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Sufjan Stevens — They Are Night Zombies!!
Album: Illinois
Avg rating:
6.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 879









Released: 2005
Length: 5:10
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
Logan, Grant, and Ronald Reagan
In the grave with Xylophagan
Do you know the ghost community?
Sound the horn, address the city

(Who will save it? Dedicate it?
Who will praise it? Commemorate it for you?)

We are awakened with the axe
Night of the Living Dead at last
They have begun to shake the dirt
Wiping their shoulders from the earth
I know, I know the nations past
I know, I know they rust at last
They tremble with the nervous thought
Of having been, at last, forgot

I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
B-U-D-A! Caledonia!
S-E-C-O-R! Magnolia!
B-I-R-D-S! And Kankakee!
Evansville and Parker City

Speaking their names, they shake the flag
Waking the earth, it lifts and lags
We see a thousand rooms to rest
Helping us taste the bite of death
I know, I know my time has passed
I'm not so young, I'm not so fast
I tremble with the nervous thought
Of having been, at last, forgot

I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
Comer and Potato Peelers!
G-R-E-E-N Ridge! Reeders
M-C-V-E-Y! And Horace!
E-N-O-S! Start the chorus

Corn and farms and tombs in Lemmon
Sailor Springs and all things feminine
Centerville and Old Metropolis
Shawneetown, you trade and topple us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Hold your tongue and don't divide us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Land of God, you hold and guide us
Comments (232)add comment
 freemusic wrote:
Hopefully by, "changing the station",  you meant:

*  PSD ("Play Something Different", bypassing only this song), 
........ Change the "Channel" from:
*  "RP Main Mix" to: 
*  "RP Rock Mix",
*  "'RP Mellow Mix", or,
*  "RP World Music".  
*  Or for a "more perfect song choice", (ala one of the other services like Spotify), try "RP 'MY FAVORITES'", playing only what you rated 7 or above.

"Favorites" however will not include all of Bill's new finds, which is one reason why we love this station.  
(BillG, how hard would it be to add an option to FAVORITES:  "40% Main Mix"?) 





Or better yet, the ability to auto-skip songs you´ve rated as 1.  That would cut out sooo much whining... (including my own )
 chyk5 wrote:


Because Bill has great taste. 


Not on this one IMHO - the album name is highly appropriate for this particular track - IlliNoise. This song is like a cheese-grater on my ears; simply awful... 
I love this guy! And some day I'll stop calling him Surfjan!
 xcranky_yankee wrote:

nice follow up tune after Lived and Died Alone 



Exactly! Nice catch.
 RicoDrumz wrote:

Why...?




Why not?
 RicoDrumz wrote:

Why...?



Because Bill has great taste. 
Why...?
 bhallmark wrote:

It's so rare for me to have to switch to another station.......

Hopefully by, "changing the station",  you meant:

*  PSD ("Play Something Different", bypassing only this song), 
........ Change the "Channel" from:
*  "RP Main Mix" to: 
*  "RP Rock Mix",
*  "'RP Mellow Mix", or,
*  "RP World Music".  
*  Or for a "more perfect song choice", (ala one of the other services like Spotify), try "RP 'MY FAVORITES'", playing only what you rated 7 or above.

"Favorites" however will not include all of Bill's new finds, which is one reason why we love this station.  
(BillG, how hard would it be to add an option to FAVORITES:  "40% Main Mix"?) 



nice follow up tune after Lived and Died Alone 
Well that's gotta be one of the most distinctive background vocals I've heard in years.
I love everything about this.
Great album and the perfect song for Halloween.
Let's hear some off his "The Age of Adz".  {#Yes}
It's so rare for me to have to switch to another station, but this one did it.  Sorry Bill, I can't back you up on this.
Not necessarily my cuppa but I'll give it a "creative and interesting".
urk
Som LEGAL!!!!!!

That distinctive voice in the background is Annie Clark of St Vincent.

 copymonkey wrote:
Another artist that brings out the whining haters
 
I'll remind you of that next time Metric or Poe is played.

best song name ever
 Laptopdog wrote:

Not.
Me.
I.
Am.
Not
Digging.
This.
No.
Not.
Me.
I.
Am.
Not.
Digging.
This.

