Last time I tried this album, I got completely burned out after a couple songs and gave up.

I've done my best to listen to it this time. I've listened to each song five times and made at least a cursory glance at Genius to see what people were saying about the music. And yet, I still feel rather hollow. There's just so much here that, mentally and emotionally, I can't fully process everything. I feel like properly ranking and processing this album would be a year long endeavor & rushing through it in a week is doing a disservice. I've *listened* to the music repeatedly, but I can't say that I've properly experienced it.

Though I'm being far too negative, I should clarify that these are personal problems and not a critique of the album (or the nomination itself). The music itself is fantastic, powerful, unlike anything else we've covered, and I get why it's so popular. It's just... more than I can deal with in any reasonable timeframe, leaving me to rank rather surface level impressions of the music.

HBJDubs: Home state represent (Decatur not welcome)

Sheep007: I'm very far from the intended audience, I think. Casimir Pulaski Day, Chicago and The Predatory Wasp all impressed me individually, although I can't say I entirely "got" them. I respect the music and it's not a bad album in the slightest, just not really for me.

MaxGalactica: The pinnacle of the singer-songwriter genre. This is likely because Sufjan doesn't stop at just storytelling in this album, he also puts a huge focus on the instrumentals. Every song is so carefully crafted, it's impossible to take it all in in a single listen. The folk and minimalist influences are strongly felt throughout, yet there's a simultaneous sense of grandeur. Every song is essential to this album, including the short interludes, and there's not a single song on here that I dislike, which is pretty rare. Fantastic album, I'm glad we were able to cover it here.