In the lull between Strictly Come Dancing ending and Eurovision getting into gear I merge the two!
Over the past few weeks I have been carefully pairing up Strictly dance styles and Eurovision songs. I suggest a number of potential choices for all of the dances but select my favourite - the one I would probably like to dance the most - to play on the show. There are some quite obvious choices, some less so!
If you are a newbie to Eurovision there will be some songs you know but quite a few you won't, so see this as an entry level gateway to the world of Eurovision. If you *are* in the Eurovision fandom you may find some of my idea a little bit leftfield -which I am kind of known for - but I also try my very best to dis-spell my moniker as 'the one who hates Denmark' !!!
In this podcast we look at the following dance styles: Charleston, Samba, Salsa, Tango, Jive, Waltz and, last but not least, the Showdance !
If you have enjoyed the podcasts, please get in touch and/or share my stuff :)
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/StrictlyEurovision2
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Monday, 31 December 2018
Thursday, 27 December 2018
#strictlyeurovision part 1
In the lull between Strictly Come Dancing ending and Eurovision getting into gear I merge the two!
Over the past few weeks I have been carefully pairing up Strictly dance styles and Eurovision songs. I suggest a number of potential choices for all of the dances but select my favourite - the one I would probably like to dance the most - to play on the show. There are some quite obvious choices, some less so!
If you are a newbie to Eurovision there will be some songs you know but quite a few you won't, so see this as an entry level gateway to the world of Eurovision. If you *are* in the Eurovision fandom you may find some of my idea a little bit leftfield -which I am kind of known for - but I also try my very best to dis-spell my moniker as 'the one who hates Denmark' !!!
In this podcast we look at the following dance styles: Viennese Waltz, American Smooth, Cha Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Rumba, Argentine Tango, Quick Step and Paso Doble.
I shall be recording part 2 in the next couple of days so if you have any mini reviews or opinions of the pod then get them in soon so I can read some out ! The second podcast should be up around New Year's Eve :)
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/StrictlyEurovision1
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Over the past few weeks I have been carefully pairing up Strictly dance styles and Eurovision songs. I suggest a number of potential choices for all of the dances but select my favourite - the one I would probably like to dance the most - to play on the show. There are some quite obvious choices, some less so!
If you are a newbie to Eurovision there will be some songs you know but quite a few you won't, so see this as an entry level gateway to the world of Eurovision. If you *are* in the Eurovision fandom you may find some of my idea a little bit leftfield -which I am kind of known for - but I also try my very best to dis-spell my moniker as 'the one who hates Denmark' !!!
In this podcast we look at the following dance styles: Viennese Waltz, American Smooth, Cha Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Rumba, Argentine Tango, Quick Step and Paso Doble.
I shall be recording part 2 in the next couple of days so if you have any mini reviews or opinions of the pod then get them in soon so I can read some out ! The second podcast should be up around New Year's Eve :)
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/StrictlyEurovision1
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Tuesday, 12 June 2018
RANDOMER
A few weeks ago I did a twitter thing where I shared some of
the music I have on my spotify playlist. At the time I just posted photos of
each track and artists that came up with little intro or meaning. In this
blogpost I hope to, even if just a small sentence, give the song a background
and how it fits in with my listening pleasures.
1) Against the wall by Jimi Tenor and Tony Allen
Jimi Tenor is a Finnish electronic artist whilst Tony Allen is the drummer extraordinaire who basically
is the father figure of Afro beat percussion. He is otherwise known as the
drummer who plays on Sebastien Tellier's "La Ritournelle"
2) Mon Svijet - Sergei Cetkovic
This was Montenegro's Eurovision entry in 2015. A well-built
Balkan ballad that has a great crescendo. Second best entry to date.
3) Common People by Pulp
Who was best Oasis or Blur...? WRONG it was Pulp. Released
in the height of my teens it still sings to my heartstrings
4) Get frighten by Lolita Zero
This was my spirit animal during National Final season for
Eurovision in 2017 and in many ways it still devastates me that this never got
chosen to go. Lithuania's winning song failed to qualify...
5) Real by Wolfsheim
German darkwave duo that are sadly no longer together. Their
albums are full of amazing work, mostly in English but some German language
work. The singer, Peter Heppner has gone onto some success as a guest vocalist on
other tracks.
6) Auntie Maggie's Remedy by George Formby
What a northern hero. I remember watching the movie this
came from "Turned out nice again" on the telly in my teens and finding this particular song hilarious, especially the line about ankles XD
7) Mensch by Herbert Grönemeyer
A classic song by a classic German artist. A huge star in
the German music world but seems to have lived in London for as long as I can
remember. Love the video too
8) O Superman by Laurie Anderson
If in doubt, stick on a bit of avant garde to calm the mind
down. I think I've been listening to this for half my life and I still don't
really know what this is or what it means - but frankly who cares!
9) The system only dreams in total darkness by The National
This is basically down to my husband who plays this pretty
much every time we are the car and I have absorbed this by osmosis
10) Oblivion by Tenfold Rabbit
In 2012, this came 3rd in Eesti Laul, the Estonian Eurovision
selection show. The song that won eventually came 6th in the final but STLL
think this is better
11) Confusion !! by Cycle
I first heard this song whilst watching the San Fermin
celebrations on TVE. Although the song contains many obscure English
references, they are mostly Spanish!
12) Trees by Marty Casey and the Lovehammers
Marty Casey was second in the MTV show “Rock Star INXS”
where the winner became the new lead singer of their band. Although he did not
win, he honed this song in the process and was the best thing to com out of it.
13) Yambo by Salif Keita
This is an album track from his album M'Bemba. I think this
one because of its repetitive lyrics and banjoesque feel of the opening
instrument and also builds in an interesting way
14) River flows in you by Yiruma
Yiruma is a Korean pianist and composer many of his
compositions can be found as background music in films and tv scores. It's the
kind of music that sounds familiar but you don't really know it.
15) Jam by Michael Jackson
If you can think of a better Michael Jackson song then you
are WRONG WRONG WRONG !!!
