There hasn't been a lot of progressive pop in the last couple of decades dominated by mainstream pop and angrier strains of rock and rap. So this album, and perhaps Sigur Ros' TAKK, can serve the purpose of turning popsters onto art-rock that requires more than a cursory listen and bad attitude, man.

What makes "pop" become "progressive pop"? That's simple-- complexity in music and lyrics. The minute the arrangements shatter pop conventions (verse chorus verse chorus solo chorus chorus fade) and create a sense of adventure both aurally and lyrically, you are into the realm of progrock, art-rock, or whatever you want to call it. Think of everything from Brian Wilson's 1966-67 Beach Boys-era SMiLE to Mike Oldfield's 1978 epic INCANTATIONS and you'll have covered over a decade of popularity for the genre. There tends to be a sharp contrast between more complex upbeat sections and quieter segments, and lengthier instrumental passages than is allowed in mainstream pop. Sufjan Stevens twist on the genre is his gentle folkie vocals, although even early Gabriel-era Genesis would seem to be a precedent. Instrumentally, he plays a ton of instruments a la Mike Oldfield, but in the service of his pop opera ILLINOIS rather than Oldfield's instrumental explorations. His love of complex vocal arrangements and atmospheric orchestral interludes puts him closer to the Brian Wilson SMiLE end of the prog spectrum that the progrockers preference of lengthy instrumental segments. That genre tended to rely on unusual guitar sounds and then-cutting edge technology in synthesizers for its textures, while Stevens prefers to use a self-made chamber orchestra to colour his work with endless details to soak up with each repeated listening. At times he even uses multi-layered vocal sections, a la YES in their "And You And I" mode. Some have even dubbed his music "chamber-folk" as a spin on the art-rock label. That probably gets as close as anything I have heard in terms of describing this excellent work, although even comparisons to musical theatre have been credibly offered (indeed, I can see the theatre producers lining up already to arrange this for the stage). Chalk all this mania up to musically-starved pop writers, if you want, but I think the work is worth the buzz. I do not make these comparisons to draw away from Stevens originality (for instance, his use of minimalism, especially in the closing finale, is groundbreaking for anything even remotely associated with folk music that I have heard), but simply to help people who appreciate these genres feel confident about buying his album. Sufjan Stevens is great folk singer and great prog arranger, and that just about says it all.

There are a ton of lyrics on this 75 minute album, which makes it wonderful for secondary research, especially given all the historical allusions. Another hallmark of progressive pop is the in-depth explorations of spirituality, history, myth, and other topics that can't be contained in a chorus. Hence, the birth of the concept album; and Stevens takes this idea to the logically absurd conclusion that he wants to do a concept album for every state in the union! That's one of the things I love about him-- whether you are talking about his music, his lyrics, his song titles, and even his future ambitions, he throws every reviled thing about progressive pop right back at you and seems to pull it off. The more you get into the lyrics on ILLINOIS, the more you want to know about the stories and history behind them and their laugh-out-loud titles. There is a bubbly enthusiasm that Stevens conveys when he sings his Christian imagery-laced lyrics (his SEVEN SWANS album was awash in Christian spirituality), which is made particularly ironic when he sings about someone in love with a dying cancer patient: "Tuesday night at the Bible study/ We lift our hands and pray over your body/ But nothing ever happens." Not exactly the words of a patsy for the phony TV faith healers.

As for individual songs on ILLINOIS, there is simply too much that can be said to really get into it. Briefly, there are the truly offbeat numbers ("Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois," "Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind..."), the comparatively straightforward folkie songs (John Wayne Gacy, Jr.", "Casimir Pulaski Day,"), and the certifiably progish numbers that are so well arranged and sung they give me chills (the incredible "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!", "Come on Feel the Illinoise!", and "The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders'). And there isn't even one mediocre song let alone a clunker on the whole album.

It seems perfectly obvious to me that Sufjan Stevens is on the brink of becoming one of America's most important composers. Why miss any of the fun while the rest of the country figures this out--- pick up the CD today! -=== om=-=-=- Nick (SoulQuest7@aol.com)

I stumbled onto Sufjan Stevens after downloading an MP3 of Casimir Pulaski Day, and I haven't been disappointed yet. The evocative melodies, the folksy rhythms, and playful lyrics all come together in a highly impressionistic portrait that extends far beyond the bounds of Illinois. It is a pleasure to hear a literate musician evoke such memories as well as inspire new ones.

Sufjan Stevens defies categorization. Most people have lumped him in with the freak-folk movement of Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, and that doesn't feel like the right fit. However, he doesn't fall comfortably into any current pop music label. Combining swirling woodwinds, Charlie Brown piano and multi-part harmonies with what sounds like young folk, the feelings evoked in this album run the gamut from sheer joy to inconsolable sorrow, often several times within the same song. The song I am fixated on currently is the Predatory Wasp track, but all are equally stellar. One of the best of 05.