From the Salmon

Exciting news in this morning’s edition of Pitchfork…

Sufjan Stevens is close to finishing the follow-up to his 2003 masterpiece Greetings from Michigan “The Great Lake State.” Tentatively scheduled for a release date of July 5, Sufjan’s next album is a tribute to the great state of Illinois. There’s no word yet on a track list or title, but since Illinois is probably the closest thing I’ve got to a “home state,” I’m pretty excited. While it sounds like he’s still putting the finishing touches on the album, it would be reckless speculation to say that he’s spent the last 12 hours feverishly rewriting his 17-minute ode to the formerly undefeated Illinois basketball team.

Pitchfork also indicates that Stevens may not rest on his Prairie State laurels but may knock off another state or two from his ambitious 50 States project by the end of the year. There’s no indication as to which states he’ll tackle next, but my bets are on Wisconsin: Chicago’s State Park (the tag line to an actual commercial created by an actual tourism agency for a state that clearly has no self pride).

In celebration of the good news and in the spirit of the recently-launched Digital Skillet, I’ll offer up the following links to legal downloads of a few recent Sufjan Stevens songs:

• “All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace” from Michigan
• “Holland” from Michigan
• “Niagara Falls” (unreleased)
• “Sister” from Seven Swans

Kevin over at Wasp Jerky, perhaps the most frequent commenter in these here parts, writes to say that he’s started an MP3 site called Digital Skillet. He’ll be posting links to legal downloads of indie bands and other music goodies. I plan on poking my head over there from time to time to see if anything strikes my fancy, and I’d encourage you to do the same.

Other legal MP3 sites that have introduced me to some great new music include:

• songs:illinois
• 3hive
• Audiofile at salon.com (may require you to view a short commercial before accessing if you’re not a subscriber)
• Largehearted Boy not only provides links to live and rare (mostly legal) mp3s, but also provides a nice summary of recent live torrent postings, as well as presenting an eclectic mix of links to music stories

If there’s interest, maybe I’ll post a link or two here from time to time when I come across a track that I’d like to share. But for now, go check out Digital Skillet.

What are you waiting for? Go, I tell you.