Spanish Moustache it’s a reference to a Sufjan song called Futile Devices. But if you want further discussion of it, look up a man called Ludwig Wittgenstein. He talked a lot about the power words have, or don’t have.
@@cdorresteijn In fact they are super necessary, they are literally the tools we have evolved to communicate in a more abstract fashion, allowing us to distinguish physical objects from the concept itself, and so multiple encounters with wolves, for example, would create a notion of wolf-ness which is the synthesis of individual examples, experienced collectively as the definition of "what is a wolf" and then contrasted with "what is a lion" for example, and the more we did this the more we saw the beauty and logic and harmony manifested by the Universe, and grasped the sheer miracle that must inevitably be at the source of both ourselves and the world; However this caused the irreversible process of domination through ideologies & religious systems which is still ongoing, as mistakes are made and lessons learned, as empires rise and fall, the inequality between the elites and the lower class has caused a non-stop arms race between the ruling classes of the world until complete domination is achieved by engineering a system satisfying all parties, allowing the most necessary evils to be done with the best intentions, through the best strategy for maximizing effectiveness calculated through the most advanced tech, with the biggest budget and the most noble of aims, such as preventing any threats to the success of our expansion to other planets. Words are like nuclear energy. It's what you do with them
Hahahha nah man Illinois is one of the highest rated albums by many Indie music lovers. I am more likely to say it is even a a bit overrated. On the other hand Age of Adz is definitely underrated and should be brought up more often when talking about this genius.
Great video! Small nitpick, but Sufjan's friend recovered from her illness and did not pass away, the song is mostly fictional. However, in elementary school Sufjan DID have a friend pass away; he recounts this in "Opie's Funeral song"
What an incredible album. First listened to it when I was 14, and it changed my life. Still one of my favorite albums to play on a long night drive. Sufjan Stevens is a top-notch musician. I’ll never forget the first time I heard Casimir Pulaski Day. Still one of my go-to examples of great songwriting and layering of instruments. Still makes me emotional when i listen to it. Thank you for bringing more attention to this album, and for all the time you put into your fantastic videos. . Hopefully people want to listen to this album and have their musical world blown apart.
Finally! I’ve been requesting this forever! Personally, Casimir Pulaski Day will always hold the most meaning to me. I lost my uncle to stage four metastatic kidney cancer on Rosh Hashanah and his death made me reconnect with G-d. I got into Sufjan Stevens’ music before his death and I remember listening to that song for three hours straight just crying.
Great video! Having grown up in Eugene, OR, I feel like Carrie and Lowell does a beautiful job connecting to my home through music. Michigan is also a great album. Sufjan is incredible!
Love that you took this dive in Sufan's work. I would really love to see you unravel Sufan's album Carrie & Lowell about his mother who abandoned him in his childhood.
This video is just brilliant. Your analysis of music is so incredibly insightful even when I think I have nothing left to think or feel about a record. I love your channel. In the future I hope you can do videos about Tom Waits and Nick Cave.
Whenever I am drunk by myself, I end up watching this video. Whenever I am driving beyond Chicagoland, I listen to this album. The greatest album of this century!
I listened to the album for the first time today and loved it. Not only am I from Illinois, but on the song Casimir Pulaski Day, he says March 1st. I didn't even realize I was listening to it on Casmir Pulaski Day March 1st (the day doesn't land on the 1st every year). And as someone of Polish decent, that was a really cool experience.
I love the video, especially as a native to Illinois myself. It's a running joke with me that Chicago is the not-Illinois part of Illinois (kind of like the Vatican to Italy), mainly because I'm from the southern region of the state :) I absolutely love how in depth you go into these videos and how they all seem like true passion projects.
Great video, thank you so much, man. I always wanted to listen to this album but I always felt like I just didn't know what it was about and how I should listen to it, this video helped. Thanks so much for your dedication to making amazing videos that show your passion for music. Love your stuff, Polyphonic, keep it up.
Fantastic exploration. The songs you plucked out happen to be my favourite on the album. Hopefully this video serves as an entry point for a lot of people who have never listened to Sufjan before. Great video!
