This album has been my obsessive listening tool for months.

By now, most people who delve into the music world know of this record, because it's been getting a lot of press and acclaim as one of the best releases of 2005. It is.

This is a miraculous effort. This was the first Sufjan CD I heard. I've since heard his second-most popular CD, Seven Swans. I enjoyed Seven Swans, but not nearly as much as this album. I think Illinois has an amount of diversity and magical melodies that is hard to find in everyday releases. Sufjan composes music for about thirty instruments, and the way he harmonizes them is quite beautiful, and make for melodies that are both unique and very pleasing to the ears.

The first three track alone should perfectly prepare you for the musical approach of the rest of the CD. The opener is a very quiet acoustic ballad, followed by an Ennio Morricone-like pop marching tune. Then, we hear an epic seven-minute song that sounds like "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid.

I think Sufjan has really put out an admirable album, with tons of ambition and passion, and some of the best hooks and songs you'll hear anywhere (the song "Chicago" comes to mind). I recommend this album to anybody looking for something melodious and easy to listen to, but who also want something a bit eclectic in terms of approach and instrumentation.