Er... This is a strange question but I'll give it a whirl. I prefer Seven Swans over Illinoise, which is a definitely a solid album but somewhat overrated. That being said, it wasn't my favorite album of 2005 but up there. Unfortunately, the more and more I listen to it... the less and less I like it. In Rainbows has been blowing me away these past few weeks, it was a fantastic surprise. Also I like Radiohead much more than Sufjan in general but I still won't vote considering that I haven't had as much time as I would like to digest In Rainbows. If it was Kid A vs. Illinoise, then I know what I'd pick. Kid A!!!!

They're both good albums but the difference is that Sufjan won't be remembered as revolutionary and Radiohead will. If you think that Sufjan thought up his sound you should listen to some Steve Reich. I also feel that Illinois is far too calculated. Sufjan is a genius but he's not a great artist.

quote:

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!"

So, yeah, I just read that allmusic article and all I can do is laugh at how blatanly jealous the writer is of Sufjan. He's trying with all his might to avoid giving Sufjan props for being the musical genius that he is.

The writer even went so far as to critisize Sufjan for not uniting the Indie genre instead of going off on his own and "creating his own precious, little world". Yeah, it's a real shame when an artist branches out on their own to find their own niche. Give me a break.

This article is a joke. It's nothing but a sad, loser writer that's pissed off that some kid half his age is producing works of art that put to shame anything he could ever dream of doing.

Illinois, easily, for me, and I didn't agree with large parts of that article; "Illinois gives the impression that it's a welcoming listen, when really it finds Sufjan Stevens closing a circle, creating a precious world that is insular and also alienating, since he does very little to draw listeners in." Right o.

Having said that, I think In Rainbows is great too.

Maybe I'm just jealous of the musical genius of Sufjan Stevens, but frankly I've never gotten why people think he's so great.

I'll take Radiohead any day.

It’s pretty interesting that after 28 votes counted, Illinois leads 16-12. I thought that maybe Radiohead would have blown Sufjan Stevens’ album out of the water. This isn’t to say that I don’t like Stevens because I do like his three previous albums quite a bit but I am a little surprised by it.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
It’s pretty interesting that after 28 votes counted, Illinois leads 16-12. I thought that maybe Radiohead would have blown Sufjan Stevens’ album out of the water. This isn’t to say that I don’t like Stevens because I do like his three previous albums quite a bit but I am a little surprised by it.

That is surprising. I haven't voted because I haven't checked out the other candidate yet. I'll be waiting till January.

quote:

Originally posted by thetreesgetwheeledaway:
They're both good albums but the difference is that Sufjan won't be remembered as revolutionary and Radiohead will. If you think that Sufjan thought up his sound you should listen to some Steve Reich. I also feel that Illinois is far too calculated. Sufjan is a genius but he's not a great artist.

Not that it matters but it seems to be that someone who excels at making music but is not revolutionary is more of a great artist and not a genius

I really liked Illinois for awhile (it's not named Illinoise.) It's kind of a gimmicky album, and the gimmick is what made it very charming at first. All of the cheering, huge arrangement, etc. - these things made it a very exciting and easy record to get into. However, the things that made it interesting at first eventually started to grate on me for some reason, and I haven't listened to it in probably a year. I'd still vouch for a lot of the singles.

Obviously In Rainbows hasn't had the opportunity to fall from grace, but it's got a sound that seems timeless to me. Definitely Radiohead.

quote:

Originally posted by less_success:
I really liked Illinois for awhile (it's not named Illinoise.)

ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS.

You are right, it is ILLINOIS. YAY FOR ILLINOIS! Why am I screaming?

Edit:

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

It's referred to as Illinois on the label web site.

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
It's referred to as Illinois on the label web site.

Well, for anyone who wants to call the album "illinoise", you're cool with me.

Definitely Illinois. It's way too long, and could have used a little more editing, but most of the songs are great. Some of them "Concerning the UFO..." and "Casimir Pulaski Day" are probably some of my favorite songs.

With In Rainbows, to me, there's a few good songs and a lot of songs I feel indifferent towards.

The Illinoise/Illinois cofusion stems from the CD cover art. Actually, until just a few minutes ago, I always thought it was Illinoise. Sufjan...you crazy goose.

quote:

Originally posted by hudson:

quote:

Originally posted by less_success:
I really liked Illinois for awhile (it's not named Illinoise.)

ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS.

You are right, it is ILLINOIS. YAY FOR ILLINOIS! Why am I screaming?

Edit:

It's nice to know that the mods can come in a just alter a member's post as they see fit. And for a second there I thought there was free speech this public forum. It's funny how quickly the mods forget that this forum is here for the members too. Yeah, what a concept, a public forum for the members, not the mods.

Whatever, i've wasted enough time trying to fight for my own rights on this forum. I'm outnumbered.

p.s. mods, feel free to alter my post as you see fit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: EricG75,

Poor hudson. Why do people keep trying to infringe upon his rights? Damn you, fascists!

quote:

Originally posted by ezkcdude:
The Illinoise/Illinois cofusion stems from the CD cover art. Actually, until just a few minutes ago, I always thought it was Illinoise. Sufjan...you crazy goose.

Yes and the song is titled: "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" Bizarro.

quote:

Originally posted by EvilGhost75:
Poor hudson. Why do people keep trying to infringe upon his rights? Damn you, fascists!

Totally.

FKA, yr a cool guy, but editing hudson? Poor form old son.

I can't vote as I haven't heard the new 'Head...just to stay on topic.

quote:

Originally posted by hudson:

quote:

Originally posted by hudson:

quote:

Originally posted by less_success:
I really liked Illinois for awhile (it's not named Illinoise.)

ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS ILLINOIS.

You are right, it is ILLINOIS. YAY FOR ILLINOIS! Why am I screaming?

Edit:

It's nice to know that the mods can come in a just alter a member's post as they see fit. And for a second there I thought there was free speech this public forum. It's funny how quickly the mods forget that this forum is here for the members too. Yeah, what a concept, a public forum for the members, not the mods.

Whatever, i've wasted enough time trying to fight for my own rights on this forum. I'm outnumbered.

p.s. mods, feel free to alter my post as you see fit.

Give me a break man, it was just a joke—geez.