#2: Illinois

Sufjan Stevens: Illinois
Heavenly choruses hailing booming cities, heartbreaking tales of John Wayne Gacy's childhood, the staggering journeys of newly-freed slaves. And that's just in the first five songs.

It's Sufjan's decade, really, as he continues on the most impossible quest in music history in documenting the essence of all 50 states. That's not the real attraction, however; it's the terrifying beauty and crushing weight of some of these now-timeless songs. Put another way, it's not all Lincoln and Da Bears, it's the way of life, the sociological perspective that these albums manage to encapsulate that sings their highest praises.

That said, Sufjan, please do Minnesota next. I'll chip in on the research.