16) Cette femme est un heroes!!! by Alex Mansion
This Belgian artist can be found as the source of many hits
since the 80s although most of them are under band names and pseudonyms. He
also conducted Luxembourg's entry at Eurovision
17) Enga Fordoma (karaoke version) by Pollapönk
This Icelandic band sang a
full English version of this at Eurovision in 2015 and they describe them
selves as a 'child friendly punk band'
18) Morgens immer müde by Laing
This band came to prominence when they entered the
Bundesvision Song Contest in 2012 coming second with this reworking of the song
by comedy actress Trude Herr.
19) Caravan by Inspiral Carpets
In the realm of Brit Pop some bands predated the whole thing
and almost started it off without even knowing. That is this lot - but with
ruder t-shirts!
20) Jolibwa by Melissa Laveaux
I saw this performance recently on Later and loved the
guitar work. It's deeply rooted in Afro beat but has that lackadaisical Caribbean
feel at times
Friday, 11 May 2018
Final ideals
2 exciting semis down - now just the final to go...
Let it now be truly known that we really really REALLY do not have a clue as to what is going to win!
First of all, the running order has now been finalised and it is incredibly full-on, the second half in particular seems at a much higher pace than the second half, although the end of the running order as some surprisingly slow punctuations. This has dented a few hopes and dreams, most notably Spain who have been handed the dreaded number 2 spot - a from which no country has ever won. I am not going to indulge too much into the mechanics of this pseudo-science mainly because apart from the obvious favouritism spots, and the much hyped benefits of being in the second half, 4 of the last 5 ESC winners have actually been from the first half.
So, based my own personal opinions and preferences with a tiny bit of swaying from the live performances seen during the semi finals, fan participation in the hall and the general fan opinion on social media, here is my list of the 26 finalists.
Don't expect this to be the actual result - although that would be rather epic. From my list, I would say that Albania has almost no chance of winning and Denmark would be quite the shock, but after that any of the next 3 could be winners. Also, depending on demographic, the opera from Estonia or the modern metal from Hungary could be a sneaky benefactor. I get the feeling that the winner of the jury vote, which is done first, will not be the same as the televote winner. Depending on margins, this may or may not affect the placings but will make it a very close result.
One huge issue that may sway the voting is the question of where some of the 'friendly votes' will go? With the obliteration of some of the ex-Soviet countries - where will their televote go if their de facto first choice isn't there? Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine are still standing and one must remember that Alexander Rybak is genetically Belarusian so they have to be seen as possibly exceeding in the phone votes. On a similar theme, the Greek diaspora vote will go straight to Cyprus and from ex-Yugoslavia Slovenia and Serbia should see a small boost.
All I hope is that it's a slick show, the performances are good and the voting is clear but also nail biting!
Let it now be truly known that we really really REALLY do not have a clue as to what is going to win!
First of all, the running order has now been finalised and it is incredibly full-on, the second half in particular seems at a much higher pace than the second half, although the end of the running order as some surprisingly slow punctuations. This has dented a few hopes and dreams, most notably Spain who have been handed the dreaded number 2 spot - a from which no country has ever won. I am not going to indulge too much into the mechanics of this pseudo-science mainly because apart from the obvious favouritism spots, and the much hyped benefits of being in the second half, 4 of the last 5 ESC winners have actually been from the first half.
So, based my own personal opinions and preferences with a tiny bit of swaying from the live performances seen during the semi finals, fan participation in the hall and the general fan opinion on social media, here is my list of the 26 finalists.
One huge issue that may sway the voting is the question of where some of the 'friendly votes' will go? With the obliteration of some of the ex-Soviet countries - where will their televote go if their de facto first choice isn't there? Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine are still standing and one must remember that Alexander Rybak is genetically Belarusian so they have to be seen as possibly exceeding in the phone votes. On a similar theme, the Greek diaspora vote will go straight to Cyprus and from ex-Yugoslavia Slovenia and Serbia should see a small boost.
All I hope is that it's a slick show, the performances are good and the voting is clear but also nail biting!
Monday, 7 May 2018
Ranking, wishlists and predictions
Blooming heck, this really is as clear as mud...
Now that the rehearsals are done it is fair to say that things have certainly got more complicated. Some songs that were borderline have now become sure fire contenders or fallen to the wayside. Conversely there are are couple of big hitters that have failed to hit the mark in rehearsals and don't look as sure as they once were. It's all got a wee bit muddled...
That said, I need to get this down so I have at least had my say...
So here is my 43 song ranking - I will post ANOTHER ranking list with just the 26 finalists on Friday night/Saturday morning:
This would make my personal qualifiers from each semi as follows
That said, I don't feel that either of this lists are going to be accurate when it comes to the actual votes. The 100% records of Romania, Azerbaijan and Russia would be broken if my list were true and although I feel there is a good chance that one of the 3 will fail, I doubt at three will flunk, Other major nations like Sweden and Bulgaria, for me, miss out but I think they will both get through (as much as it pains me to say it!) In my lists I suspect that Albania, Austria and Belgium could be on the borderline in semi one whilst Slovenia, Australia and Georgia could go either way in semi two but I think my expectation of San Marino is a bridge too far! With this all said and done, if any of the performances fail to ignite during the jury final OR the live televoting final - it could be anybody's game and there *will* be some shock non-qualifiers.
Come back at the end of the week to get my ranking of the 26 finalists !
Now that the rehearsals are done it is fair to say that things have certainly got more complicated. Some songs that were borderline have now become sure fire contenders or fallen to the wayside. Conversely there are are couple of big hitters that have failed to hit the mark in rehearsals and don't look as sure as they once were. It's all got a wee bit muddled...
That said, I need to get this down so I have at least had my say...
