The Avalanche: Outtakes And Extras From The Illinois Album
By Tristan Staddon

Another excellent album about all things Illinois. (Oprah, you’re still not invited.)

You came. You listened. You felt the IIlinoise. You even loved it - and with good reason. Since the release of Sufjan Stevens’ second entry in his so-called 50 States Project, Illinois, he’s become a sort of poster boy, not only for poetic, state-centric post-Americana folk-pop, but also for his fragile falsetto, religion and imagination. All of which makes it simultaneously unfair and utterly impossible to evaluate Stevens’ latest collection without first recalling its immaculate predecessor. Not that Stevens’ followers should brace for disappointment. If anything, the quality of Stevens’ B-sides further validates the folk-hero legacy he’s begun. His sense of research, observation, and, most importantly, storytelling is as strong on these 21 tracks as it was on Illinois’ 22. And while much of The Avalanche could seamlessly relocate to that disc, Stevens occasionally subverts what’s expected of his tender orchestral pop. This is perhaps most surprising on “Dear Mr. Supercomputer,” a percussive romp with plugged-in wallop, and a hand clap-driven take on “Chicago” (one of three “Chicago” reworkings here) that Soof tags as his “Multiple Personality Disorder version.” Nonetheless, this set is entirely cohesive, if lacking just an inch of Illinois’ majesty - the way Christmas presents would seem less grand if you had to wait until a week after Dec. 25 to open them. Good thing Uncle Sufjan always knows what we want. (ASTHMATIC KITTY; asthmatickitty.com)

ROCKS LIKE
Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois / Sufjan Stevens’ Greetings from Michigan, The Great Lakes State / Sufjan Stevens’ Seven Swans