Sufjan Stevens - casimir pulaski day, 2005

"‘Casimir Pulaski Day’ comes around right around the mid-point of Illinois, straight after the smile-inducing epic, ‘Chicago’; the two marking not only the albums centrepiece but also easily the best back-to-back of Stevens’ career. They are each other’s counterpoints. The maximalist orchestral sound of the first is juxtaposed by the minimalist folk of the second. If ‘Chicago’ was a delightful document of youthful escape, then ‘Casimir Pulaski Day’ was the sobering reminder that tragically for some, youth can mark the twilight years of one’s life."