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TopTenREVIEWS presents the reviews for Illinois

Illinois album image

Illinois

by Sufjan Stevens

ALBUM RANKINGS:

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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 4 Reviews

Critic Review Summary
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Fair
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Slant Magazine
Threatened to be overshadowed both by its ostensible gimmick and by a deafening roar of hype from the indie-rock press, Sufjan (pronounced SOOF-yan) Stevens'sIllinois, his second album in a proposed state-by-state travelogue (following 2001's ...more
Dot Music
Once you've taken in how wonderful it sounds, it'll be time to thrill at how much of it there is, then how dense it all is. ...more
The Austin Chronicle
Detroit native turned NYC indie darling Sufjan Stevens set out to record a suite of albums dedicated to each state in the union. The inaugural collection, 2003'sWelcome to Michigan: The Great Lakes State, was a triumph of ambition and creativity. ...more
PasteMagazine
Art of the State: Banjo-strapped songwriter gracefully straddles the ...more
Reveal
You’ve gotta hear it to believe it. A Midwestern state has never been so exciting. ...more

Critic Reviews continued...

cokemachineglow
What makes the album so gigantic is how intensely unique the state’s identity becomes filtered through one man. ...more
Stylus Magazine
The first thing you notice is the horrendously awesome title on the front,SUFJAN STEVENS invites you to: Come on feel the ILLINOISE. The jewel case spine, you notice as you turn it over, says simplyIllinois, which is the name that the album's ...more
Pitchfork
Illinois is huge, a staggering collection of impeccably arranged American tribute songs. ...more
Pitch Fork Media
The best travel writers skew their journeys into pointed narratives, writing the story of the landscape by seizing all the weird, awkward bits that make it distinct. On first listen, Sufjan Stevens' latest installment of state-based ...more
FakeJazz
Highly recommended. That is, unless youre from Illinois, in which case youll probably be disappointed he found so little actually about Illinois to ...more
Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
This album radiates positive energy, and in today's alt, that's a precious thing. ...more
Filter
Given the outline of this record (wherein the whispering banjo player concocts an album-length ode to the state of Illinois), you could be forgiven for expecting an album full of knocked-off songs about the Cubs, hot-dogs and Carl Sandburg. But, ...more
Drowned In Sound
Despite not recording on a load of fancy equipment (he mainly used the good-old Shure SM-57 on most instruments) nor having the benefit of a defined recording space ( Illinois was recorded in several different locations and at different times over ...more
Tiny Mix Tapes
Illinois certainly isn't perfect, but it does do a couple important things: it proves that Sufjan has the skill and the talent to prove flexible and long-lasting, and that it's not much of a stretch to expect even better albums from him in the future. ...more
PopMatters
A big leap from the already high elevation of Michigan. ...more
PrefixMag
Vast in scope and breathtaking in its beauty, Illinois may very well be the album that heralds Sufjan Stevens as one of this young century’s most talented artists. ...more
Lost At Sea
So much of Illinois feels magical, however, in much the same way as a large State Fair: there is commotion and wonder as the population is continually enchanted by progress, but to unknown purpose. ...more
Almost Cool
Stevens is simply one of the most talented artists creating music right now, period. ...more
Delusions of Adequacy
Exhausting, enthralling, disorientating, celebratory, and contemplative, Sufjan Stevens has delivered another album that will keep us listening and educated till Christmas. ...more
Drowned In Sound
This is a faithful and staggering tribute to a state executed with passion and originality, and it's one of the finest records you'll hear this year. ...more
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's easy to play a spot-the-Illinois-reference game, but it's just as easy to step back and marvel at the songs' musical range and sophistication. ...more
Dusted Magazine
Someday the Smithsonian will file this sprawling musical celebration into their collection between Van Dyke Parks’ Discover America and Norman Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post covers -- joyous, generous Americana filtered through a singular ...more
No Ripcord
These are adventurous pop songs with intricate arrangements and sophisticated chord structures. ...more
Billboard
A brighter, bouncier counterpart to its wintry predecessor "Michigan," "Illinois" contains some of the most beautiful pop you will hear all year long. ...more
PrefixMag
When observing the current climate of popular culture, it's hard not to notice its parasitic qualities. From the plethora of Hollywood remakes of classic films to the latest Talking Heads and/or Velvet Underground rip-offs making the hipsters cream their ...more
PopMatters
It's a sparkling blue spring morning in Chicago. I'm riding the Brown Line of the city's famous El transit system. Well, I shouldn't say riding. We're stuck between two stops behind a malfunctioning car up ahead. It's rush hour, but ...more
Almost Cool
Despite not recording on a load of fancy equipment (he mainly used the good-old Shure SM-57 on most instruments) nor having the benefit of a defined recording space ( Illinois was recorded in several different locations and at different times over ...more
PrefixMag
Vast in scope and breathtaking in its beauty, Illinois may very well be the album that heralds Sufjan Stevens as one of this young centurys most ...more
Austin Chronicle
The 22-song epic marries Stevens' personal history to that of the state, as well as knitting spare emotional lyrics with lush orchestral and choral arrangements, upping the ante for singer-songwriters everywhere. ...more
ShakingThrough.net
But if the album feels less personally tied to Illinois than Michigan was to Michigan, the cost is worth paying: The style and overall sentiment of the new album are more sophisticated than those of its predecessor. ...more

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