 All of the songs on Illinois were written , recorded , engineered , and produced by Stevens , with most of the material being recorded at The Buddy Project studio in Astoria , Queens , and in Stevens ' Brooklyn apartment . As with his previous albums , Stevens recorded in various locations , with additional piano recorded in St. Paul 's Church in Brooklyn ; strings and vocals performed in collaborators ' apartments ; electronic organ recorded in the New Jerusalem Recreational Room in Clarksboro , New Jersey ; and vibraphone played at Carroll Music Studios in New York City . Stevens mostly created the album without collaboration , focusing on the writing , performance , and technical creation of the album by himself : " I was pretty nearsighted in the construction of Illinois . I spent a lot of time alone , a few months in isolation working on my own and in the studio . I let things germinate and cultivate independently , without thinking about an audience or a live show at all . " 
 All of the songs on Illinois <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> written , recorded , engineered , and produced by Stevens , with most of the material being recorded at The Buddy Project studio in Astoria , Queens , and in Stevens <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'</mark></a>Brooklyn apartment . As with his previous albums , Stevens recorded in various locations , with additional piano recorded in St. Paul <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'s</mark></a>Church in Brooklyn ; strings and vocals performed in collaborators <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'</mark></a>apartments ; electronic organ recorded in the New Jerusalem Recreational Room in Clarksboro , New Jersey ; and vibraphone played at Carroll Music Studios in New York City . Stevens mostly created the album without collaboration , focusing on the writing , performance , and technical creation of the album by himself : " I was pretty nearsighted in the construction of Illinois . I<a href='been_done' title='5'><mark></mark></a> spent a lot of time alone , a few months in isolation working on my own and in the studio . I let things germinate and cultivate independently , without thinking about an audience or a live show at all . " 
Alll of the songs on Illinois was written , recorded , engineered , and produced by Stevens , witt most of the material bein recorded at da Buddy Project studio in Astoria , Queens , and in Stevens  Brooklyn apartment . As wid his previous albums , Stevens recorded in various locations , with additional piano recorded in St. Paul  Church in Brooklyn ; strings and vocals performed in collaborators  apartments ; electronic organ recorded in the New Jerusalem Recreational Room in Clarksboro , New Jersey ; and vibraphone played at Carroll Music Studios in New York City . Stevens mostly created tdaalbum without collaboration , focusing on the writing , performance , and technical creation of thdalbum by hisself : " I was pretty nearsighted in thedanstruction of Illinois . I been spent a lot of time alone , a few months in isolation working on my own and in the studio . I let things germinate and cultivate independently , w/o thinking abt an audience or a live show at all . "