 
What
The
Hell
Is
This
Crap?
Can
You
Im-ag-ine
Some-one
Pay-ing
Good
Mon-ey
To
Lis-ten
To
This?

 copymonkey wrote:
Ahhh Sufjan! Another artist that brings out the whining haters—but Bill continues to play anyway. I LOVE when he does that!

 

{#High-five}
 scraig wrote:
Oh, I have to add this to next year's Halloween playlist!
 
I requested it but Bill didn't play it, {#Cry} but in fairness I requested about 20 songs and Bill did play a few. Still, I was a little disappointed on the brevity of the Halloween play list.

That's a very walkable bass line...
Oh, I have to add this to next year's Halloween playlist!
What's with the popularity of guys with weak, tremulous voices? {#Eyes}
 ercasul wrote:
love sufjan's voice.  it's wistful.   When was the last time you could associate the word 'wistful' with Illinois?
 
Right after you could associate it with Michigan.

I live in Illinois...but Sufjan seems to have not bothered to actually visit before he wrote this tedious, pretentious droning mush.


love sufjan's voice.  it's wistful.   When was the last time you could associate the word 'wistful' with Illinois?
First verse:

I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Can you call the Captain Clitus?
Logan, Grant, and Ronald Reagan
In the grave with Xylophagan
Do you know the ghost community?
Sound the horn, address the city

Dunno what the hell is goin on here, I like it though :).
Ahhh Sufjan! Another artist that brings out the whining haters—but Bill continues to play anyway. I LOVE when he does that!

Four for the song; ten for the title.
 vandal wrote:

as
a
mat-
-ter
of
fact
this
sick-
-ens
me
I
feel
like
purg-
-ing
my
guts
 
kill
kill
kill
me
now
i
can't
stand
this
song
any-
more
jumping
off
of
bridge
bye
mean
cruel
world

{#Drunk} 
mrrmt wrote:
best title ever. hands down.
I second that! Even if I don't like all his songs, I always find them interesting in content.


 Laptopdog wrote:

Not.
Me.
I.
Am.
Not
Digging.
This.
No.
Not.
Me.
I.
Am.
Not.
Digging.
This.

 
as
a
mat-
-ter
of
fact
this
sick-
-ens
me
I
feel
like
purg-
-ing
my
guts


 gandalfbmg wrote:
dig the background chanting chicks......
 
Not.
Me.
I.
Am.
Not
Digging.
This.
No.
Not.
Me.
I.
Am.
Not.
Digging.
This.

tclodes wrote:
Know what I do when I hear something I don't like on RP? I rate it accordingly and move on.


dude you are just way too mature for this board. . . 




