Sufjan Stevens
I noticed that Sufjan was getting great reviews from tough people last year. Never thought much of it. But I just recently saw he had a good new album. So I thought, why not check out "Illinoise" and see what last year's "good" album was about. Yo, it is the greatest thing I have heard in about 5 years. Everything I really want to hear. Seriously. It is a concept album about the state of Illinois in the USA. And the test to me at this point for Sufjan is to see if he always sounds like this. This album is everything I want to hear as a person who has lived his whole life in Illinois. This album speaks to me. I am not sure how much homework he did for my state, but he nailed it. I hear CSNY, Curtis Mayfield, George Winston, the Grateful Dead, Miles, and Radiohead tied in in such a cool way, I just think this young dude is THE SHIT! This " Illinoise" concept album is 24 badass songs long! Nobody but a hip hop artist in today's times has done something like this. There are tons of interludes but they are the best modern classical music I have ever heard. Buy Ilinoise! Sufjan plays alot of the instruments on this. He is trained in the oboe, english horn, drums, banjo, guitar, and piano. I just picked up the new album "The Avalanche" which is outtakes from the "Illinoise" album. How could that be bad. Stuff he didn't include on his 24 song previous album. Badass outtakes. What was he thinking? I really enjoy this guy. Check him out......
and this ain't him....but it's a badass live take of stevens that I don't have! .........
and this is just sick!!!!!