2000 Great Songs #1262: Come On! Feel The Illinoise!
Few albums capture that mid-2000s vibe quite like Sufjan Stevens' stunning, adventurous Come On Feel The Illinoise . A sequel to 2003's equally ambitious and nearly as great Welcome To Michigan , the 2005 release claimed to be the second in a series of records based on the 50 states... though the project sadly ended there, 48 states short of its goal. Still, it was a remarkable feat on its own, grandiose and sprawling, ranging from baroque pop to heartland ballads to over-the-top Broadway musical productions, weaving magical tales from my home state's history and geography. Plenty of stand-out tracks, but the title track (with a few added exclamation points) best captures the manic thrill of the record, an initial piano riff reminiscent of the Peanuts theme that sprouts into jazz/pop/showtune flair, eventually settling down into a sweet, melodic coda. I can't think of anything else that sounds like it. Live 2009: Impressive acoustic cover version:
