Some melodies, after several listens, reveal an interesting complexity; one reviewer stated that "nobody would be humming this at work," which is only true if you didn't' listen to it more than twice or you don't recognize melodies more complex than the latest pop song

His use of quiet instruments to show the dissonant, frantic helplessness in the midst of a sweet and smooth melody is entrancing.

The evocative melodies, the folksy rhythms, and playful lyrics all come together in a highly impressionistic portrait that extends far beyond the bounds of Illinois.

that doesn't mean the sum total would be good...or a pleasant listening experience...or have a single decent melody

There are indeed a few cool instrumental melodies, but like a few of the reviewers mentioned already is just has no soul to it

On these exquisite melodies, Sufjan's intimate voice is often framed by elegant backing vocals over a complex and stirring instrumental mix

Sufjan Stevens has a knack for a beautiful melody and for clever, if offbeat, lyrics (a sympathetic portrait of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, for instance).

The new school are working from a perspective part folk song, part orchestral pop with sharp hooks, emotionally charged lyrics and gorgeous melodies

album titles benefitted(?) by the thesaurus, lackluster songwriting, 60-year redundant melodies, gimmeyabreak

There are some nice melodies, instrumental passages and ideas but this seems more like an experiment rather than a focused work

Illinois contains a wealth of catchy melodies and gripping imagery, plus plenty of variety in theme, musical style and presentation

The first few times I played the CD, without really listening to the lyrics, I heard it as a love song, due to the gorgeous minor-key melody, then only realized later what it was about

Great pop melodies abound, but there is an overall broadway feel to this c.d. which is remarkable.

Jr." tackles one of the more infamous serial killers in the history of the United States, and Stevens turns in a sparse vocal track that's empathetic without being crass and contains one of the most heartbreaking vocal melodies I've heard in some time

the sheer eclecticism of subject, the mellifluence he employs so briskly, the outrageous-by-design titles, the peculiar chord progression and song structure, the deft wordplay, the gorgeous melodies - you find new and wondrous things half a dozen times in.

Sometimes Steven's reach exceeds his grasp,like on the John Wayne Gacy song which strikes me as sophomoric, but if you like lush production and pop melodies, you owe it to yourself to give this a listen.

Stevens puts the melody first, and his melodies are unbelievably beautiful

Lackluster melodies and predictable progressions haunt the lion's share of this record

in the end, you'll think you might have been in the happiest place on earth with the happiest people and the meaning of it all fresh in your head, ready to tap your foot as the rest of you is occupied by its multiple lovely melodies

In the Sufjan Stevens' tradition, layered and complex instrumentation and melodies are mixed with simplistic ones to create varying moods throughout "Come On Feel the Illinoise."

Beautiful melodies, the zoom out/zoom in from the historical to the personal and the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production make this one of the years best records

The Copland-like rhythms, the feeling of open spaces, the broad range of subjects and ideas and the memorable melodies urge me to listen to this CD over and over again.

Sufjan puts his beautiful melodies in inventive and attention-getting arrangements that had me thinking of people as disparate as Tom Waits and Mike Oldfield

On these exquisite melodies, Sufjan's intimate voice is often framed by the most elegant backing vocals over a rich and graceful instrumental mix