So here is my 43 song ranking - I will post ANOTHER ranking list with just the 26 finalists on Friday night/Saturday morning:
SF1
Albania Czech Republic
Estonia Austria Belgium
Lithuania Cyprus
Israel Finland Ireland
|
SF2
Denmark Ukraine Serbia
Slovenia Moldova
Georgia Hungary Norway
San Marino Australia
|
That said, I don't feel that either of this lists are going to be accurate when it comes to the actual votes. The 100% records of Romania, Azerbaijan and Russia would be broken if my list were true and although I feel there is a good chance that one of the 3 will fail, I doubt at three will flunk, Other major nations like Sweden and Bulgaria, for me, miss out but I think they will both get through (as much as it pains me to say it!) In my lists I suspect that Albania, Austria and Belgium could be on the borderline in semi one whilst Slovenia, Australia and Georgia could go either way in semi two but I think my expectation of San Marino is a bridge too far! With this all said and done, if any of the performances fail to ignite during the jury final OR the live televoting final - it could be anybody's game and there *will* be some shock non-qualifiers.
Come back at the end of the week to get my ranking of the 26 finalists !
Thursday, 3 May 2018
Alternative lyrics
NORWAY
Step one - do a shit, and do it all day long
Step two - just roll in it that's how you make a pong
ISRAEL
I’m not your hen (not your hen)
I’m full of zen (full of zen)
I’ll lay an egg I’ll watch you boil it
Dip some soldiers now to the mother-dunking beat
CYPRUS
Cause I’m building up and it ain’t falling down – I’m building it higher
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Cause I’m making up a boat and then a car - yeah I've got 4 tyres
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Lego !
BULGARIA
So I love the traffic cones
Take pictures on our phones
Fill them all up with stones
I love the traffic cones
SWEDEN
Just wanna pi-pi-piss you off
So don’t you da-da-dare mess up
I just want to kill your mood
Make you throw up all your food
I will now, I will now
UNITED KINGDOM
Months are like September, October and November
Don't you dare forget December all these months oh oh, all the months oh oh
Step one - do a shit, and do it all day long
Step two - just roll in it that's how you make a pong
ISRAEL
I’m not your hen (not your hen)
I’m full of zen (full of zen)
I’ll lay an egg I’ll watch you boil it
Dip some soldiers now to the mother-dunking beat
CYPRUS
Cause I’m building up and it ain’t falling down – I’m building it higher
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Cause I’m making up a boat and then a car - yeah I've got 4 tyres
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Yeah ah yeah ah yeah
Lego !
BULGARIA
So I love the traffic cones
Take pictures on our phones
Fill them all up with stones
I love the traffic cones
SWEDEN
Just wanna pi-pi-piss you off
So don’t you da-da-dare mess up
I just want to kill your mood
Make you throw up all your food
I will now, I will now
UNITED KINGDOM
Months are like September, October and November
Don't you dare forget December all these months oh oh, all the months oh oh
Saturday, 28 April 2018
Pre-rehearsal ranking
Today is Saturday 28th April and rehearsals for this year's Eurovision start tomorrow - so it was time to get down to brass tacks and nail my colours to the mast!
Using Mr Gerbear's magnificent song sorter I was able to make a reasonable ranking (I had to move one song because it was quite a lot higher than I thought it would be but that was the only noticeable anomaly) My tastes are still changing and I know that once footage comes from rehearsals, tastes - and the songs' chances of winning- will change drastically but this is it for now.
Also, for an interesting comparison, the ranking numbers are highlighted to signify its path to the final:
yellow means the song is in semi final 1, blue means it is in semi final 2 and green means it is automatic qualifier.
As you can see semi final 1 (at least for me) is going to be BRUTAL with most of my personal favourites in that show. But only the top 10 from each semi getting into the Saturday night final, I get the feeling many of my favorites are not going to make it!!!! If you fancy dipping your toes into who this year's eurovision has to offer, have a watch and listen to clips of all the songs here.
I will predict my semi final qualifiers next weekend!
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
Using Mr Gerbear's magnificent song sorter I was able to make a reasonable ranking (I had to move one song because it was quite a lot higher than I thought it would be but that was the only noticeable anomaly) My tastes are still changing and I know that once footage comes from rehearsals, tastes - and the songs' chances of winning- will change drastically but this is it for now.
Also, for an interesting comparison, the ranking numbers are highlighted to signify its path to the final:
yellow means the song is in semi final 1, blue means it is in semi final 2 and green means it is automatic qualifier.
As you can see semi final 1 (at least for me) is going to be BRUTAL with most of my personal favourites in that show. But only the top 10 from each semi getting into the Saturday night final, I get the feeling many of my favorites are not going to make it!!!! If you fancy dipping your toes into who this year's eurovision has to offer, have a watch and listen to clips of all the songs here.
I will predict my semi final qualifiers next weekend!
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
Friday, 27 April 2018
SOA 2018 episode 6
We start, unusually, with a discussion about the phenomenon that is… Ross Anthony and whether he is actually as British he purports to be (Google “Ross Anthony British” to see the amazing* music video)
Points of order discussed include:
1 – well dodgy pyramid schemes involving Bobby Davro (or not as it turned out)
2 – needing to be ‘a bit more Sopho’
3 – letting off wind
4 – Runrig – and their apparent lack of successors
5 – Eastern European stage schools
The songs pulled apart on this show are from – in alphabetical order:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Germany, Moldova and San Marino
* Sorry, I lied. Soz.
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1806
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Points of order discussed include:
1 – well dodgy pyramid schemes involving Bobby Davro (or not as it turned out)
2 – needing to be ‘a bit more Sopho’
3 – letting off wind
4 – Runrig – and their apparent lack of successors
5 – Eastern European stage schools
The songs pulled apart on this show are from – in alphabetical order:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Germany, Moldova and San Marino
* Sorry, I lied. Soz.
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1806
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Wednesday, 25 April 2018
SOA 2018 episode 5
Just by chance we have a lovely intro by a local celebrity !
Quite a bit of bickering on today’s episode but mainly about
each other – not the songs!
