Illinois is a state known for generally being part of the mundane Midwest. Indie folk singer Sufjan Stevens completely breaks this stereotype in "Illinois." Stevens’ mix of music and lyrics creates an album that flows like the murky Mississippi past the state itself.
Rather than start off with a bang, Stevens starts by holding back his trump and gives the listener a rather mystical and almost eerie song “Concerning a UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois.” This track is very piano driven, and Stevens’ uses words like “revenant” and “in the spirit of three stars” to paint a picture of some eerie visitors from another world. Yet this reference to obscure Illinois history only scratches the surface. A further review of the lyrics reveals that it also has an application in religious allusion, as Stevens’ faith is a big part of his work. A line like, “Incarnation, three stars delivering signs and dusting from their eyes” holds a not-so-obvious allusion to doctrines of Christianity. Illinois and Stevens' personal faith weave a lyrical thread throughout the album, the latter often obscured or nonexistent, as in “Jacksonville” and “Decatur, or Round of Applause for Your Stepmother,” where the theme tends to lean towards equality and the virtue of people like Helen Keller. Conversely, religious influences are quite evident in songs like “Casimir Pulaski Day” and “Seer’s Tower,” the former about Stevens’ struggle with God over the loss of his girlfriend to bone cancer, and the latter about final judgment by Christ. Themes of Stevens’ struggles and fallibility are also found in songs like “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” where a gentle description of the famed serial killer concludes with Stevens’ admitting his own faults and that “in my best behavior I am really just like him.”
Lyrics are made even more extraordinary by the artist’s ability to seamlessly connect them into the theme of the album musically. After the first mystical, piano-driven track, the second track, “The Black Hawk War…,” the first of a few instrumental tracks, is introduced as a buildup of many of the instruments that will be featured later on in the album. With great musical symmetry, the album is “wound down” in a similar way in “Out of Egypt…” and the two songs preceding. Other musical highlights in the album include many uncommon or unexpected instruments and styles. “Decatur” relies heavily on the banjo, giving it perhaps the “folkiest” sound on the album. “The Man of Metropolis Steals our Hearts” has the distinction of being the only song which features distorted guitar, not sounding quite like rock. “They Are Night Zombies…” has a bass line which resembles something the BeeGees would utilize. A plethora of instruments used keep the songs from all sounding the same, yet maintain a continuity and flow necessary for a concept album such as this.
Illinois brings both state history and faith alive in a fresh look that few have paralleled. The flow and balance of the album are impeccable: for every presumptuous title there is a humble lyric, for every banjo there is a distorted electric guitar. Music lovers of every genre can find something they like in "Illinois", whether it is the gentleness of a serial killer, the sadness of a lost love, or the wonder of soft drinks. Music and lyrics flow together smoothly and cleanly into a very pleasurable journey into the history of Illinois and the life of Sufjan Stevens.
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