Two indie powerhouse albums. I see that the metascore for "in rainbows" has matched that of the wonderful 'illinoise', so I thought I get some opinions about which one is truly the better album. Perhaps it's too soon to say. I've certainly listened to 'in rainbows' enough to make a credible comparison.
Personally I like 'illinois'. I think it's more creative and original. I think the vocals on 'in Rainbows' are better though.
All around, i'd have to say 'illinoise' is the superior work of art.
I don’t know, maybe you guys think that Illinois will win this in a landslide but there are a lot of members on here who don’t care for it and/or Sufjan Stevens.
----- I got a stone where my heart should be.
Posts: 5715 | Location: Texas | Registered: 27 December 2005
Originally posted by FragileKidA: I don’t know, maybe you guys think that Illinois will win this in a landslide but there are a lot of members on here who don’t care for it and/or Sufjan Stevens.
So, FKA, what do you think? Which is the superior album/work of art?
Originally posted by dumbledore: So, FKA, what do you think? Which is the superior album/work of art?
I haven’t made up my mind yet, Illinois was my top album of 2005, but that was back in 2005, now it’s somewhere in the 5-10 area. And I do love In Rainbows but that one is drawing too much negative feedback from me—too many connections—so as of right now, “undecided.”
----- I got a stone where my heart should be.
Posts: 5715 | Location: Texas | Registered: 27 December 2005
I'm beginning to think that people need to listen to 'illinois' before they vote just to give them a refresher of just how incredible the album is. The originality of the compositions alone should be something to consider.
This article sums up my thoughts of Sufjan quite well. That is to say, I enjoy the music of Sufjan, but I don't like the idea of Sufjan. His music, taken alone and out of context, is nice. But I can't just listen to his music... I have to listen to his silly lyrics and think about his, erm, dumb ambitions.
"Even with the rest belated, everything is antiquated/Are you writing from the heart?" -an ironically poignant quote from "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!"
Originally posted by Fitz: Radiohead by two nautical miles.
This article sums up my thoughts of Sufjan quite well. That is to say, I enjoy the music of Sufjan, but I don't like the idea of Sufjan. His music, taken alone and out of context, is nice. But I can't just listen to his music... I have to listen to his silly lyrics and think about his, erm, dumb ambitions.
I respect your opinion, but for the record: Radiohead is WAY more "ambitious" than Sufjan is. Sufjan is trying to push himself to deeper levels of creative expression. Radiohead wants to change the world.
That being said, I stand by my view that both deserve tons of respect. For all of his ambitions though, I think Sufjan is a very humble person.
---------------------------- It's okay, I'm a saint, I forgave your mistakes.
Originally posted by FragileKidA: I don’t know, maybe you guys think that Illinois will win this in a landslide but there are a lot of members on here who don’t care for it and/or Sufjan Stevens.
I'm not saying I don't like Sufjan, but to me Illinois = "Chicago" and not much else.
Originally posted by FragileKidA: I don’t know, maybe you guys think that Illinois will win this in a landslide but there are a lot of members on here who don’t care for it and/or Sufjan Stevens.
I'm not saying I don't like Sufjan, but to me Illinoise = "Chicago" and not much else.
The album's called Illinois, by the way.
And I'm not sure where that sentiment comes from; "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" is easily the best track on the album.
------ Let's raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer! I do believe he was our only decent teacher
Posts: 2098 | Location: ATL-abouts. | Registered: 24 October 2006
Originally posted by Fitz: Radiohead by two nautical miles.
This article sums up my thoughts of Sufjan quite well. That is to say, I enjoy the music of Sufjan, but I don't like the idea of Sufjan. His music, taken alone and out of context, is nice. But I can't just listen to his music... I have to listen to his silly lyrics and think about his, erm, dumb ambitions.
"Even with the rest belated, everything is antiquated/Are you writing from the heart?" -an ironically poignant quote from "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!"
I strongly disagree with the article. The author criticizes Sufjan for not incorporating the music of his subject states into his music, but I think that misses the point. Both Michigan and Illinois catch the essence of the states within Sufjan's music. Michigan is a more down-cast album about a down-trodden state. Sufjan talks about dying cities and people that cling to hope, with music that sounds like a funeral march. The music in Illinois is more bouncy and captures a state that is more alive.
I also disagree that Sufjan's compositions sound the same. This may be true of Michigan, but Illinois (and The Avalanche) incorporate many different sounds and styles. "Come on Feel the Illinoise . . .", "John Wayne Gacy", "Casimir Polaski Day," "Chicago", and "They are Night Zombies . . ." are all tremendously different sounding tracks.
That being said, I will not express a preference for either Illinois or In Rainbows. They are both very different works, and in my mind, equally great.
Doesn't one of the 2 albums carry at least a slight edge over the other?
