Review: The Avalanche 7/10

With 2003's Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lakes State, Sufjan Stevens set the bar high for the following 49 albums. Despite producing such an excellent soundtrack for one watery mid-west state, Mr. Stevens was able to work his magic once again with the masterpiece that is Illinois in 2005. Now, he comes to us with The Avalanche, a collection of songs that didn't quite make the cut on Illinois. In this fairly polished b-sides record, we see more of the songwriting and orchestration that has made Sufjan massively popular.
The opening track "The Avalanche" is a warm introduction that reaches a surprisingly thrilling crescendo with insistent horns and percussion. It is easy to see a track like this fitting seamlessly into the Illinois track listing. In other instances however, the listener will thank Sufjan for his discretion. In the case of the epic "Chicago", we see three alternate versions which come in acoustic, adult contemporary, and multiple personality disorder. They are aptly titled, to say the least. At times, Sufjan sounds a bit clumsy and more experimental than in his previous ventures. One can hardly be critical, as they are outtakes. Rather, it is interesting to see the evolution of his songs; the tweaks and compositional modifications that he makes.
Sufjan's ability to effectively blend historical matter and superb songwriting continues on this album. "Saul Bellow" tells the tale of a nobel prize-winning author, and the many locations such as "Kaskaskia River" all help to paint the patriotic picture so deftly presented by the songwriter. The standout track "Henney Buggy", with a catchy riff in the vein of "Jacksonville", will make your summer playlist.
Perhaps this release was merely a stopgap in the Sufjan Stevens discography, something to satisfy his fans momentarily. Whatever the reason for release, this work should not be regarded as completely second-rate. Many songs on the album live up to expectations, but others are more noticeably outtakes. Overall, The Avalanche is a nice accompaniment to Illinois, especially after you've listened the hell out of the latter in the past year.

-Kyle Gilkeson