Know what I do when I hear something I don't like on RP? I rate it accordingly and move on.
Thanks for keeping this one around Bill.
Awesome!
dig the background chanting chicks, but somebody ditch Sufjan's verses...
Just when I thought this was pulled from the rotation. :(
1wolfy wrote:
Nice vocal work..good style
...and a nice 'overall-groove', if you know what I mean...
Nice vocal work..good style
...wowsa - this is the first time i've heard sufjan on radio paradise in ages...
Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They ... Nada Surf - Your Legs Grow Let's settle this dispute. The Nada Surf song is great, but Sufjan Stevens is better.
best title ever. hands down.
6 7
Nice to hear Sufjan back in the rotation - has the statute of limitations passed, after the heavy play when the album came out?
UltraNurd wrote:
Sufjan is growing on me, in general. It's hard not to laugh at a song title this long :oD.
Check out the rest of the song titles on the album. This is neither the longest nor the funniest. It is, however, my favorite song from the album.
Hey Bill, thanks for playing some of the good old stuff I started listening to RP for. I have been hearing a lot of Sufjan, Flaming Lips, Neko Case, etc... recently. After taking a little bit of a break, it is good to hear these again.
Well that\'s new to me. Folk singer versus Dahleks.
silverrain wrote:
fine song, give it another year and you will understand
exactly ... "should i like this? ... will others not like me if i do? ..."
Sufjan is growing on me, in general. It\'s hard not to laugh at a song title this long :oD.
fine song, give it another year and you will understand
You guys are all crazy. This is a great song!
The album cover is so crappy yet so awesome!
shakitten wrote:
Ya know, the more I hear from this kid, the more I'm convinced that he's just #@$%^ in the head. And not in a good way. PLEASE throw this album out! The cheezy title should have been clue enough.
The title rules!
Ya know, the more I hear from this kid, the more I'm convinced that he's just #@$%^ in the head. And not in a good way. PLEASE throw this album out! The cheezy title should have been clue enough.
This is quite intriguing and different... I like this... I give it a 7
UGHGHGHGHGHGH!!! No MORE PLEASE!!!!
I've given Sufjan more than his fair share of listens, but I just can't warm up to him, he's officially on the mute list.
So different!
accordionista wrote:
I'm trying to like him, but this song has set me back some.
Oddly, this is the only one I can really stand.
Ahhhh!
I'm trying to like him, but this song has set me back some.
amandabarrett wrote:
Sufjan provides a rich and beautiful melodic tapestry of song. Thanks Sufjan.
Yes, quite.
Small doses of this work best.
laozilover wrote:
OK, this picture gets a thumbs up. Overall, Sufjan is incredibly twee, and I just can't get past his twee-ness.
Cruithne3753 wrote:
for the title... Unfortunately, only for the actual song...
Actually, I quite like the chanting backing vocals so I'll bump it up to a
Sufjan provides a rich and beautiful melodic tapestry of song. Thanks Sufjan.
"They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!" And this is the song they use to kill the rest of us.
for the title... Unfortunately, only for the actual song...
ploafmaster wrote:
Well this is one of them artists that sure brings out the haters...sorta like any Reggae on RP...
Yeah. I don't get it. Then again, lots of people here seem to be unsupportive of new, younger artists. Go listen to your classic rock stations, I say. I think Sufjan's great.
Why is there such hatred for such a talented musician?
Waybo wrote:
Sucks. 2.
Well said.
Sucks. 2.
Verpeiler wrote:
It's growing on me 6
Me too, but the prescription my Dr. provided has arrested it. Thankfully. 3.
I don't see what's wrong with this song. It's great.
Sufjan rocks my world. to all the Sufjan haters!
vandal wrote:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
It's growing on me 6
Well this is one of them artists that sure brings out the haters...sorta like any Reggae on RP...
CAN'T STAND THIS.. PLEASE NEVER AGAIN!
I've heard this about 5-6 times on RP now, and each time it's followed by Shivaree - Goodnight Moon. Nice combo, but why every time?
WTF, WTF, WTF, WTF, WTF????????
Make. It. Stop.
BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAAAAAAAAAD BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAAAAAAAAAD STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP, YOU'RE KILLING ME!!!!
Odyzzeuz wrote:
Awful. Just awful.
I like it. Makes me want to hear Jesus Etc. by Wilco...
Awful. Just awful.
The first seconds I thought I heard Vienna Teng - Blue Caravan and settled in for some coziness. Then Sufjan came on... blah :P
Is it just me, or was that an unusually awkward segue from MC 900 Ft. Jesus?
optimusprime10 wrote:
this song makes me think kanye west. je. sus. walks.
this song makes me think kanye west. je. sus. walks.
Ah, that's better
horstman wrote:
Simple cure. Go out and buy the album.
You got a point there.
hippiechick wrote:
Haven't heard this lately and frankly, I miss my dose of Sufjan!
Simple cure. Go out and buy the album.