The cool thing about the album is that he has subjects about areas of Illinois that aren't Chicago. As a person from Western Illinois, it's easy to know of being forgotten in comparison to Chicago (because, seriously, the awesome city of Chicago compared to the mass farm lands of the rest if the state😂). So it was cool to see Stevens write about the rest of the state as well.
First off, than you for tackling this gorgeous and unique album. So thankful this came into my life. At a time when I was all about my 80's synth (2008-2009), here comes this beautiful indie opus--which, if I stumble upon at any given moment, will make my eyes immediately well up with tears. It has a certain unique quality to it that I've yet to give anywhere else. Sufjan has to be one of the most incredible lyricists I've ever heard, but if it weren't for his fragile ethereal voice, some might mistake his songs as pretentious or even satirical. Also, the way truly genuine way he tackles the subject of Christian faith--forever having to wrestle with its disquieting perplexities--the only time I felt like someone had successfully described what faith is like. Anyway, I feel very lucky to know this album. It feels like it's something that should be above my pay grade---that and Russian Lit 😜
Great video! I’ve always loved Sufjan and his music. He’s such a fascinating guy with so much talent. I feel like you could make a great video discussing the band La Dispute. Their albums are a mix of spoken word, hardcore, and jazz and the lead singer is probably one of the best storytellers in modern music. Right up there with Sufjan.
This video was way ahead of its time. Broadway just saw one of the best musicals of the year - "Illinoise," a dance-musical featuring the music from this album. A wonderful experience
Brilliant, man. Places really do have meaning because of how we experience them and I appreciate the effort you put into explaining an abstract concept like that. Thank you.
Kinda weird how you release this video not even a week after I discover Stevens, and Illinoise was the first album I picked out to start on. Great vid as always.
Discovered this mans music some 10 years ago and I'm still trying to figure out him out. He's confounding in the best way. He's also go an album about Michigan, the BQE and multi album Christmas album among others. He is an amazing artist.
Thank god someone is talking about Tallest Man, Broadest Shoulders. It’s my favorite song in an album of favorite songs that make up an entire musical especially while adding Avalanche
Great video! I've never been a big fan of Sufjan's work, but I think I'll check it out some more to see what I find for myself. Also, I love that you and Chris Fleming put out a Sufjan video on the same day. Something about that feels right to me.
Dude I juat wanted to see an interesting video on our dear Suf and you curve-ball me and put Casimir pulaski day - now my dinner is wet from tears. thanks. Great video!
I don't know how I've never heard thia album, since I'm from the hometown of Carl Sandburg, and grew up with The Mountain Goats' album Full Force Galesburg, which even names my hometown in Weekend in Western Illinois. I'll have to listen, thanks for the video my guy :)
This is awesome, It just made me think about the scene in American psycho when Patrick did a commentary on Phil Collins and whitney Houston. This is a masterpiece of creativity.
Chicago needs to be the official City anthem. I'm not even from Chicago but it represents that MIDWEST optimist spirit. It doesn't fit any other city. If New York has New York by Sinatra, Georgia has Georgia state of mind by Ray Charles, Chicago has Chicago by Sufjan Stevens.
Absolutely love your videos, keep up the good work. Can you do a video on jamming/improv by the Grateful Dead? I love their music, but not being a musician I don't get how they did it, like how a member would "step out" and the others would follow into a jam.
This album really helped me through some rough times for the past three years. College has been up and down. I come from Chicago and I’m going to a school in the south with a MUCH smaller town. It was so different and there were so many cool moments but so many horrible depressing ones. I love Illinoise so much.
The way that this album draws larger meaning from alot of smaller stories reminds me of the band La Dispute alot. Particularly Wildlife which is one of my all time favorite album, I'd love to see a video on them
Never heard of Sufjan until I met his sister Djohariah (Jo), she lived down the street from a girl I was dating,, at that time they were good friends. Been hooked on his music since.
love this. you should do an episode on cocteau twins! such an interesting band. Robin Guthrie and Liz Fraser are so interesting and albums like heaven or Las Vegas are bliss
I am always super careful to take an interpretation especially as it relates to Sufjan. The comment made here is that Chicago is about being "young and being part of something....Chicago is a distillation of youth and hope". I am not seeing this at all--this is no doubt an anthem and I think like Sufjan layered with considerable complexity. It is not about hope solely or even partly but regret, some sad notes coupled with bright brass tones: again a mix of emotion cascading at once.
