The Avalanche's best songs would've been Illinois standouts as well.
Sufjan Stevens reaches his saturation point with this 75-minute, 21-track companion album to last year's acclaimed Illinois.
The Avalanche is a great record, but one that may have benefited from its creator learning to be a little more detached from his compositions.
Stevens constructed an alternate version of Illinois that is almost as good as the original.
There’s a wealth of great material buried within The Avalanche, if you don’t mind digging.
The Avalanche packs enough weirdo magic to make it more than just a gift to his growing cult.
There’s very little here that ups the ante (or matches the highlights) of the original Illinois disc, and far too much filler.
There's a difference between a damn fine song and the brilliance that made up Stevens's previous two releases, Illinois and Seven Swans. Unfortunately, The Avalanche clunks through track after track of damn fine songs while only rarely hitting these moments that make your body tingle in euphoria.
Not good enough for Illinoise, perhaps, but gorgeous none the less.
I think Illinoise was great on its' own but god damn the B-sides and extras from it are just as great. Obviously with a compilation like this the songs won't flow together as well but that doesn't mean they aren't some of Sufjan's best works. It is both joyful and happy and soul crushing but that should be expected with a compilation so shamelessly compiled. I think my favorite songs that weren't the many great versions of Chicago were No Man's Land, For Clyde Tombaugh, and The Avalanche but ... read more
1234567allcomputersgotoheaven.
Better than it has any right to be. This might even go to 80 on another listen or two.
The sheer amount of recorded material and songwriting that Sufjan put into the Illinois sessions makes me appreciate what it takes to make a record, the amount left on the floor, the amount of experimentation and variation on themes (there are 3 other Chicago versions on here!).
The Front cover says exactly what it is and is humorous about it, Illinois outtakes and extras, ... read more
"The Avalanche" is not merely a compilation of B-sides and outtakes from Sufjan Stevens' acclaimed "Illinois" album but rather a cohesive and captivating musical journey in its own right.
1234567allcomputersgotoheaven.
Better than it has any right to be. This might even go to 80 on another listen or two.
The sheer amount of recorded material and songwriting that Sufjan put into the Illinois sessions makes me appreciate what it takes to make a record, the amount left on the floor, the amount of experimentation and variation on themes (there are 3 other Chicago versions on here!).
The Front cover says exactly what it is and is humorous about it, Illinois outtakes and extras, ... read more
Sufjan Stevens (6/16)
Usually, I'd focus primarily on studio albums or eps/bonus material, but I'll make this exception. The Avalanche is a pleasant surprise as although the album cover says "shamelessly compiled" the songs sort of blend well together, to the point where you could anticipate where you could place them on Illinois. This compilation of outtakes and extras contains many hidden gems in Sufjan Stevens' discography, proving that even the outtakes from the Illinois sessions ... read more