World - Volume 20 No 36 - September 17, 2005
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The top five most-played Triple-A albums according to CMJ, Issue #927
The top five most-played Triple-A albums according to CMJ, Issue #927
ILLINOISE | Sufjan Stevens
WEEKS ON CHART 6
STYLE Baroque, rock-operatic concept pop.
WORLDVIEW That the history and people of Illinois make as good a template as any for the exploration of the human condition (rapacious capitalism, the Windy City, various not-so-windy cities, UFO sightings, and serial murder ["John Wayne Gacy, Jr."] included).
OVERALL QUALITY Pretentiousness, bombast, and logorrhea that make Pete Townshend look modest but that nevertheless deliver aural thrills and, occasionally, simple beauty.