Love this album because it doesn't focus solely upon Chicago and gives light to parts of the state that don't get as much shine. Sad to see this video didn't do the same.
Syntine I approve of this, and second it, and furthermore, I shall raise it 5 full belligerence units in asking: why won't you take a closer look at Andrew Bird?! what are you so afraid of???
In "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." he dresses up like a clown "with his face paint white and red" and on "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" America is depicted as "red and white, red and wise" so the reversal of colors can be interpreted as the character being the antithesis of the American Dream. The narrator in "Metropolis" only dreams that the lake takes his boy while aspiring for a better life. The boys in "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." are stripped of such aspirations when literally taken too soon. It can be seen as a small coincidence as Sufjan's lyrics will often depict death and its consequences but there's interconnected thematic links in every song on the album.
The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us is definitely the stand out song for me on this album, it’s so beautiful
"Analyzing all the songs would be an exercise in futility, because of their depth and breadth"
Agreed. Words are futile devices
Cowboy Bebop nice one
Spanish Moustache it’s a reference to a Sufjan song called Futile Devices. But if you want further discussion of it, look up a man called Ludwig Wittgenstein. He talked a lot about the power words have, or don’t have.
*WHEEZE*
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Do a video on Depeche Mode! :)
@@cdorresteijn In fact they are super necessary, they are literally the tools we have evolved to communicate in a more abstract fashion, allowing us to distinguish physical objects from the concept itself, and so multiple encounters with wolves, for example, would create a notion of wolf-ness which is the synthesis of individual examples, experienced collectively as the definition of "what is a wolf" and then contrasted with "what is a lion" for example, and the more we did this the more we saw the beauty and logic and harmony manifested by the Universe, and grasped the sheer miracle that must inevitably be at the source of both ourselves and the world;
However this caused the irreversible process of domination through ideologies & religious systems which is still ongoing, as mistakes are made and lessons learned, as empires rise and fall, the inequality between the elites and the lower class has caused a non-stop arms race between the ruling classes of the world until complete domination is achieved by engineering a system satisfying all parties, allowing the most necessary evils to be done with the best intentions, through the best strategy for maximizing effectiveness calculated through the most advanced tech, with the biggest budget and the most noble of aims, such as preventing any threats to the success of our expansion to other planets.
Words are like nuclear energy. It's what you do with them
One of the most underrated albums of all time. Fact.
Matteo Darmian dawg it’s one of the most highly rated albums of all time in the indie scene
Hahahha nah man Illinois is one of the highest rated albums by many Indie music lovers. I am more likely to say it is even a a bit overrated. On the other hand Age of Adz is definitely underrated and should be brought up more often when talking about this genius.
No
@@johnhenson6495 dawg?
@@floris1912 get outside your bubble
Great video! Small nitpick, but Sufjan's friend recovered from her illness and did not pass away, the song is mostly fictional. However, in elementary school Sufjan DID have a friend pass away; he recounts this in "Opie's Funeral song"
Randall Walsh this makes me very happy :’)
That's so interesting, thank you for sharing. Is there an article or something he mentions that in?
Opie’s Funeral Song absolutely DESTROYS me in every way.
A video talking about Carrie and Lowell would be so great...
What an incredible album. First listened to it when I was 14, and it changed my life. Still one of my favorite albums to play on a long night drive. Sufjan Stevens is a top-notch musician. I’ll never forget the first time I heard Casimir Pulaski Day. Still one of my go-to examples of great songwriting and layering of instruments. Still makes me emotional when i listen to it. Thank you for bringing more attention to this album, and for all the time you put into your fantastic videos. . Hopefully people want to listen to this album and have their musical world blown apart.
This is easily one of the greatest albums ever on the human condition.
