 Jesse Jarnow of Paste praised the playful nature of Illinois , commenting that it had " sing @-@ song " melodies and " jaunty " orchestrations . Jarnow also noted ironic lyrics , citing a line from " The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us ! " : " I can 't explain the state I 'm in ... " after a section of the song that references many Illinois landmarks . Q called Illinois a " sizeable step forward " from Michigan , and said Stevens ' love for the state of Illinois is infectious . Uncut 's Andy Gill dubbed the album " an extraordinary achievement " . Catherine Lewis of The Washington Post responded favorably to the album , stating that it has well @-@ written lyrics , comparing Stevens ' rhyming to that of Stephin Merritt . Lewis cited " Casimir Pulaski Day " as one of the most memorable songs of the album . 
 Jesse Jarnow of Paste praised the playful nature of Illinois , commenting that it had " sing @-@ song " melodies and " jaunty " orchestrations . Jarnow also noted ironic lyrics , citing a line from " The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us ! " : " I can 't explain the state I 'm in ... " after a section of the song <a href='null_relcl' title='1'><mark>that</mark></a><a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>references</mark></a> many Illinois landmarks . Q called Illinois a " sizeable step forward " from Michigan , and said Stevens <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'</mark></a>love for the state of Illinois is infectious . Uncut <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>Andy Gill dubbed the album " an extraordinary achievement " . Catherine Lewis of The Washington Post responded favorably to the album , stating that it <a href='uninflect' title='5'><mark>has</mark></a> well @-@ written lyrics , comparing Stevens ' rhyming to that of Stephin Merritt . Lewis cited " Casimir Pulaski Day " as one of the most memorable songs of the album . 
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