Points of order discussed include:
1 – Let Loose
2 – a weird Apprentice buying task
3 – knowing the cast of BBC’s Fame Academy series 1 without
really thinking
4 – the surprise return of the Austrian tourist board
5 – a song with an ironic title
The songs pulled apart on this show are from – in
alphabetical order:
Croatia, Czechia, Hungary,
Lithuania, Norway, Russia and Spain
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1805
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Wednesday, 18 April 2018
SOA 2018 episode 4
We are more than half way through our Eurovision odyssey and
we’re both feeling a bit of cabin fever and what a day to do the longest episode of the run :/
Notes on this episode include:
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1804
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Notes on this episode include:
1 – cost of video production v cost of song production
2 – ginger and proud!
3 – forgetting that you like something
4 – Goodness Gracious Me
5 – getting rid of the band!
The entries looked at on this show are – in alphabetical
order:
Australia, Belarus, Denmark, France, Malta, Montenegro,
Romania and United Kingdom
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1804
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Friday, 13 April 2018
SOA 2018 episode 3
The good news is that we are half way through the podcasts.
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1803
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
The bad news is we’re ONLY half way through the podcasts.
On today’s podcast there seems to be a lot to talk about,
and most of it leaves us quite puzzled.
1 – accidental Partridge
2 – Andy Day from Cbeebies
3 – sudden cravings for pineapples
4 – frozen food stores of the past and present
5 – Limmy’s Homemade show as seen on Thursday 5th
April BBC 2 Scotland 10pm (or on BBC iPlayer)
The songs pulled apart on show 3 are – in alphabetical
order:
Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland Italy, Israel, Netherlands and
Serbia
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1803
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Sunday, 8 April 2018
SOA 2018 epsiode 2
We make a lot of sacrifices to create this podcast and we bypassed a major UK cultural event in order to make this for you… not. We didn’t record this anywhere near as late so we were both in a much better mood.
Mentions on the podcast today for:
1 – chicken dancing and chicken noises (and it not even about Netta!)
2 – when videos are better than the song
3 – over-armography
4 – Bohemian Rhapsody
5 – tuning the vertical hold on your telly (you either understand that or you don’t)
The songs discussed on the show are – in alphabetical order:
Georgia, Ireland, Latvia, Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden.
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1802
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Mentions on the podcast today for:
1 – chicken dancing and chicken noises (and it not even about Netta!)
2 – when videos are better than the song
3 – over-armography
4 – Bohemian Rhapsody
5 – tuning the vertical hold on your telly (you either understand that or you don’t)
The songs discussed on the show are – in alphabetical order:
Georgia, Ireland, Latvia, Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden.
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1802
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Wednesday, 4 April 2018
SOA 2018 episode 1
It's April..... so it's time for SHITE OR ALRGHT!!!!!
It’s the first of 6 review shows with a slight difference in make up but shouldn't affect your enjoyment!
Due to one reason or another we started recording this faaaaaaaar too late so by about half way through I think I’d actually lost the will to live… Don't worry, as I write this episode 2 has already been recorded and is much, much better - so please come back for more !!!!!
Things to look out for that might (or might not) crop up again:
1 – too many mentions of pork
2 – the bullshit bell
3 – songs that sound like other songs
4 – singers that look like other singers
5 – the Austrian tourist board
The songs analysed on the show are – in alphabetical order –
Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1801
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
It’s the first of 6 review shows with a slight difference in make up but shouldn't affect your enjoyment!
Due to one reason or another we started recording this faaaaaaaar too late so by about half way through I think I’d actually lost the will to live… Don't worry, as I write this episode 2 has already been recorded and is much, much better - so please come back for more !!!!!
Things to look out for that might (or might not) crop up again:
1 – too many mentions of pork
2 – the bullshit bell
3 – songs that sound like other songs
4 – singers that look like other singers
5 – the Austrian tourist board
The songs analysed on the show are – in alphabetical order –
Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ESCarmchair
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)
You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/SOA1801
Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Semi-final wishlists
Now all the songs are known, the next thing we are awaiting is the semi final draw. We already know which half of which semi the songs are in as well as the voting split for the 6 already in the final but everything is up for grabs. This is not a prediction per se, more my idea of a perfect running order. I have also used ideas about props and prepping time to inform my decisions and I have also had to kind of guess where the 'commercial breaks' might be. So here's what I'd like to see
SEMI FINAL 1
Estonia Elina Nechayeva "La forza"
Belarus Alekseev "Forever"
Azerbaijan Aisel "X My Heart"
Bulgaria Equinox "Bones"
Czechia Mikolas Josef "Lie to Me"
Lithuania Ieva Zasimauskaitė "When We're Old"
---
Belgium Sennek "A Matter of Time"
Iceland Ari Ólafsson "Our Choice"
Albania Eugent Bushpepa "Mall"
Israel Netta "Toy"
Ireland Ryan O'Shaughnessy "Together"
Croatia Franka "Crazy"
Armenia Sevak Khanagyan "Qami"
---
Macedonia Eye Cue "Lost and Found"
Cyprus Eleni Foureira "Fuego"
Austria Cesár Sampson "Nobody but You"
Greece Yianna Terzi "Oneiro mou"
Switzerland Zibbz "Stones"
Finland Saara Aalto "Monsters"
I think having one of the favourites on first is a bold move but being such a unique song I think it sets a fabulous ambience to the night (and also put some of the ones afterwards to shame). The Czech song is the most obvious to put on first but considering the other songs in this half I don't think it fits. This semi also has very few non-english entries so I have tried to separate them out throughout the show, as well as keeping apart similarly tempoed songs and acts.
