Thursday Throwback is a weekly colour scheme inspired by an iconic album cover of yesteryear. This week’s throwback is the 2005 album “Illinois” by Sufjan Stevens. The colours are as follows:
| Colours (L-R) | HEX | RGB | HSB | CMYK | LAB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colour 1 | #2F6673 | 47, 102, 115 | 191, 59, 45 | 59, 11, 0, 55 | 40, -14, -13 |
| Colour 2 | #F2CA52 | 242, 202, 82 | 45, 66, 95 | 0, 17, 66, 5 | 83, 1, 63 |
| Colour 3 | #F2913D | 242, 145, 61 | 28, 75, 95 | 0, 40, 75, 5 | 69, 30, 58 |
| Colour 4 | #F26835 | 242, 104, 53 | 16, 78, 95 | 0, 57, 78, 5 | 61, 50, 53 |
| Colour 5 | #D96459 | 217, 100, 89 | 5, 59, 85 | 0, 54, 59, 15 | 57, 45, 28 |
Illinois (styled Sufjan Stevens Invites You to: Come on Feel the Illinoise on the cover) is Sufjan Stevens’ fifth studio album. Illinois is a concept album that takes inspiration from various aspects of the aforementioned U.S. state and incorporates references to associated locations, historical events, and notable figures. After analysing criminal, literary, and historical documents, Stevens developed the artwork and lyrics to explore the history, culture, art, and geography of the state.
Illinois marked a significant achievement in Stevens’ career, garnering widespread recognition. The album received positive feedback from critics who appreciated its impressive lyrics and intricate musical arrangements. Reviewers also pointed out the growth of Stevens as a songwriter, highlighting his advancement since the release of his previous album Michigan from two years before. The album not only made it onto the Billboard 200 chart for the first time and the top spot on Billboard’s “Heatseekers Albums” list, review aggregator Metacritic crowned Illinois as the best-reviewed album of 2005. Critics have drawn comparisons between this work and the styles of prominent artists such as Steve Reich, Neil Young, and the Cure. In addition to frequent mentions of Illinois, Stevens continues to explore his Christian faith by incorporating multiple references throughout his lyrics.
Illinois garnered significant acclaim and was included on various esteemed reviewers’ “best of the year” and “best of the decade” lists. It notably secured the top spot on Paste magazine’s best of the decade list, featured in their November 2009 issue. It was included in NPR’s list of “The Decade’s 50 Most Important Recordings.” Pitchfork also ranked it as the sixteenth best album of the decade. Additionally, Stevens’ previous album, Michigan, secured the 70th spot on that same esteemed list. Finally, the album earned a spot in the renowned musical reference book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,” published by Universe Publishing and edited by Robert Dimery, an accomplished English writer and editor who’s expertise extends to prestigious publications such as Time Out and Vogue.
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