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Illinois

by Sufjan Stevens

ALBUM RANKINGS:

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All Time

of 455,353

55
2000's

of 265,640

1
2005

of 37,902

1
Genres
- Alternative Rock
  - Alternative Rock
    
    of 49,118
    
    16
  - Indie & Lo-Fi
    
    of 13,595
    
    5
  - Indie Pop
    
    of 4,151
    
    2
  - Indie Rock
    
    of 12,318
    
    5
- Country
  - Country
    
    of 21,922
    
    7
  - Alt-Country & Americana
    
    of 2,792
    
    3
- Folk
  - Folk
    
    of 17,268
    
    5
- Pop
  - Pop
    
    of 263,738
    
    54
  - Pop Rock
    
    of 64,982
    
    39
  - Singer-Songwriters
    
    of 8,649
    
    11
- Rock
  - Rock
    
    of 107,659
    
    40

Ratings and rankings are based on all available critic reviews and awards.

Overall Rating: 3.7141 Illinois is ranked overall as 3.7141 out of 4 stars

Avg. Critic Score: 3.5155 Illinois has an avg. critic score of 3.5155 out of 4 stars

Illinois Rank 3 Reviews

Critic Review Summary

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Fair

(0)

Poor

(4)

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Stylus Magazine

It's a bit of Michigan redux, which works because it's so uniquely Stevens and so uniquely beautiful. ...more

StylusMagazine

Now, we get equally well-structured music, but music that, maybe due to its historical leanings or maybe Stevenss emotional detachment from the land, doesnt move us with subtlety. Or maybe we didnt survive the song titles. ...more

Rolling Stone

Lots of songwriters have tried to define their vision of America, but Sufjan Stevens believes in taking a methodical approach. A couple of years ago, he set out on a fifty-record project to make a concept album about each state, starting ...more

New Musical Express

It’s his masterpiece so far; a staggering collection of unspeakably precious music. ...more

Flak Magazine

Take away the album's conceit, and Stevens' artful songwriting -- and voice -- still remain. ...more

Critic Reviews continued...

The Guardian

A remarkable album that manages to pack in a state full of instruments... and sounds as simultaneously vast yet intimately detailed as Polyphonic Spree produced by Brian Eno. ...more

Playlouder

[A] confusing but entertainingly eccentric package. ...more

Junkmedia

My only problem with the album is that it begins to devour its own tail about halfway through, at times sounding tedious, or worse, precious. ...more

Rolling Stone

For a musician like Stevens, going too far and trying too hard is the point, the way to get beyond where a more austere songwriter could get with a more naturalistic pose. So the most pleasurable music here is the most ambitious. ...more

RollingStone

I cant explain the state that Im in/The state of my heart," Stevens sings, and ultimately thats the ...more

All Music Guide

There's a distinct community theater vibe to the whole affair... but the majority of Illinois is alarmingly earnest. ...more

Trouser Press

This song cycle is less about a particular state than it is about Stevens' elegant façade of cleverness. ...more

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