As a rural Illinoisan, Sufjan nailed this album
I’ve been going through a HUGE Sufjan phase right now (in that he is my favorite artist in years), so I’m glad this video exists
Finally! I’ve been requesting this forever! Personally, Casimir Pulaski Day will always hold the most meaning to me. I lost my uncle to stage four metastatic kidney cancer on Rosh Hashanah and his death made me reconnect with G-d. I got into Sufjan Stevens’ music before his death and I remember listening to that song for three hours straight just crying.
Sorry for your loss
Have you heard Mount Eerie's "A crow looked at me?" It is a tragic record about the loss of his wife via cancer.
oh shit, i love subaru stephen!!!!
👌
Jamerson James good one
I own a Subaru and listen to Stevens, dang
🎶 and he called me subaru
I just wanna be near you 🎶
Subwoofer Stevemincraft
Thanks! This is my favourite album ever.
Mine too! 😭😍🙌🏼❤️✨
Sufjan is a National Treasure
International*
Would be if he came out with the other 48 albums
Great video! Having grown up in Eugene, OR, I feel like Carrie and Lowell does a beautiful job connecting to my home through music. Michigan is also a great album. Sufjan is incredible!
Love that you took this dive in Sufan's work. I would really love to see you unravel Sufan's album Carrie & Lowell about his mother who abandoned him in his childhood.
YES PLEASE
This is a beautiful video. Sufjan is a genius, and Illinoise is his masterpiece.
This video is just brilliant. Your analysis of music is so incredibly insightful even when I think I have nothing left to think or feel about a record. I love your channel. In the future I hope you can do videos about Tom Waits and Nick Cave.
Whenever I am drunk by myself, I end up watching this video. Whenever I am driving beyond Chicagoland, I listen to this album. The greatest album of this century!
I listened to the album for the first time today and loved it. Not only am I from Illinois, but on the song Casimir Pulaski Day, he says March 1st. I didn't even realize I was listening to it on Casmir Pulaski Day March 1st (the day doesn't land on the 1st every year). And as someone of Polish decent, that was a really cool experience.
AAA IVE BEEN WAITING FOR A SUFJAN VIDEO FOR FOREVER AAA
I love the video, especially as a native to Illinois myself. It's a running joke with me that Chicago is the not-Illinois part of Illinois (kind of like the Vatican to Italy), mainly because I'm from the southern region of the state :) I absolutely love how in depth you go into these videos and how they all seem like true passion projects.
Southern Illinois native here. Loved the video and I love that album.
Hey hey! My neighbor! Where you from? Hailing from Massac county over here
one of the best albums ever made in my opinion, i don't even have to hear every artist ever to know he is one of the best
The editing was great. Great video
Great video, thank you so much, man. I always wanted to listen to this album but I always felt like I just didn't know what it was about and how I should listen to it, this video helped. Thanks so much for your dedication to making amazing videos that show your passion for music. Love your stuff, Polyphonic, keep it up.
Fantastic exploration. The songs you plucked out happen to be my favourite on the album. Hopefully this video serves as an entry point for a lot of people who have never listened to Sufjan before. Great video!
The cool thing about the album is that he has subjects about areas of Illinois that aren't Chicago. As a person from Western Illinois, it's easy to know of being forgotten in comparison to Chicago (because, seriously, the awesome city of Chicago compared to the mass farm lands of the rest if the state😂). So it was cool to see Stevens write about the rest of the state as well.
First off, than you for tackling this gorgeous and unique album.
So thankful this came into my life. At a time when I was all about my 80's synth (2008-2009), here comes this beautiful indie opus--which, if I stumble upon at any given moment, will make my eyes immediately well up with tears. It has a certain unique quality to it that I've yet to give anywhere else.
Sufjan has to be one of the most incredible lyricists I've ever heard, but if it weren't for his fragile ethereal voice, some might mistake his songs as pretentious or even satirical.
Also, the way truly genuine way he tackles the subject of Christian faith--forever having to wrestle with its disquieting perplexities--the only time I felt like someone had successfully described what faith is like.
Anyway, I feel very lucky to know this album. It feels like it's something that should be above my pay grade---that and Russian Lit 😜
Kashmir Pulaski turns me to mush like no other piece of art.