SEMI FINAL 1
Estonia Elina Nechayeva "La forza"
Belarus Alekseev "Forever"
Azerbaijan Aisel "X My Heart"
Bulgaria Equinox "Bones"
Czechia Mikolas Josef "Lie to Me"
Lithuania Ieva Zasimauskaitė "When We're Old"
---
Belgium Sennek "A Matter of Time"
Iceland Ari Ólafsson "Our Choice"
Albania Eugent Bushpepa "Mall"
Israel Netta "Toy"
Ireland Ryan O'Shaughnessy "Together"
Croatia Franka "Crazy"
Armenia Sevak Khanagyan "Qami"
---
Macedonia Eye Cue "Lost and Found"
Cyprus Eleni Foureira "Fuego"
Austria Cesár Sampson "Nobody but You"
Greece Yianna Terzi "Oneiro mou"
Switzerland Zibbz "Stones"
Finland Saara Aalto "Monsters"
I think having one of the favourites on first is a bold move but being such a unique song I think it sets a fabulous ambience to the night (and also put some of the ones afterwards to shame). The Czech song is the most obvious to put on first but considering the other songs in this half I don't think it fits. This semi also has very few non-english entries so I have tried to separate them out throughout the show, as well as keeping apart similarly tempoed songs and acts.
SEMI FINAL 2
Moldova DoReDos "My Lucky Day"
Russia Yulia Samoylova "I Won't Break"
Netherlands Waylon "Outlaw in 'Em"
Serbia Sanja Ilić & Balkanika "Nova deca"
Serbia Sanja Ilić & Balkanika "Nova deca"
San Marino Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening "Who We Are"
Denmark Rasmussen "Higher Ground"
---
Australia Jessica Mauboy "We Got Love"
Romania The Humans "Goodbye"
Norway Alexander Rybak "That's How You Write a Song"
Hungary AWS "Viszlát nyár"
Slovenia Lea Sirk "Hvala, ne!"
Ukraine Mélovin "Under the Ladder"
---
Sweden Benjamin Ingrosso "Dance You Off"
Latvia Laura Rizzotto "Funny Girl"
Poland Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer "Light Me Up"
Montenegro Vanja Radovanović "Inje"
Malta Christabelle "Taboo"
Georgia Iriao "For You"
Moldova's uptempo number seems too obvious a choice of opener, but it is an eyectacing song so will demand attention. I could not resist having Alexander Rybak and AWS on after each other - that I gong to be one hell of a contrast - but I wonder as to whose benefit it might be? Sweden start off the third part mainly due to their bulky staging although if the producers wanted to make it obvious how pro-Sweden they are, it'll be on last. That said, the Georgian lilting choral singing makes for a very peaceful, rousing and suitable full stop. Anything on after this is going to feel like an anti-climax In this semi, non english entries are more prevalent and have tried to split them up but is almost impossible in the second half.
Of course if some entries need more time for staging purposes they may 'demand' to be put on before or after a commercial break or first/last which may affect things. Maybe when the list comes in we can work out who this might be the case for or who the producers are favouring this year.
Of course if some entries need more time for staging purposes they may 'demand' to be put on before or after a commercial break or first/last which may affect things. Maybe when the list comes in we can work out who this might be the case for or who the producers are favouring this year.
Saturday, 17 March 2018
GEORGIA
The Georgian song was unveiled on March 13th via
the presentation of the official video clip. Back in December the folk-jazz
fusion band Iriao had been internally selected and that their entry would be
released at a later date. Their song is called “For you”
The accompanying video is very simple taking place in a
large empty arena and the five members are stood in different parts of the
space. Not very much happens in terms of stagecraft apart from the singers
moving to and away from each other when the harmonies come and go. There are
also interspersed clips of female dancers dressed in white and with white nets
around them. This sort of reaffirms the pure, simple and fluid nature of the
song and the performance of the group.
Although the song has an English title, it is entirely in
Georgian and is a direct translation of the words "Sheni Gulistvis".
There is no verse/chorus structure as such but there are short tunes that repeated
throughout but with different lyrics. The song is metaphorically about love
using the themes of weather – there are many references to snow and sun, The
harmonies are very close and it has a choral, even church like feeling to it and
this is juxtaposed with the small yet prominent mechanical beat behind the instrumentation. The
build up is very clever and the lack of a proper structure makes it seem much
longer than 3 minutes. Around the minute to go mark the song resets slightly
and builds up again to a very uplifting finish.
This is a very uplifting song and by the end you cannot help
but feel enlightened and filled up by the optimism of the song. I say this knowing
nothing about the Georgian language (even before I looked up any translation)
you just see and feel it in their singing and the tune. Although the song has
no predictable formula parts of the tune are very memorable but I think this is
where the song lacks appeal for Eurovision. If there was a little more
repetition I feel the song would be seen as more ‘eurovision-y’, especially
with the fact that it is not in English. The language sounds so beautiful,
ethnic and full of feeling. As beautiful as it is, I have to wonder who this
would appeal to and who would actually vote for this. As much as I would love to
see this in the final I fear it won’t make it.
ARTIST – Iriao
SONG – For you
MUSIC - Davit Malazonia
LYRICS - Irina Sanikidze
BULGARIA
The Bulgarian act and song were unveiled on March 12th via
the official video release. Although there were constant updates about how the
selection process was going, very little was known about the act or song until
the reveal date. Going to Lisbon is the group Equinox with the song “Bones”
The video of the song is very minimal in terms of stagecraft and in fact is more of a lyric video than anything to do with performance
style. The palate is dark and starry with blurred beams and some refraction of light through the crystals. Although you see the personnel on screen at no point do
they actually sing and barely look through the camera lens. The five members are dressed in different ways but all in black. Maybe they are
going for as minimal a performance style as possible!
The song begins with an interesting pulsing electro
soundscape – it certainly pricks your ears up and take notice. The first verse begins
and the vocal sounds very close and breathy, almost like an amplified whisper. More
voices come in during the pre chorus before the very sparse chorus which has
quite a warbled feel which might be tricky to recreate live. This is followed
by the briefest of verses before the whole chorus starts up again however
at just the 2 minute mark this rendition is
going to continue, in one fashion or another, until the end of the song. This feels a little bit too long to be listening to the same thing. There is then a
brief punctuation of singing at the end before finishing with the name of the
song.
