song for it," Beahan clarified to Spin magazine. Banhart and VietNam were not included in the final track list of the album. Other artists mentioned by Beahan for the record, but not included, were Cat Power and Thurston Moore. Through the Wilderness is a psychedelic-folk tribute to Madonna, with the songs spanning her entire career until that point, from "Lucky Star" (1984) to "Hung Up" (2005). The title is a reference to the opening line of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" where she sings, "I made it through the wilderness..." Beahan had asked all the bands to pick their own songs. He suggested to the Chapin Sisters to record "Borderline" instead of "Like a Virgin". Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond wanted to sing "Like a Prayer" for the album. Similarly, Lion of Panjshir sent a demo of "Crazy for You" which the label head accepted. Indie rock band Giant Drag confirmed on their official website that they were recording Madonna's "Oh Father" for the release. Rock musician The Prayers covered "Cherish" for the project. Composition The groups covering the songs changed the melody of the original Madonna tracks, by tweaking the lyrics and re-interpreting the actual meaning. According to Stephen M. Deusner from Pitchfork Media, the album did not have a particular or coherent sound and it "doesn't get bogged down in musical proselytizing or cultural weight-shifting". The synthpop-influenced covers of "Into the Groove" and "Everybody" by Jeremy Jay and Ariel Pink, respectively, were given as examples by Deusner, emphasizing the post-punk era of the songs, but still being different enough from Madonna's versions. The former added layers of synths and spoken echoing verses while the latter featured vocals from Julia Holter backed by keyboards and drums. Through the Wilderness opens with Jonathan Wilson's piano version of "La Isla Bonita" whose chorus consists of a 1970s electric guitar against a reverb. "Borderline" featured vocal harmonies by the Chapin Sisters with percussion and banjos as instrumentation. Lavender Diamond's cover of "Like a Prayer" is a low-key version, but vocals and instrumentation are given equal importance. Giant Drag's "Oh Father" sticks to the original Madonna composition, but adds piano, bass and chimes. A guitar-influenced version was created by Golden Animals, who turned "Beautiful Stranger" into a swamp blues track by removing the chorus and making it reminiscent of songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival. A freak folk recording of "Lucky Star" was composed by