Illinois by Sufjan Stevens

This is simply one of the best albums ever made. The lyrics are powerful and the closest lyrics can come to being considered poetry by snobs like me, and the music is complex and moving. And the idea of picking a state and just using that as a generative tool is something that I think is Whitmanian in scope. It's folksy, marching bandsy, and rocky all at once. I can't listen to this all the way through without repeating at least two or three songs, seriously.

RATING: 93%