Outtakes? Hardly.

At a glance, “The Avalanche: Outtakes & Extras from Illinois Album”, may seem like just that, Illinois rejects. I was personally surprised to find the same exact musical experience that I came to know with previous Sufjan albums, with the emotional and tranquil depth that Illinois gave. It kicks off with a tremendous bang with the album titled, “The Avalanche”, and continues with other great tracks like, “Saul Bellow” and “The Mistress Witch from McClure”. The acoustic version of Chicago is also a nice touch from the original. It has too much originality to be simply called, “Illinois: Part 2”. The Avalanche easily holds out on its own as a great album of one of the most musically talented artists around today.