Relive the Illinoise

Sufjan Stevens' Illinois was an unassuming masterpiece. It was also an unlikely one, with 12-word song titles, extended instrumental flourishes and clocking in at nearly 80 minutes with 22 tracks on a single disc. The good news is, there's more. Nearly reaching 80 minutes, and crammed with 21 tracks itself, The Avalanche lives up to its namesake, inundating the Sufjan faithful with a substantive shower of outtakes, extras, faux b-sides and alternate takes leftover from his 2005 breakthrough.\nAfter traveling to Highland, Jacksonville, Decatur, Chicago, Rock River Valley, Godfrey and Bushnell on the album proper, Stevens takes detours to Springfield, McClure, Kaskasia, Crystal Lake and Pittsfield on this collection, and no less than nine of these 21 tracks belong rightfully on the original record.\nNo one I know asked for three more versions of "Chicago," but we get them here. An acoustic, adult-contemporary and White Stripes-ian version are all on display, but that's forgivable with mini-epics like "Springfield (or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair)" and "Pittsfield" alongside. Despite his flair for impressive arrangements, it remains Stevens' voice that propels his compositions forward. Not even a ridiculous, juvenile attempt at an electric guitar solo on "Shadfly" can reduce the impact of Stevens' vocals, and "Pittsfield" could well be the saddest and most fragile thing he's recorded thus far.\nSufjan's lighter side surfaces on the upbeat "Dear Mr. Supercomputer" and "The Henney Buggy Band," both of which are reminiscent of "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!" and "The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" on Illinois. "Adlai Stevenson" and "Saul Bellow" are both literate ruminations on historical Prairie State figures, but "The Mistress Witch from McClure (or The Mind That Knows Itself)," "No Man's Land" and "The Avalanche" dig right to the heart of what Stevens is striving for with his overwhelming 50 States project; getting to the bottom of what makes America(na) tick via heartfelt songs about the trivial as well as the monumental.\nWhatever Stevens' music may or may not reveal about himself and his own tortured, tender soul, the fact that this collection of supposed throwaways from his last studio endeavor surpasses 97% of all other musicians' choicest cuts reveals Sufjan himself to be a songwriter and arranger of an extremely elevated order. When someone packs even their most frivolous cuts with this much emotion and forethought, they afford themselves the right to employ pretentious nomenclature.