extra material left over from Illinois (originally conceived as a double album), titled The Avalanche , [ 3 ] as well as an album of Christmas music titled Songs for Christmas (produced in parts between 2001 and 2006). [ 4 ] Following the release of The Avalanche , Stevens expressed a dissatisfaction with his music, stating in an interview with Pitchfork Media in 2006: "I'm getting tired of my voice. I'm getting tired of...the banjo. I'm getting tired of...the trumpet". [ 5 ] In 2009 Stevens admitted that his Fifty States Project —an attempt to write an album for each of the 50 U.S. States —had been a "promotional gimmick" and not something that he had seriously intended to complete. [ 6 ] In the same year he released The BQE , an orchestral suite accompanying a home-made film dedicated to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway . [ 7 ] In an interview with BeatRoute Magazine in 2010, Stevens stated "[ The BQE ] kinda sabotaged the mechanical way of approaching my music, which was basically narrative long-form. It really opened things up for me. It also confused things as well. I don’t think I ever really fully recovered from that process". [ 8 ] On August 20, 2010, without prior announcement, Stevens released the EP All Delighted People , [ 9 ] and less than one week later, announced The Age of Adz to be released on October 12. [ 10 ] [ 11 ] In interviews, Stevens stated that during