I find the lyrics haunting and evocative, and Sufjan Steven's style artistically demanding, bringing me to pay attention. I feel of this song that is something one can easily shelve as backdrop, unless one listens, then it grasps and won't let go. I've become one of the latter. I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Ring the bell and call or write us I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Can you call the Captain Clitus? Logan, Grant, and Ronald Reagan In the grave with Xylophagan Do you know the ghost community? Sound the horn, address the city (Who will save it? Dedicate it? Who will praise it? Commemorate it for you?) We are awaken with the ax Night of the Living Dead at last They have begun to shake the dirt Wiping their shoulders from the earth I know, I know the nations past I know, I know they rust at last They tremble with the nervous thought Of having been, at last, forgot I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Ring the bell and call or write us I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Can you call the Captain Clitus? B-U-D-A! Caledonia! S-E-C-O-R! Magnolia! B-I-R-D-S! And Kankakee! Evansville and Parker City Speaking their names, they shake the flag Waking the earth, it lifts and lags We see a thousand rooms to rest Helping us taste the bite of death I know, I know my time has passed I'm not so young, I'm not so fast I tremble with the nervous thought Of having been, at last, forgot I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Ring the bell and call or write us I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Can you call the Captain Clitus? Comer and Potato Peelers! G-R-E-E-N ridge! Reeders M-C-V-E-Y! And Horace! E-N-O-S! Start the chorus Corn and Farms and Tombs in Lemmon Sailor Springs and all things feminine Centerville and Old Metropolis Shawneetownn, you trade and topple us I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Hold your tongue and don't divide us I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S! Land of God, you hold and guide us
weird. I really can't decide how I feel about this song...I mean, I'll give it points for originality, and it's kind of catchy, but....hmm, serious ambivilance.
This might be better if she would take one deep breath and sing the whole thing out at once.
Another song that would be good for a soundtrack...or simply just biting your shoulders!...There are references to "Tasting" on this also...Maybe it's a song for dancing around a buffet table...going from one item to the next...Putting food on yer plate or in your mouth as ya dance around to that beat.
s u f y a w n
hippiechick wrote:
I think people who call other people pretentious tend to be prententious themselves.
Moi? Dunno, could be. It is a perceived charactertistic, afterall. Maybe even you too?
ScottN wrote:
Pretentious can certainly "be in the eye of the beholder". I am aware of its meaning. And yes, I will still characterize most of what I have heard from Sufyawn with that term.
I think people who call other people pretentious tend to be prententious themselves.
ploafmaster wrote:
How about the people who overuse the word pretentious, as if they knew the motivations of the musician?
Pretentious can certainly "be in the eye of the beholder". I am aware of its meaning. And yes, I will still characterize most of what I have heard from Sufyawn with that term.
Haven't heard this lately and frankly, I miss my dose of Sufjan!
Rest Assured SufYawn!! Your Drivel Still Sucks!! You Have Come Back From Muteland!! Ahhhh!
brokemusician wrote:
This stuff is brilliant, man. . . I'm diggin'. You dig?
Digging-digging...
ploafmaster wrote:
How about the people who overuse the word pretentious, as if they knew the motivations of the musician?
I think we've discussed this before. One does not need to understand an artist's motivations to find his/her work pretentious. We can go round and round on this issue; it's a subjective qualification no matter which way you cut it. That said, would somebody care to explain what this song has to do with the state of Illinois? (Aside from spelling out the name in the chorus.) Is this really representative of the state of Illinois in any way, aside from all the name-dropping in the lyrics? I mean zombies aren't just an Illinois phenomenon, right?
I'll grant that he does have a musical ear. But his fey, breathy delivery is just grating.
OK, That was truly awful!!! 'nuff said.
Marr wrote:
Is that Enya singing the chorus? Snark
Nah - she doesn't "do" real music!
ScottN wrote:
How about people who have thought about the song and still think it's pretentious pablum?
How about the people who overuse the word pretentious, as if they knew the motivations of the musician?
buckskin wrote:
I find this tune rather interesting. I'm a new member & have read, with bemusement, many of the postings for various tunes. While I am not a fan-boy of EVERYTHING, I am definitely eclectically oriented. I like the mix here. A W-I-D-E variety. RP: Screw the self-righteous, elitist, wanna-be Bohemian, pseudo-artsy snobs. Keep doin' whatcher doin'!!! It inspires dialog and may get some people to THINK!!! A concept they may NOT be too familiar with.
How about people who have thought about the song and still think it's pretentious pablum?
I find this tune rather interesting. I'm a new member & have read, with bemusement, many of the postings for various tunes. While I am not a fan-boy of EVERYTHING, I am definitely eclectically oriented. I like the mix here. A W-I-D-E variety. RP: Screw the self-righteous, elitist, wanna-be Bohemian, pseudo-artsy snobs. Keep doin' whatcher doin'!!! It inspires dialog and may get some people to THINK!!! A concept they may NOT be too familiar with.
Like it or don't the guy (sufjan?)has instigated a conversation here and made all of us do something - even if it's to bitch. Kuddo's NOT being bubblegum pop. and did I mention followed up by The Good The Bad and The UglY ... nice contrast
This stuff is brilliant, man. . . I'm diggin'. You dig?