Michigan (styled Sufjan Stevens Presents... Greetings from Michigan, the Great Lake State on the cover) is a concept album by American indie folk songwriter Sufjan Stevens, released on July 1, 2003 on Sounds Familyre, Asthmatic Kitty and Secretly Canadian in the US, and on Rough Trade in Europe. It is Stevens' third studio album and features songs referencing places, events, and persons related to the U.S. state of Michigan. The album is the first in Stevens' fifty states project, a planned series of fifty albums to encompass all fifty U.S. states. Stevens only released two state albums before admitting the project was a "promotional gimmick". The other album was Illinois (based on the U.S. state of Illinois), which was released in 2005. Recording and production The album was recorded and produced entirely by Stevens, using relatively cheap equipment for a market release. All of the tracks were recorded using 2 Shure SM57s and an AKG C1000, running through a Roland VS880EX, at a sampling rate of 32 kHz (lower than the rates typically used in recording). Michigan was produced in Pro Tools, which Stevens has also used for his following albums. The instrumentation was recorded in various locations: a home in Petoskey, Michigan; Buxton School in Williamstown, Massachusetts; the N. J. Rec. Room in Clarksboro, New Jersey; and throughout Brooklyn, including Stevens' apartment and those of his friends and St. Paul's Church. Artwork Album art features original hand-paintings by Martha Stewart Living crafts editor Laura Normandin. The two-disc vinyl edition of Michigan contains an inscription within the run-off groove of each LP side: "Say YES to Michigan!": This was an old state tourism board slogan. "Go! Tigers!": The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Michigan. "If you seek a Pleasant Peninsula, look about you": This is the English translation of Michigan's state motto. "The Great Lake State": This is a popular nickname for Michigan. Critical reception Michigan received acclaim from critics. Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork described the album as "a beautiful, sprawling homage" to the state, noting its "lush production", but criticizing the excessive length of some of the album's tracks. In December 2003, American webzine Somewhere Cold voted Michigan Album of the Year on their 2003 Somewhere Cold Awards Hall of Fame list. A year later, in December 2004, Somewhere Cold voted Michigan Vinyl of the Year on their 2004 Somewhere Cold Awards Hall of