{"product_id":"the-avalanche-cd-copy","title":"The Avalanche CD (Cracked Jewel Case)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Note: Cracked jewel case. Still sealed - the disc and artwork are unaffected. Discounted accordingly.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe little secret behind the Illinois record is that it was originally conceived as a double album, culminating in a musical collage of nearly 50 songs. But as the project began to develop into an unwieldy epic, common sense weighed in-as did the opinions of others-and the project was cut in half. But as 2005 came to a close, Sufjan returned to the old, forsaken songs on his 8-track like a grandfather remembering his youth, indulging in old journals and newspaper clippings. What he uncovered went beyond the merits of nostalgia; it was more like an ensemble of capricious friends and old acquaintances wearing party outfits, waiting to be let in at the front door, for warm drinks and interesting conversation. Among them were Saul Bellow, Ann Landers, Adlai Stevenson, and a brief cameo from Henry Darger's Vivian Girls. The gathering that followed would become the setting for the songs on The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album. Sufjan gleaned 21 useable tracks from the abandoned material, including three alternate versions of Chicago. Some songs were in finished form, others were merely outlines, gesture drawings, or musical scribbles mumbled on a hand-held tape recorder. Most of the material required substantial editing, new arrangements or vocals. Much of the work was done at the end of 2005 or in January the following year. Sufjan invited many of the original Illinoisemakers to fill in the edges: drums, trumpet, a choir of singers. The centerpiece, of course, was the title track-The Avalanche-a song intended for the leading role on the Illinois album but eventually cut and placed as a bonus track on the vinyl release. In his rummaging through old musical memorabilia, Sufjan began to use this song as a meditation on the editorial process, returning to old forms, knee-deep in debris, sifting rocks and river water for an occasional glint of gold. \"I call ye cabin neighbors,\" the song bemuses, \"I call you once my friends.\" And like an avid social organizer, Sufjan took in all the odd musical misfits and gathered them together for a party of their own, like good friends. A careful listener may uncover the obvious trend on this record: almost every song on the Illinois album has a counterpart on the outtakes. Carl Sandburg arm-wrestles Saul Bellow. The aliens landing near Highland salute Clyde Tombaugh, the man who discovered Pluto. The loneliness of \"Casimir Pulaski Day\" deepens even further in the foreboding soundtrack to \"Pittsfield.\" At its best, The Avalanche is an exercise in form, revealing the working habits of one of the most productive songwriters today. As an illustration, the avalanche refers to the snow and rubble that falls off the side of a mountain, or, in this case, the musical debris generously chucked from an abundant epic. It's unlikely you'll find a mountain in the Prairie State so the metaphor will have to do. -asthmatickitty\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCD Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRelease Date: July 11, 2006\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecord Label: Asthmatic Kitty Records\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUPC: 656605830223\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumber of Discs: 1\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eListen Before You Buy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"playerdata\"\u003e\n\u003c!-- DATA URL and Title as BELOW --\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-1.mp3\" title=\"The Avalanche\"\u003eThe Avalanche\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-2.mp3\" title=\"Dear Mr. Supercomputer\"\u003eDear Mr. Supercomputer\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-3.mp3\" title=\"Adlai Stevenson\"\u003eAdlai Stevenson\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-4.mp3\" title=\"The Vivian Girls Are Visited In the Night by Saint Dargarius and his Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies\"\u003eThe Vivian Girls Are Visited In the Night by Saint Dargarius and his Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-5.mp3\" title=\"Chicago (acoustic version)\"\u003eChicago (acoustic version)\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-6.mp3\" title=\"The Henney Buggy Band\"\u003eThe Henney Buggy Band\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-7.mp3\" title=\"Saul Bellow\"\u003eSaul Bellow\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-8.mp3\" title=\"Carlyle Lake\"\u003eCarlyle Lake\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-9.mp3\" title=\"Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair\"\u003eSpringfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-10.mp3\" title=\"The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself)\"\u003eThe Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself)\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-11.mp3\" title=\"Kaskaskia River\"\u003eKaskaskia River\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-12.mp3\" title=\"Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version)\"\u003eChicago (adult contemporary easy listening version)\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-13.mp3\" title=\"Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne\"\u003eInaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-14.mp3\" title=\"No Man's Land\"\u003eNo Man's Land\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-15.mp3\" title=\"The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake\"\u003eThe Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-16.mp3\" title=\"The Pick-up\"\u003eThe Pick-up\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-17.mp3\" title=\"The Perpetual Self, or \\What Would Saul Alinsky Do?\"\u003eThe Perpetual Self, or \\What Would Saul Alinsky Do?\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-18.mp3\" title=\"For Clyde Tombaugh\"\u003eFor Clyde Tombaugh\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-19.mp3\" title=\"Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version)\"\u003eChicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version)\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-20.mp3\" title=\"Pittsfield\"\u003ePittsfield\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca url=\"https:\/\/collide-records.com\/audios\/sufjan-avalanche-21.mp3\" title=\"The Undivided Self (for Eppie and Popo)\"\u003e\u003c!-- DATA URL and Title as ABOVE --\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Sufjan Stevens","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49360516514019,"sku":"Sufjan Stevens (8b)","price":10.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1398\/5745\/files\/Sufjan_Stevens_The_Avalanche_CD.jpg?v=1748615260","url":"https:\/\/colliderecords.com\/products\/the-avalanche-cd-copy","provider":"Collide Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}