By Jason Wool
Photography by Jesse Chehak

With the release of Illinois, the follow-up to 2003’s Greetings from Michigan, singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens shows critics he’s serious about his 50 States project. It’s no gimmick - Stevens plans on producing an album for each and every state in the Union. In the same vein as Michigan - where each song paints a different portrait of the culture, politics, history, geography, and people of a specific Great Lakes state, town or region - the tracks on Illinois reference just about everything relating to the Prairie State, from the Lincoln-Douglas debates to infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr. As for future state records, Stevens says he’s currently working on songs for New Jersey and Oregon, but for other areas, he might need a little assistance. “For the southwestern states, I’m going to need some help. Ray from the Castanets and I have been talking about doing Arizona together. I find the desert terrifying - it’s really humbling to be in the presence of such a dramatic landscape.”

“Travel, I’ve had my share, man / I’ve been everywhere.” - chorus to “I’ve been everywhere,” written by Geoff Mack, performed by Johnny Cash