Sufjan Stevens – Illinois

最好的旅行作家将旅程曲折成针对性的叙事，抓住所有使它与众不同的怪异、尴尬的片段，写下风景的故事。乍一听，Sufjan Stevens在2005年的作品是伊利诺伊州立大学的室内民谣《Illinois》，其中所有的啁啾声，丰富的音调听起来很像2003年的《Michigan》中出现的。这两张唱片都无意间证实了东海岸对中西部价值观的刻板印象：这是认真勤奋的音乐，具有道德根源和技术上的精确性。

尽管如此，Sufjan还是一名民谣歌手，理论上比实践上更为重要。他例行地挖掘民俗的、简陋的美学，但始终如一地接受其与众不同的故事，因此，Illinois所代表的精神比本身的地名更重要。Sufjan尽职尽责地赞美和控诉所有合适的地标，将Illinois历史上的最高和最低点隔离开来。但最好的是，这张专辑使美国感到非常渺小和真实：一个男孩在面包车上哭泣，一个骨癌女孩，继母，游行，乐队演奏，主席，不明飞行物，小麦色的奶油，天黑以后的火车，连环杀手，圣经研究。

在音乐上，《Illinois》既陌生又丰富，其宏大而奔放的歌曲标题同样具有挑战性。尽管邀请了一小批伴奏者（包括弦乐四重奏，Illinois合唱团合唱团，鼓手James McAllister，小号手Craig Montoro和一大批歌手），但Sufjan比同等的独奏《Seven Swans》更占前沿。Sufjan在他的宝贝乐器库中几乎配备了所有乐器（还有其他一些东西:Sufjan在布鲁克林卡罗尔花园的圣保罗主教教堂录制过的钢琴配件），Sufjan以令人印象深刻的优雅来指挥他的朋友们。Sufjan的烟斗慷慨地颤抖(即封面)。他的声音很容易（也许是准确）被珍贵地解读，但它们确实比情绪更亲密，并且总是被他的伴奏者优美地呼应。

01. Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois
02. 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 Le
03. Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Part I The World’s Columbian Exposition Part II Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream
04. John Wayne Gacy, Jr
05. Jacksonville
06. A short reprise for Mary Todd, who went insane, but for very good reasons
07. Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step-Mother!
08. One last Whoo-hoo! for the Pullman
09. Chicago
10. Casimir Pulaski Day
11. To The Workers of The Rock River Valley Region, I have an idea concerning your predicament, and it involves an inner tube, bath mats, and 21 able-bodied men
12. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
13. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
14. A conjunction of drones simulating the way in which Sufjan Stevens has an existential crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze
15. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
16. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!
17. Let’s hear that string part again, because I don’t think they heard it all the way out in Bushnell
18. In This Temple As in The Hearts of Man For Whom He Saved The Earth
19. The Seer’s Tower
20. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders Part I The Great Frontier Part II Come to Me Only With Playthings Now
21. 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
22. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I shake the dirt from my sandals as I run