Sujan Stevens' Illinois

If Sujan Stevens had to be described in one word, it would be ambitious. The self taught musician plays nearly all the instruments on his albums, and we aren't just talking guitar, bass, and drums, but also piano, oboe, and banjo, among others. He has also embarked on the elaborate 50 states project, in hopes of writing an album about each.

He still has a lot of work to go for this endeavor, however with only two states under his belt. In 2003 he released the first, a brilliant and beautiful depiction of the state he grew up in, Michigan. Now he has returned with the second album in his project, one that covers Illinois.

Like I've already said, Stevens is ambitious, and Illinois gives further proof with its 22 tracks and BLAH minute running time. Like his previous work the album flows smoothly back and forth between grandiose orchestral pop and sparse haunting folk ballads. Each song (except the instrumentals) is a vignette of the Midwestern state, that when pieced together offer a fully developed character sketch of the geographic location and its rich history.

The album opens with "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois," a simple and effective piano driven piece in which Stevens voice hardly rises above a whisper. The song is pristine and consoling with its epiphany like descriptions of an extraterrestrial encounter. It is here that you learn for that first time that Stevens can successfully tackle any topic in a poetic and shtick free manner. On the appropriately titled "John Wayne Gacy Jr." he even discusses the serial killer and his dark acts in a way that is so inviting and stunningly intriguing that you can't help but smile.

From there the album moves into its first instrumental track, "The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization and Still Fe BLAH." Here Stevens offers up a grand and fully orchestrated romp whose choir and stand-at-attention-horns could be the music played at the end of an epic as the hero embraces his long lost love.

After two tracks you will understand Stevens dichotomous style, one that is employed through out the rest of the album. Songs like "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!: The World's Columbian Exposition/ Carl San BLAH," "Chicago," and "The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders: The Great Frontier/ Come to Me Only BLAH," exhibit fully executed multi-instrumental pop masterpieces, while songs like "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!" "Casimir Pulaski Day," and "The Seer's Tower" offer up slabs of Americana that are hushed and eloquent.

At times, perhaps because of his ambitious nature, Stevens can seem long-winded. This album may seem a behemoth at first listen thanks to its lengthy running time and some of its songs that extend well over the five-minute mark. Still Illinois seems to flow a bit better than Michigan did, as Stevens has found a way to properly align his songs so that the subdued moments don't hinder the progression of the album, but act as valleys that look towards the next peak.

This is an album that grows on you, and one that takes time to unlock its nuances. Stevens has crafted a piece of music that can merely be enjoyed for its surface charm; lush instrumentation, beautiful melodies, detailed harmonies, and charming lyrics, but can also be explored. There are nuances to be unlocked here, and once found the album becomes an every greater gem.

Stevens is attempting to cover an entire state, and not merely its landscapes and cities, but its rich history. The end result is a magnificent portrait that is both physical and psychological; one that will transport you into Stevens' world where every detail is worthy of investigation and praise.