Idolator

For reasons best left unsaid (it involves a cruise ship and karaoke), one of your Idolators spent some time this month in the Helsinki airport, which is basically a heavily secured shopping mall. After stocking up on reindeer patties, we grabbed a two-disc set called Suomipoppia 8, a title that translates into English as "garish, tangentially related album cover."

We've been playing the thing ever since, and, honestly? We have no idea what we're listening to. Since most of the songs aren't in English, there's no way of knowing what they're saying (though we get it when they chant "DANCE!" over and over again). And because there's no information about the artists themselves, it's impossible to tell if they're the country's Kylie Minogue, or its Lindsay Lohan.

So with that convoluted set-up, we introduce Listen Without Prejudice, a semi-regular MP3 depot consisting of songs that pretty much exist in a foreign-language vacuum. We'll let you judge for yourself, without any bothersome "lyrics" or "context" to cloud your judgment. Be warned, though, that this is pretty heavy on the pop; we figure you've already had enough Lordi to last a lifetime.

Jane - V.I.P. [MP3, link expired]
Scandinavian Music Group - Hölmö Rakkaus [MP3, link expired]
Beats & Styles - Invitation To The Dance Floor [MP3, link expired] (okay, it's in English, but it still counts)