Unsurprisingly, the new P3 Ström collection "Musiken vi hatar" ("Music we hate") isn't really good per se, as much as it is an interesting musical exercise. Really, what do you expect from a collection of artists covering the music they despise? There are limits to how much you can polish a turd and even then, it will never really shine. Of all the selections contained therein, Cilihili and DaBook's take on Enya's dreaded "Orinoco flow" is the one that made me most curious, besides maybe Andreas Tilliander's dubbed-out take on "All that she wants" by Ace of Base, yet another popular track that people love to hate. The latter of the two removes all the pep of the original, leaving nothing but suck, however the former is a stupendously fun reimagination of a much-reviled classic. Like many great covers, any adherence to the original is thrown out the window, so we the listener are instead treated to cut-up disco beats and a reinvigorated chorus melody. Also: "What the fuck is 'Orinoco flow'? What does it mean?" Seriously!
Cilihili and DaBook - Orinoco flow
Håkan Lidbo and the folks behind Swedish Radio electronic music program Ström have put together a collection of new music for national mourning, sent music into space and now they've gathered a crew of some of Sweden's finest electronic artists to cover the music they hate. Instead of paraphrasing, let's cut + paste:
In 2009, the radio show Ström gave an assignment to Swedish artists that make electronic music.; to make an interpretation of a song that they really do not like, sometimes even hate. The purpose was some sort of musical regression therapy. By making a cover of a song they dislike and make it into their own, the artists could get in touch with their musical origin, the place in their soul where the creativitiy is coming from. And by doing so, get a deeper understanding of themselves as humans - and as artists. The influential songs are easy to point out, and easy to cover, but the hated ones can be shameful and hard to confront. Sometimes those can partly explain why the artist sound the way he or she does.
The result: "Musiken vi hatar", due out June 10. Tracklist:
01. Fever Ray - Here Before (Vashti Bunyan)
02. Roos - Polly (Nirvana)
03. Andreas Tilliander - Dub that she wants/All That She Wants (Ace Of Base)
04. Familjen - Mine Øyne De Ska Se (Lis Sørensen)
05. Little Jinder - Femme Fatale (Velvet Underground)
06. Cilihili & DaBook - Orinoco Flow (Enya)
07. Ebb - Trash (Suede)
08. Trig - Ice Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice)
09. Lisa Nordström - LIke To Get To Know You Well (Howard Jones)
10. Håkan Lidbo - Born In The USA (Bruce Springsteen)
11. Alf Tumble - Klubbland (Håkan Hellström)
12. Vaerelsen - Diska!/Washing Up (Tomas Andersson)
13. Den Finska Nikotintanten - 122 Hours Of Fear (The Screamers)
14. Roll the Dice - Motorcycle Emptiness (Manic Street Preachers)
See the comments area for a track-by-track breakdown of why each artist chose the song they did.