This is a very atmospheric song and the dark electro vibe in
certainly interesting to the ear. But here begins the first issue – the singing
sounds very very processed and synthesised and at times it feels like there are
much more than 5 singers on the track. I also wonder that when all 5 sing
together will it feel like they are blending or will it sound more like they
are competing? Secondly, with 5 singers on stage - what scope is there for
anything more visual? How can they incorporate a space theme if there are do
led screens? I feel that in Bulgaria’s modern history in Eurovision is this
very disappointing. It almost comes across as a bit highbrow and up itself. I
think this will probably qualify although I think for once this isn’t in the
running for a win.
ARTIST – Equinox
SONG – Bones
MUSIC - Borislav Milanov, Trey Campbell, Joacim Persson, Dag
Lundberg
LYRICS - Borislav Milanov, Trey Campbell, Joacim Persson,
Dag Lundberg
Friday, 16 March 2018
LITHUANIA
The Lithuanian Final was held at the Žalgirio Arena in
Kaunas on March 11th, hosted by Mantas Stonkus & Ugne Skonsmanaite. Before
the final there were 4 heats, 2 quarterfinals and 2 semi-finals. The eventual winner
was chosen by televoting (50%) & an "expert" jury (50%). Winning,
was "When we're old" sung by Ieva Zasimauskaite.
Ieva is dressed in a very simple floaty dress punctuated by
a simple crystal necklace and similarly coloured flat shoes. Behind her the
stage is black with small lights and thick yellow beams criss-crossing. Ieva is
alone and is sat on the floor at the beginning of the song however the first of
the song has so little light you barely know she is there at all. She stays
there until the 2 minute mark when she gets up and walks around the stage. Now
behind her is a large video wall featuring different scenes of couples of
different ages, picking up on the theme of the song. At the very end she is
joined on stage by a young man an they embrace at the end.
The song is a quiet ballad, and could almost be wrongly
assumed to be something Ireland would send. We have a simple
verse/chorus/verse/chorus set up ending with apart of the verse again at he end
– but with a twist, The song seems to go by quite quickly but there is also a
lot of empty space. The backing track of the whole song is very minimalistic
with a basic piano throughout and some additional instruments during the final
chorus. The tune of the verse is very simplistic and yyou remember this much
more than the verse. During the final part Ieva reverts to her mother tongue
which is a nice touch. There is a Lithuanian language version of this song but
I doubt they will use this instead of the English.
Personally I find her voice quite annoying – I am generally
not a fan on the small, hiccupping, almost yodelling, vocal style. The whispery
way she sings the verses are fine but the rest of the song feels a bit put on.
Also Ieva’s pronunciation of words like ‘old’ and ‘wrote’ are very odd. Overall
the song and its sentiment are very nice but is lost in the execution. I
also wonder with the backdrop issues in Lisbon how or if the use of the video
can be realised. This effect seems to be a focal point and without
out it this loses direction. A nice enough song but lacks enough charm for me but
when it comes to qualification they may be in luck. They are in a semi with
quite a few Baltic countries as well as Ireland and UK so the diaspora might
get them through on the televote but jurors might see otherwise.
ARTIST – Ieva
Zasimauskaite
SONG – When we're old
MUSIC – Vytautas Bikus
LYRICS - Vytautas Bikus
Thursday, 15 March 2018
RUSSIA
The Russian song was unveiled on March 11th via
its première during a news bulletin on Russian TV. Last year, Yuliya Samoylova had
been chose to represent Russia with “Flame is burning”, but due to her
blacklisting in the host country Ukraine, the entry was withdrawn. It was
hinted that she would be back in 2018 and in January this was confirmed. Her
song this year is called “I won’t break”
The colour scheme for the video is mainly white. The song
intersperses footage of Yuliya between views of the moon, waves crashing and
show capped mountains. Near the end of the song we see fiery volcanoes
erupting. All the shots of Yuliya are from her shoulders up (Yuliya lost the
function of her legs during childhood so usually sits in a wheelchair) even in the wide shot at the very end.
The song is much edgier and has more personality than last
years cancelled attempt. This has a much louder and rockier sound, something
that Yuliya is known for. The structure is pretty simple – we start with
verse/chorus/verse/chorus. The chorus is very memorable with the repetition of
the title and the use of the rhymes of emotion/ocean/motion. At the two minute
mark there is a break from the pattern with the repetition of a very simple
phrase which keeps repeating even though the last rendition of the chorus. The
song ends with the repetition of the very first words of the song. During the
choruses, the backing singers are very prominent.
This is afar better entry than last years attempt which was
far too wet and saccharine and possibly wouldn’t have qualified or done very
well. This though is far more interesting and although still has a connection
to Yuliya and who she is, it is much more positive. The performance of this is
much trickier to imagine and pin down. As I suggested she will need some
singing support and I fear that her voice and diction could get tricky,
especially if nerves kick in, but I feel that having 5 backing singers will
leave her open to a lack of performance. I can almost imagine her with some
interpretive dancers or acrobats to liven up the stage. They may also use a
background screen or possibly use holograms or on screen editing. I would like
to say this has a better chance of qualifying than last year being in semi2 but
she is in the first half and could get overshadowed with a poor visual show.
ARTIST – Yulia
Samoylova
SONG – I won’t break
MUSIC - Leonid Gutkin, Netta Nimrodi, Arie Burshtein
LYRICS - Leonid Gutkin, Netta Nimrodi, Arie Burshtein
MACEDONIA
The Macedonian song was unveiled on March 11th
with the release of the official video. In February, the Macedonian broadcaster
announced that the duo Eye Cue had been internally selected. Their song is called
“Lost and found”
The video is in 2 parts both being just one long shot.
During the first half, Marija, the lead singer, is in her dressing room when
she is ushered about by some assistants and walks on the set when Bojan, the
other member of Eye Cue and a drummer are already in situ. She performs the
song to camera until the chorus. She then sits on a swing with ropes made of
flowers and returns to thee stage. After this the screen flickers blue and we
find Marija in a totally different outfit and hairdo. This time she walks into
a photo shoot where Bojan is present, then pretends to be in bed before
returning to performing to camera.
This song has a very quirky if not confusing structure.
There are lots of bits and each bit seems disconnected to everything else. The
first part of the chorus has a rock pop feel but the second half is more like a
dance pop number whilst the verses have a slow, bassy reggae beat underneath
and they seem to clash into each other rather than blending seamlessly. I sense
that the duo’s normal style is more akin to the punchy stuff. Marija has quite
the vibrato to her voice and I can imagine under pressure this could be a
little too much. There are also a prominent number of backing vocalists on the
track too which will need to be accounted for when factoring in the
performance.
The easiest way to describe this is that this is a song that
is less than the sum of its parts. The chorus is not bad but they are let down
by a very fragmented song structure with a weak verse and a style that does not
suit them. It feels like they have tried to combine too many things in order
the suite too many people and have actually ended up pleasing nobody. At times
the tune has a passing resemblance to “Feels like heaven” by Fiction Factory. The
video also gives few clues as to how this might be performed on the night and I
fear this might be a very static performance. In a semi with few Balkan buddies
to get through this will struggle to qualify.
ARTIST – Eye Cue
SONG – Lost and found
MUSIC - Bojan Trajkovski, Darko Dimitrov
LYRICS - Bojan Trajkovski
Wednesday, 14 March 2018
ISRAEL
The Israeli song was unveiled on March 11th via
the presentation of the official video clip However the show “HaKokhav HaBa”
was used to choose their representative HaKokhav HaBa. There were 31 shows in
total before the final and the winner was selected by juries (50%) and a mobile
phone app (50%). This was won by Netta Barzilai and the song she will be
singing in Lisbon is “Toy”
The accompanying video is very bright, colourful hyperactive and full of weird and wacky shots. Netta wears an abundance of
different outfits which emphasises her personality as well as the defiant
nature of the song. She is joined by some female dancers whose
movements are also a little odd, out-of-the-ordinary, eye-catching but in
keeping with the attitude of the song. In some shots she is stood alone and in
others she is with her loop machine.
The track starts with what seems like senseless blabbering
and nonsense. Of course what she is doing is applying vocal layers onto the
looper for use later on during the song. It also pricks your ears up and you
are instantly intrigued. We then go into a fairly straightforward verse which
then leads into a more atmospheric pre-chorus which is then broken by the
chicken noises – utterly bonkers but totally in context. This then leads into
the chorus proper which has a driving beat and some really simplistic and
catchy lyrics. The second verse begins in Hebrew but is very highly processed
so it sounds like Norman Collier's old ‘broken microphone’ gag. This leads back
into the pre-chorus/chorus. During the last 30 seconds Netta really lets rip
and shows the power, strength and range in her voice. The ending could be a bit
more bombastic but who knows what she could end up doing in the live shows…!
This is possibly one of the most avant garde songs we’ve had
for a very long time in Eurovision, and for once, this is totally down the line
serious stuff – Netta is not doing this
for the gags – this is her thing, her shtick. Also it must be added that Netta
uses a vocal loop mix machine to create the tricks on the track. This is
groundbreaking because this means she will be playing live on stage – something
that has meant a Eurovision rule change. This is heavy technical stuff. Netta
is also all about the live performance and even from this very well cut video
you understand what her performance level is like. This is a very special
performer and it will be very interesting to see if the regular audience at
home take to her or now. On first listen I though this was awful but after some
time to bed in this is a brilliant entry.
ARTIST – Netta
Barzilai
SONG – Toy
MUSIC - Doron Medalie, Stav Beger
LYRICS - Doron Medalie, Stav Beger
Tuesday, 13 March 2018
NORWAY
The Norwegian Final will be held on March 10th at the
Spektrum in Oslo, hosted by Kåre Magnus Bergh & Silya Nymoen. There were 3
rounds of voting: one to select the top 4, another to select the top 2 and a
final round to declare the victor. Going to Lisbon is 2009 Eurovision winner
Alexander Rybak with “That’s how you write a song”
The staging for this song is very simple. Alexander starts
on stage by himself and starts miming the instruments on the track. The
outlines of these instruments are animated onto the tv screen so the float in
and float away again. About a minute in he is then joined by 4 backing singers
who then mimic the instrument playing from earlier on. With a minute to go he
is reunited with his famous fiddle and continues the singing and dancing until
the end. The background behind him looks like a blue Venetian blind effect with
music notes floating on top.
Anybody wishing for “Fairytale part 2” will be seriously
disappointed. As the song suggests this is a meta-song about the process of writing
songs but also touches on the wider aspect of following dreams and progressing
with any talent one might have. He starts sat on a stool for the first verse
then stands up for the second. He is very active on stage interacting with the
audience or dancing to the track. The chorus has a very catchy step one, step
two approach which engages you straight away. After this we have a call and
response scatting session which really seems to put the audience into a bit of
a frenzy. After another chorus he then plays the violin and sings and dances at
the same time. Right at the very end 2 fiddle players and two trumpeters come
out at the very back. This puts the number of people on stage at 9, far more
than is allowed at Eurovision
So, what it is absolutely no doubt is that this is a
showman. Fairytale was brilliant song but this is something very, very
different. He sings, he dances, he scats, he plays the fiddle – is there
anything this man cannot do?!?!? But the question is – is this too much? When
listening to the song alone, it feels very cheesy but the show that Alexander
puts on is really something else. My fear is that this is just too much – just
because you can do all those things doesn’t mean you should do all of them. I
don’t hate this; I am somewhat disappointed by it but is growing on me. I
feel like his name will get people watching in but will they be shocked by what
they see?
ARTIST – Alexander
Rybak
SONG – That's how you write a song
MUSIC - Alexander Rybak
LYRICS - Alexander Rybak
SWEDEN
The Swedish Final was held on March 10th at the Friends
Arena in Solna, hosted by David Lindgren. Before the final there were 4
semi-finals and a second chance round for the runners up. 2018 The winner was
chosen by televoting (50%) and 11 international juries (50%). The winning act
was Benjamin Ingrosso with the song “Dance You Off”
Although this is a ‘stage’ performance it is micromanaged
within an inch of its life for the cameras. A portion of the stage has been
overlayed with a frame which goes behind and under the performer. This contains
flashing strips of light which pulse to the music and creates different shapes,
colours and themes throughout the song. Benjamin is dressed in black trousers
and a black t-shirt with a jacket which he doesn’t really wear
properly.
