CYPRUS

The Cyprus song was unveiled on February 22nd during a special report as part of CvBC’s news broadcasts. Way back in November 2015, the band Minus One was internally selected  to represent the island. The song they will be performing is “Alter Ego.

The song is on the accessible range of the rock song genre with similarities to Nickleback, The Killers and to a point U2. Taking away the rock elements of the song the song does sound REALLY Swedish – the influence of Thomas G:son is undeniable. The intto to the whole thing sets a tone – but that tone isn’t really followed through for the rest of the 3 minutes. The verses are the strongest part of the song and much more distinct than the chorus which are very predictable. The last minute of this song should be the strongest part but is totally the opposite. The guitar solo at around 2:20 is totally unnecessary and comes in at the wrong pint in this song.

Minus One first came to prominence last year in Eurovision circles when their entry “Shine” came third in their national final, although the song did win the jury’s highest vote in that selection process. The band started in 2009 primarily as covers band but has since performed their own material in festivals in Cyprus, Britain and the United States.

First of all, this was a video presentation. And not a live show or even a mimed performance, therefore judging ‘the show’ will be hard. This is made slightly harder as the video itself is not really something that can be replicated in a studio – so there are not obvious clues for staging or stagecraft. This is such an odd, odd song. There is something about it that just doesn’t fit my ears. It feels just that little bit too middle of the road – it needs to be even rockier, or turned into a bog standard pop song. One might say it feels safe, others might see this as quite radio friendly and accessible.

There is still a lot to ‘guess’ about how this entry might come across so this is a very veiled opinion. This is a total let down. This band can do much better and I actually think they’ve been seduced by the idea of a G:son song and have been let down. If there is any justice this is will flop and stay stuck firmly in the semi final never to be seen again. However, Minus One deserve a proper chance with a proper song.

ARTIST – Minus One

SONG – Alter Ego

MUSIC - Minus One, Thomas G:son

LYRICS – Minus One, Thomas G:son