I’m one of those people that get irritated when I hear someone in the media saying so-and-so or something is “like a cancer”. No, friend, whatever it is, it ain’t that bad, and your comparison is tacky in the extreme.
And that is the principal reason that drove me to investigate ‘I am cancer’, the latest single from Swedish alt-pop artist RIVER. And yes, I suppose that I went there looking for a fight.
But as it turns out, she puts a different spin on things. The song concerns “an infected mind trying to love and receive love through a wall of defence protecting it from vulnerability – and therefore love itself.”
RIVER adds, “It communicates frustration around the inability to cure or hide an ugly mind stuck in false self-beliefs, believing it’s unworthy of true love.”
So it’s a brain tumour if you follow through the logic.
I’m not being flippant. The premise does appear a little convoluted and I can’t nail precisely what she means.
And that’s a shame because I genuinely do like the song. It’s in the Mazzy Star ‘Fade into you’ mould musically, another song that can easily be misunderstood. RIVER knows how to build atmosphere slowly and she has the beguiling voice that fits the song well, blending in nicely with moody synthesisers.
Ultimately my conclusion was that she (the character RIVER is playing) has such a low opinion of herself that only an operation on her malignant heart can save her, which might be another way of restating her words or might be an another interpretation altogether.
I see that one of her influences is FKA Twigs, and that might explain the rather strange video in which she’s lying in a Sainsburys shopping trolley, with blood on both hands and feet, matching her hair design. It’s certainly entertaining although again quite what it means is anyone’s guess.
This song doesn’t seem to be typical of her work. I see other tracks with titles like ‘Happy for you’, ‘We’ll be together’, ‘Still in love, and ‘Miss me’ and all are considerably more upbeat.
So, an intriguing artist. What will she come up with next?
Find her on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hernameisRiver
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hernameisriver/
Photo Credit: John Scarisbrick.
