Tom Lynch

Sufjan Stevens tells tales for a new generation, those too young to have been deeply affected by Bob Dylan or Neil Young.

The raw-yet-precisely conducted chamber-folk Stevens delivers broke through with 2003's "Michigan," the songwriter's epic ode to his home state and the start of Stevens' "Fifty States Project," a mission that has the musician creating entire records for each state in America. "Michigan," filled with banjo, piano, acoustic and electric guitars, warfare drum-work, countless strings and horns and Stevens' whispery, melancholic and soulful voice, dominated a significant part of the indie scene as the record of the year, catapulted by Stevens' diversity--he can switch from gloomy piano work to fast-paced, danceable pop without leaving any rough edges--and ability to play nearly every instrument. "Seven Swans" followed, a tearful lullaby of a record and a change of direction from the "Fifty States" theme that based itself in Stevens' parable-telling and his issues with religious faith. Both records, "Michigan" and "Seven Swans," are flawless.

And now Stevens gives us "Illinois," his next venture in the American heartland, a massive record similar to "Michigan" with big instruments, big choral chants, small oddities and peaceful deliveries from Stevens himself, whose voice carries the songs from one to another. "I would say Chicago made me decide [to do Illinois next]," says Stevens. "There's an obvious distinction between Chicago and Detroit. When I finally went to college, I looked to Chicago with a bit of fascination and resentment and envy. It seemed so much more exciting and healthy and resilient than Detroit had been, and in the research I was doing about Illinois, I was uncovering a lot of material that had showed how Illinois' history was one of heightened pageantry, self-promotion, with the World's Fair of 1893, with Abraham Lincoln, in the works of Carl Sandburg. I kind of wanted to create a record that was celebratory in tone."

As celebratory as "Illnois" is, Stevens also sings a research paper, with countless tales of possibly forgotten pasts, while injecting autobiographical elements, making the record that much more lyrically accessible. "I did a lot of reading," Stevens says of the research process. "I used a lot of secondhand accounts. I contextualized information. I read Sandburg, I read Bellow, Abraham Lincoln. I read history books of different towns and I corresponded with friends in Chicago. That was the most valuable." And his ability to fuse history with autobiography? "I don't try to do that," he says, "it's just a way of working through a song. In some ways it's unavoidable. I'm afraid that if I'm writing about something objectively, I find that you lose kind of an emotional accountability to the subject matter, when you completely compromise your own personal experience. We're all self-obsessed. It's almost impossible to stop talking about ourselves. Even when I tried to avoid first person, I would make myself a character. It's a methodology you use in writing--write about what you know."

Despite "Illinois" having an impeccably gigantic sound and scope, Stevens created the saga mostly by himself. "I'm most comfortable working alone," he says. "I usually write and record simultaneously. I use the process of recording as a tool for composition--I recorded many songs in several different keys, with different arrangements. I worked in a studio in Queens so I had access to better equipment. I passed on the use of an engineer--I wanted privacy and space to work alone."

The songwriter's fascination with the United States is rooted in people, not land. "I think it's a fascination with American identity," he says, "how we create and propagate that through our affiliations with cities and loyalty to sports teams. I find that the U.S. suffers from multiple-personality disorder. I guess in some ways, I'm not that interested in history--I'm pretty bad with dates--I'm more interested in identity."

Stevens covers the widest range imaginable with sound and lyric, from UFO sightings--in the impossibly gorgeous album-opener, the piano driven "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois"--to finger-picked songs about John Wayne Gacy and banjo odes to Decatur. A standout track, simply titled "Chicago," shows Stevens at his best, incorporating giant instruments with backing chorus, not unlike the charm of "Michigan."

"I think it's similar in its sensibility and tone," Stevens says when asked to compare the two records. "`Michigan' is more inward, introverted and emotional, based on memory--which is a bit unreliable. `Illinois' is more explicit, more celebratory, and it's based on research, which can be equally unreliable. Each record is rendered through my imagination. I infused a lot of autobiography, but I think the subject of celebration on `Illinois' is very different."

Sufjan Stevens plays the Metro, September 16 and 17.

(2005-09-13)

Also by Tom Lynch

Starr* Light, Starr* Bright
It's easy to compare bands with similar sounds, to compartmentalize a certain genre of music, match songwriter versus songwriter to see who wields the biggest axe. Stellastarr* still proves to be lovingly incomparable
(2005-09-06)

Invasion of the Parrotheads
Jimmy Buffet and all his entourage play Wrigley Field, the first show at the legendary baseball stadium...ever
(2005-09-06)

Free Space
Johnny Bingo, the California Clipper's resident muscle, checks IDs at the door, and force-feeds bingo cards. If you don't play, you obviously haven't been here before
(2005-08-23)

Dark Shadows
Chicago, make no mistake, is a city that sleeps. At night, in the dark, we drift into dreams of our city, our streets, our neighborhoods and intersections. And we have nightmares
(2005-08-16)

Tip of the Week
(2005-08-09)

Tip of the Week
(2005-08-09)

Tip of the Week
(2005-07-26)

Soundcheck
(2005-07-26)

The Stalker Syndrome
(2005-07-26)

Soundcheck
(2005-07-21)

Fiction Review
(2005-07-21)

Tip of the Week
(2005-07-21)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment