Sufjan Stevens Abandons 50 States Album Project

Unless Sufjan Stevens really has discovered the Fountain of Youth, his mission to produce an album for each of the 50 states would be far from feasible. The singer-songwriter told Paste magazine that the idea following 2005's 'Illinois' "was such a joke and I think maybe I took it too seriously. I started to feel like I was becoming a cliché of myself."

Moving on from touring the US, Stevens has focused his energy on his current multimedia project, 'The BQE." With 35 musicians, strobe lighting and even an interpretive dance, he admits the project has drained him. "In all honesty, that piece is what really sabotaged my creative moment," he said. "I suffered sort of an existential creative crisis after that piece. I no longer knew what a song was and how to write an album. It overextended me in a way that I couldn't find my way back to the song."

Stevens also expresses doubt as to why artists make albums these days, admitting that he has hardly attempted to write since 'Illinois,' "Why do people make albums anymore when we just download?" he said. "They're based on the record, vinyl, the CD and these forms are antiquated now. So can't an album be eternity, or can't it be five minutes? I no longer really have faith in the album anymore. I no longer have faith in the song."