In the midst of all these preposterous grudge matches I decided to post my own. My wife and I have been battling Sufjan Stevens against Andrew Bird, specifically Andrew Bird's The Mysterious Production of Eggs against Sufjan Steven's Illinois, both of which were released in 2005.

The basis of this comparison is pretty simple I think. Both are prolific singer songwriters that, while stylistically different, inhabit the same musical territory. Last year they each produced albums that could be argued as their personal best. Illinois topped Pitchfork's list, The Mysterious Production of Eggs topped Prefixmag's.

My wife and I have been playfully entertaining this album comparison and have each changed our minds a couple times durring the (months of) deliberation but have settled, separately, on which is the long standing victor.

What is you preference (because we think they are both pretty amazing)?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sicnarf,

Illinois.

Finally a good versus!(As opposed to Pixes vs Nirvana, Muse vs. Radiohead, hudson) So while Illinois I think is the better album in its ambition and scope, I would say that in execution they're equal. I mean a song like "John Wayne Gacy" I feel is definately equal to a song like "The Happy Birthday Song" and "Come on and feel the Illinoise" is definately as great as "Fake Palindromes." On the other hand the fact that Illinoise has 24 or so songs of greatness as opposed to Mysterious Production 14 does seem to make it the better album, not to say that Bird couldn't have made the album that long and still have that many incredible songs. As to the question of who I would listen to on a regular basis, well that would have to go to Bird, I love the Mysterious Production Of. I also love Illinois but more on the level of "Yes, It's a great album worthy of much admiration and respect" as opposed to Mysterious which is on the level of "Wow what a fucking incredible album.

quote:

Originally posted by brighteyes215:
and still have that many incredible songs. As to the question of who I would listen to on a regular basis, well that would have to go to Bird, I love the Mysterious Production Of. I also love Illinois but more on the level of "Yes, It's a great album worthy of much admiration and respect" as opposed to Mysterious which is on the level of "Wow what a fucking incredible album.

I feel the exact same way, only reversed.

Uh oh, I was on a serious Andrew Bird binge for the last few weeks but it looks like the tables are starting to turn...again.

I personally think that, in the present music scene, spanning all genres, Sufjan's brilliance and talent is unmatched and certainly not to be outdone.

Illinoise is brilliant in a way that few albums are.

I was listening to Avalanche this morning. It seems that this guy has not even come close to reaching the limits as to what he is capable of doing with music.

I enjoy both albums. I liked Illinois, but I didn't put it in my top 20 for some personal reasons. It shoulda been in my second 10, but there were just too many others for me to include, and Sufjan was gettin' lots of love, so that's my unfair response. I've never heard a Sufjan album that wasn't strong.

Andrew Bird was my number 5 last year, I believe, but Eggs isn't as good as The Swimming Hour. However, it's a turn in his music to a more personal statement which will also find fans. In other words, it's a step in the right direction because I don't expect an original artist to keep making Swimming Hour II, III, IV. So, I have high hopes that he will top The Swimming Hour and Eggs.

It seemed that on last year's "best albums of 2005", towards the end of the voting, people were intentionally leaving Sufjan off their top 20 for the same reasons you did markf.

They were just tired of him getting all the hype and felt like he was getting enough love as it was. I think people were pissed that Sufjan was stealing all these other indie band's thunder.

I think the main reason so many people didn't put Sufjan in the top 20 is because they wanted to make a statement for everyone to see, that they don't have to like him and vote for him if they don't want to. Like they are more musically liberated or something.

Well, I can dig it up if necessary, but I posted a pre-list with only 10 titles, which had Sufjan somewhere around #7-8, and Andy at #3-4, I think. I seriously thought that Sufjan later dropped to at least #15, but at that point, what difference does it make? I wasn't making a statement, as much as I was saying that I honestly didn't believe his album was noticeably better than these other five or six albums which get "no love".

Sure. I believe I'm musically liberated. In fact, I'm so liberated that I don't have to make statements. (For what it's worth.)

Well, you didn't put him in your top 20. That's making a statement, whether you admit it or not.

Obviously you think that Bird's album was so much more superior as to put his at #5 while leaving the amazing "illiniose" completely off the to top 20 list.

You already claimed your response was unfair and that you had personal reasons for leaving Sufjan off the the top 20. I reckon that's why most people left him off. They had other reasons to dis my boy Sufjan than the merits of his album.

Are you calling Sufjan your punk?

"It shoulda" and being unfair are separate entities. It shoulda been in the top 20 when I first made my "final" list, but it wasn't when I made my "final" final list. Now, that's not unfair at all.

Sufjan's my boieeee. I don't really know him or anything. But I would be his friend if he wanted.

Aw cmon markf, "illinoise" was so obviously the best album of 2005. That album is flat out awesome. But it's ok that you didn't put him in your top 20. I won't not like you or anything.

Me too. And thanks, hudson.

I feel uncomfortable about Sufjan being someone's 'boieeee'. His interview w/ Pitchfork is refreshing. I sure like him quite a bit. I think if you look at the 2005 Meta scores/lists you will notice that Sufjan tops those lists more than anyone else so he is receiveing his justified love.

Hmm. I don't know. When I first heard "Eggs", it took me a while to get into it, but the more I listened to it, the better it became. I found Sufjan's offering more instantly gratifying, but I did get sick of it quicker, and I listen to it for the wonderful lyrics now, rather than the music.

I think the non-song tracks are kinda gimmicky too, couldn't most of them just have been added onto the end of the songs, rather than coming up with "clever" names for them all? Ah, I sound like I don't like "Illinois"; I do, it's wonderful.

I couldn't possible choose between them, but I like Sufjan for the emotion and lyrics, and correlation between lyrics and music, and Mr Bird for the plain wonderful music.

I think I ranked Andrew Bird higher at the end of 2005, but since then Sufjan has climbed the ranks quite a bit, and I definitely like Illinois better right now. He's just a damn amazing songwriter.

I prefer Sufjan if only (but NOT only) because he writes in the storyteller tradition of Dylan and Waits.

I would give the edge to Sufjan here simply because of ambition. I listen to both albums about the same number of times and think that they are both a few tracks away from being perfect. However, what Sufjan did was so grandiose...I think that ambition should be rewarded.

I love both records, but I'd give it to Illinois for being much more creative and for just plain having more songs (all of which are good, except "one last whoo-hoo").