Asthmatic Kitty announces the second installment of Sufjan Stevens' 50 State Project, “ILLINOIS”,
a 22-track anthematic tone poem to The Prairie State.
Following the 2003 collection of songs for his home state, "Michigan," Stevens presents an
emphatic answer to the question: Can a songwriter express the spirit of a state he's never called
home? With his most enterprising project to date—the result of extensive research, travel, meditation,
and countless days and nights in the studio—admirers of his previous work and first time listeners
will agree that the answer is yes.
On this second state tour, Sufjan weaves variegated musical styles (jazz, funk, pop) and instrumental
textures (from oboe to church organ) into a tapestry of persons famous, infamous, and
anonymous, and places iconic, obscure, and ghostly. Did you know there is 15-foot bronze statue of
Superman in the Ohio River town of Metropolis? Where many might see only kitsch, Sufjan finds a
touchstone for a tender-yet-rocking meditation on spiritual strength. Or what about the recent UFO
sightings near Highland, or the infamous Chickenmobile in Decatur, where patrons endure ice cream
floats and burgers that beat Big Macs hands down. No detail is wasted. Myths, memories, and incidental
anecdotes are swept up with symphonic flourishes, reenacting the Great Fantastical Voyage
through the Land of Lincoln, the musical road trip takes you through ghost towns, grain mills, hospital
rooms, and the City of Broad Shoulders, with guest appearances by a poet, a president, and a
serial murderer, to name a few.
Implementing 25 instruments, played mostly by Sufjan himself, a two-handed horn section,
string quartet and small choir, Illinois conjures up images of Danny Elfman conducting a Gilbert and
Sullivan company, a minimalist ensemble, and the Marion Catholic Marching Band (state champions
24 years in a row!) on a windswept prairie football field.
Guest musicians include vocalists Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) and Katrina Kerns,
drummer James McAlister (Ester Drang) and trumpeter Craig Montoro (Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!),
and many others.
Tracklist
Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization And Still Feel Good About Yourself In The Morning, Or, We Apologize For The Inconvenience But You're Going To Have To Leave Now, Or, "I Have Fought The Big Knives And Will Continue To Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!"
Come On! Feel The Illinoise!
Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition
Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream
John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
Jacksonville
A Short Reprise For Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But For Very Good Reasons
Decatur, Or, Round Of Applause For Your Stepmother!
One Last "Whoo-Hoo!" For The Pullman
Go! Chicago! Go! Yeah!
Casimir Pulaski Day
To The Workers Of The Rock River Valley Region, I Have An Idea Concerning Your Predicament, And It Involves Tube Socks, A Paper Airplane, And Twenty-Two Able-Bodied Men
The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
Prairie Fire That Wanders About
A Conjunction Of Drones Simulating The Way In Which Sufjan Stevens Has An Existential Crisis In The Great Godfrey Maze
The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!
They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!
Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All The Way Out In Bloomington-Normal
In This Temple As In The Hearts Of Man For Whom He Saved The Earth
The Seer's Tower
The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders
Part I: The Great Frontier
Part II: Come To Me Only With Playthings Now
Riffs And Variations On A Single Note For Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, And The King Of Swing, To Name A Few
Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run
The Avalanche