Released 20 years ago today in the United States, this is the second and last of Sufjan Stevens's albums that is loosely based on a U.S. state. Known as Illinois, the full title of this album is Sufjan Stevens invites you to: Come on feel the ILLINOISE, and the titles of some of the tracks are much, much more verbose and sometimes a whole story unto themselves. At 74 minutes and 22 tracks, this is a magnum opus for the artist and a incorporates many new sounds to the musical styles of Stevens, whose music was often mostly banjo-heavy, quirky folk-rock music before this. This album has elements of marching bands, classical, electronica, musical theater, and much more with many of the instruments played in the studio by Sufjan himself. Lyrically, it makes a lot of references to Illinois history and geography, mentioning lots of city names and places as well as historical events such as the World's Columbian Exposition, John Wayne Gacy, Jr.'s actions as a serial killer, and that the fictional city of Metropolis that Superman resides in is somewhat based off Chicago. But it also uses these bits as a pushing-off point to talk about other subjects, weaving in religious themes and more universal questions of life, such as referencing Chicago's most famous skyscraper "The Sears Tower" in the track "The Seer's Tower", referencing the Apocalypse and Sufjan's relationship with God. 20 years later, it still is Sufjan Stevens's most successful album by sales and is definitely an interesting listen the whole way through due to its mini-songs and musical interludes.

Release Year: 2005
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Released 24 years ago today, this is the fifth studio album from the band PFR. In 1996, the band broke up, but in 2000 they reunited for a track on the Roaring Lambs album. They decided to reunite and recorded an album, but as soon as the album was released, their label folded and the album never really got the promotion they deserved. The band may have been a bit disappointed with the sound, though I have a copy of the CD and it sounds very good to me. It's definitely not exactly the same as their '90s albums, but it's some solid rock/pop songs with some three-part harmonies and religious language. 24 years later, they are working to give fans a chance to rediscover the album. Through a crowd-funding campaign, they are getting the album remastered and will release it on CD, vinyl and streaming. So whether you have heard this album or if you have not, you can support their Kickstarter campaign to re-release the album independently, and sometime this year or next, it will be on streaming for everyone to hear.

Release Year: 2001
Crowdfund the album's re-release