Great video! I’ve always loved Sufjan and his music. He’s such a fascinating guy with so much talent. I feel like you could make a great video discussing the band La Dispute. Their albums are a mix of spoken word, hardcore, and jazz and the lead singer is probably one of the best storytellers in modern music. Right up there with Sufjan.
Im so glad you brought up tallest man
really surprises me on how good it was when i finally dove deep into this project
This video was way ahead of its time. Broadway just saw one of the best musicals of the year - "Illinoise," a dance-musical featuring the music from this album. A wonderful experience
Brilliant, man. Places really do have meaning because of how we experience them and I appreciate the effort you put into explaining an abstract concept like that. Thank you.
Finally, a video on Sufjan Stevens!!
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR SUFJAN, THANK YOU.
Kinda weird how you release this video not even a week after I discover Stevens, and Illinoise was the first album I picked out to start on.
Great vid as always.
Dude I swear this guys hacked my Spotify account, he puts these videos out RIGHT when I start to listen to an artist or album
He’s without doubt the best songwriter of the 21st century
Chill
no doubt in my mind
I think my favorite sufjan Steven's song is probably always going to be seven swans. It takes my breath away every time I hear it.
I feel like not enough people cover the genius of this man. Thanks for doing so!
Sufjan Stevens is one of my favourite artists of all time! And Illinoise is definitely one of my all time fave albums :’)
If you make this video into a poster, I will buy 50 of them
Absolute same
I've never heard of this guy, but I will check this album. I spent a year in an exchange program in Illinois, so I feel it's going to be quite a trip.
You won't regret it!
He's a bit of a genius, instead of just being a singer/songwriter he's a composer/songwriter. His album Age of Adz is one of the craziest albums.
Discovered this mans music some 10 years ago and I'm still trying to figure out him out. He's confounding in the best way. He's also go an album about Michigan, the BQE and multi album Christmas album among others. He is an amazing artist.
Casimir Pulaski Day is one of my favourite songs of all time.
Thank god someone is talking about Tallest Man, Broadest Shoulders. It’s my favorite song in an album of favorite songs that make up an entire musical especially while adding Avalanche
Great video! I've never been a big fan of Sufjan's work, but I think I'll check it out some more to see what I find for myself.
Also, I love that you and Chris Fleming put out a Sufjan video on the same day. Something about that feels right to me.
An entire Polyphonic video on one of THE musicians of my lifetime's best records, F yeah.
love this!! definitely one of my favorite albums
Dude I juat wanted to see an interesting video on our dear Suf and you curve-ball me and put Casimir pulaski day - now my dinner is wet from tears. thanks. Great video!
Please never stop making this incredible videos
Watching these videos for a long time. As a music student, I appreciate these so much.
Also how attractive your voice is WUT
YEEESSSS!!! I only just found Sufjan this week and I AM IN LOVE! Thank you so much! :)
I think there is a reference to the "Tell-Tale Heart" at @3:20 when he hides secrets under the floorboard.
Thank you alot. He has such a identifying voice.. love it
I don't know how I've never heard thia album, since I'm from the hometown of Carl Sandburg, and grew up with The Mountain Goats' album Full Force Galesburg, which even names my hometown in Weekend in Western Illinois. I'll have to listen, thanks for the video my guy :)
This is great. Would love to see your analysis of what is probably the darkest indie folk album ever recorded, Mount Eerie's "A crow looked at me."
Great video and album. Love the analysis of 'Chicago', what a fantastic song.
This is awesome, It just made me think about the scene in American psycho when Patrick
did a commentary on Phil Collins and whitney Houston.
This is a masterpiece of creativity.
Very well done video on one of my favorite albums of all time!
Bringin home that Illinois pride! Born and Raised in Chicago.
Chicago needs to be the official City anthem. I'm not even from Chicago but it represents that MIDWEST optimist spirit. It doesn't fit any other city. If New York has New York by Sinatra, Georgia has Georgia state of mind by Ray Charles, Chicago has Chicago by Sufjan Stevens.
Thank you so much for helping me appreciate this album more :'-)
As a born and raised Illinoisan who loves Suf...this is the BEST!!
