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Sufjan StevensIllinois Spunk/Inertia Many people meander through life subscribing to the motto "aim low, and you'll never be disappointed". Sufjan Stevens is certainly not one of these people. Instead, Stevens is a man of audacious and raw ambition, not only in the complex musical arrangements and soundscapes he creates but in the very fact that this album is number two in his project to write a record about each state in the USA. If the Mars Volta decided to write a musical score whilst channelling the spirit of Simon and Garfunkel, it might give the listener an understanding of the skewed but divine melodies of 'Illinois'. Alternatively, if Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue's murder ballad had spawned a love child it may give forth to the bizarre dark spirituality of Stevens, who also floats just as comfortably within a world of upbeat pop. Many of the songs from 'Illinois' demonstrate Stevens' effortless skill in detailed storytelling, only occasionally falling into lists and name-dropping. The stark beauty of the sad tale of serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr is spine chilling, a gorgeous melody underpinning his compassionate viewpoint. The large luscious arrangements found on the Triple J fave Chicago aren't representative of the entire album, but 'Illinois' does veer into such territory for a number of other tracks supported by the Illinoisemaker Choir such as the glorious The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us. This beautifully honest portrait of childhood friendship is carefully layered with a range of instruments including accordion, tambourine, flute, strings, trumpets and who knows what else, completed by Stevens' delicate falsetto. This leads me to another fact about 'Illinois': every second song title is either very long or contains multiple options. For instance, Come On Feel The Illinoise, Part 1: The World's Columbian Exposition, which contains an infectious Latin groove and sounds like Belle and Sebastian's theoretical attempt at a soundtrack for 'Evita'. It is moments like the slow and spooky The Seer's Tower that hark back closer to the more gothic folk sound of Stevens' previous release 'Seven Swans'. It is these darker and quieter moments that prevent the gigantic musical pop of 'Illinois' from becoming overwhelming. The sheer variety and gorgeous musical audacity leaves Stevens a force to be reckoned with.  |
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