You should talk about Michigan too
Ayk Joker it’s a better state then Illinois
Lol, I’m from Michigan and I can say that it is NOT better then Illinois
@@Baron7919 and a better album
The_Box ? You’re high as a kite if you think Michigan is worse than Illinois
Can we all agree that both are better than Ohio?
Great video. I remember loving this album so long ago, but forgot about it.
Absolutely love your videos, keep up the good work. Can you do a video on jamming/improv by the Grateful Dead? I love their music, but not being a musician I don't get how they did it, like how a member would "step out" and the others would follow into a jam.
I've only heard Fourth of July by Sufjan Stevens. And I've listened to it on repeat. Will check others too.
You can tell Polyphonic isn't from Illinois because he says "Cas-i-meer" instead "Ca-shz-meer" Puliaski
jukeboxjoe As if the thick Canadian accent didn't give it away otherwise lol.
This channel is amazing
One of my favorite albums of all time!!
This album really helped me through some rough times for the past three years. College has been up and down. I come from Chicago and I’m going to a school in the south with a MUCH smaller town. It was so different and there were so many cool moments but so many horrible depressing ones.
I love Illinoise so much.
Thanks a lot for this interesting video ! I didn't know this album so I'm going to take a listen to it :D
The way that this album draws larger meaning from alot of smaller stories reminds me of the band La Dispute alot. Particularly Wildlife which is one of my all time favorite album, I'd love to see a video on them
I live in Pittsfield. Love this album!
Chris Fleming and Polyphonic both posting about Sufjan Stevens on the same day?
Theres a youtuber with my name O.o
So it’s not just me in this wonderful cross-section
I only clicked on this video because of the Chris Fleming sketch😂
This is the academy of ideas for music
Finally Sufjan 😍 Thank you!
Ok but Jesus Christ the Palisades song was soooo good
Great video! You should do one on Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes
What an album!
One of the best albums of all time
Make a video on Ben Howard, would be really interesting
I like the “do yourself a favor reference” lol. Subtle
Never heard of Sufjan until I met his sister Djohariah (Jo), she lived down the street from a girl I was dating,, at that time they were good friends. Been hooked on his music since.
love this.
you should do an episode on cocteau twins! such an interesting band. Robin Guthrie and Liz Fraser are so interesting and albums like heaven or Las Vegas are bliss
Great video. Especially like the editing. Might want to buy yourself a pop screen for your mic though
Age of Adz, and Illinois are my faves from him.
Riding down Lake Shore to Chicago is a surreal experience. Try it.
I am always super careful to take an interpretation especially as it relates to Sufjan. The comment made here is that Chicago is about being "young and being part of something....Chicago is a distillation of youth and hope". I am not seeing this at all--this is no doubt an anthem and I think like Sufjan layered with considerable complexity. It is not about hope solely or even partly but regret, some sad notes coupled with bright brass tones: again a mix of emotion cascading at once.
Great editing.
Love this album because it doesn't focus solely upon Chicago and gives light to parts of the state that don't get as much shine. Sad to see this video didn't do the same.
Amazing album
We need a video about Ben Howard
I love that album so much!
Am I the only one who hears a lot of musical inspiration being drawn from Thick as a Brick?
How did I miss this in my sub feed?!
You should do a broadway video, I'd love to learn about the history of how broadways songs have changed since the days of opera.
my favorite artist❤️
I love this album thanks poly
Great video as always! How about taking a closer look at Andrew Bird? 🎶
Syntine I approve of this, and second it, and furthermore, I shall raise it 5 full belligerence units in asking:
why won't you take a closer look at Andrew Bird?! what are you so afraid of???
In "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." he dresses up like a clown "with his face paint white and red" and on "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" America is depicted as "red and white, red and wise" so the reversal of colors can be interpreted as the character being the antithesis of the American Dream. The narrator in "Metropolis" only dreams that the lake takes his boy while aspiring for a better life. The boys in "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." are stripped of such aspirations when literally taken too soon. It can be seen as a small coincidence as Sufjan's lyrics will often depict death and its consequences but there's interconnected thematic links in every song on the album.