The song is a very Swedish production and has hints of
Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake is its look and feel. Throughout the song
Benjamin does a quite intricate, although quite small, dance routine which fits
with the style of music. The three minutes is quite understated and there
really isn’t very much to the whole thing. The stage is barely lit as the first
verse which lasts last than 20 seconds before we get into the chorus. At this
point the frame comes to life and the lighting show begins. The chorus is quite
lengthy, lasting almost 40 seconds for both parts. We then have another verse
and chorus before a small instrumental, which doesn’t really go anywhere,
followed by a last foray into the chorus. The backing track is very samey and
doesn’t progress at all. There is no change in key or volume or beat and feels
a little underwhelming. It must be said that the backing vocals on the track
were suspiciously high during the chorus and you could barely hear him during
those points.
Out of all of the songs in the Melodifestivalen final this
was possibly the most polished visually and more radio friendly. We have seen
and heard this kind of thing so many times and it is starting to feel a bit
disingenuous and over confident and too predictable from a Swedish entry. This
isn’t a stage show – this is a glorified music video. I personally like a song
with shots of the crowd or at least some semblance that there is an audience in
from of them. Also I have very suspicious of his live singing ability although
I suspect he will have 5 backing singers off stage to ‘help’ him. My only
question is – can this staging be transported to Lisbon? Does the stage in
Lisbon have the capacity for such an idea? Can it be taken on and off within the
postcard time limit? This song without its staging simply would not have won
the show. Being in semi 2 this will probably qualify although I personally
think it should not.
ARTIST – Benjamin
Ingrosso
SONG – Dance you off
MUSIC - Benjamin Ingrosso, MAG, Louis Schoorl, K Nita
LYRICS - Benjamin Ingrosso, MAG, Louis Schoorl, K Nita
Monday, 12 March 2018
IRELAND
The Irish song was unveiled on March 9th via its
première radio play on the Ray Darcy show on RTE Radio 1. Back in January the
broadcaster announced that they had chosen Ryan O'Shaughnessy as their
internally selected artist and that the song would be revealed in March. The
song he is singing is “Together”
The video is a one-take shot detailing the journey of 2 men
coming out of a place in Temple Bar, Dublin at night. They walk casually for
the most part but during the chorus they start to dance using the street
furniture and shop architecture to enable them to create different shapes and
levels. It is subtly intricate, well produced and well made. It also fits very
well with the mood and themes of the song. There is also a culture nod to the
referendum in 2015 where the petition for same sex marriage was supported and
approved. I could imagine such a dance routine being lifted to the stage but I
feel they wIll need almost all of their personnel for the singing.
The song has a definite Ed Sheeran vibe to it but unlike the
Englishman, Ryan seems to ride the wave between cheese and sincerity well. The structure of the song is such that we
actually get to hear 4 complete renditions of the chorus which shows some very clever
song craft and I applaud the team for that. The song starts off like an
acoustic guitar ballad and then there is a noticeable but slow beat that starts
during the chorus. This then dies down again for the next verse then beefs up
again for the chorus. Just before the 2 minute mark there is a bridge that goes
into a gentle version of the chorus before having one final full on version.
There is also a noticeable choir of backing singers on the track
which gives it a more ensemble or group feel. Because of the repetition you get to know
the song very quickly.
This is possibly the best thing they have sent for quite a
few years – but this is such a low bar this isn’t really brilliant news. I
think this is a decent enough radio friendly song and should get in some
points. Although this has be drawn in the second half of semi 1 I feel this is
going to struggle to be remembered at the end of the show. With a good stage
show and a spot on vocal - anything can happen I guess. If this has been drawn in
semi 2 I feel this would have had much more of a chance of getting to the final.
ARTIST – Ryan
O'Shaughnessy
SONG – Together
MUSIC - Laura Elizabeth Hughes, Candice Mark & Ryan
O'Shaughnessy
LYRICS - Laura Elizabeth Hughes, Candice Mark & Ryan
O'Shaughnessy
Sunday, 11 March 2018
AUSTRIA
The Austrian song was unveiled on March 9th on
the radio station Hitradio Ö3 where the song had its premiere play then the
music video was unveiled. Back in December ORT, the Austrian broadcaster,
announced that Cesár Sampson had been internally selected to represent Austria
at Eurovision but his song would not be revealed for several months. The song
is called “Nobody but you”
The accompanying video is in almost all in black and white
and is full of projections, optical illusions and shadows - there is also a lot
of snow! There are also views (I assume) of Austria focusing on the
architectural lines, statues and trams. He spends a lot of time in slow motion,
usually running, The video is very clever and needs several watches to uncover
the tricks involved. I quite like the use of overlayed projections and
superimposed videos but I am not quite sure if this would take too much focus
from Cesár and the song if done on the stage. There are backing singers and he
will probably need all 5 he is allowed to recreate the power and oomph for the
track.
The song has a kind of Rag’n’Bone Man/Aloe Blacc feel to it
which puts it in the radio friendly pile. The song begins atmospherically, with
an almost a cappela beginning which focuses your attention on his soulful
voice. There is a slight uplift in the backing track as the first chorus starts
up but doesn’t quite go full out. After this there is some gospel-tinged
oh-ohing and the start of a progressive hand clap beat into the next verse.
After the next chorus, mirrored in the use of colour in the video clip, the
bridge into the final chorus is preceded by another gospel segment. This one
seems much more outward and I could imagine him really singing to and
interacting with the crowd at this stage.
The song is a grower. The first time I heard his I was
really disappointed because I felt that the chorus was really weak compared to
the driving verses but after a few listens it started becoming familiar quickly.
If I had any real critique I would have loved to have heard more of the gospel
stuff or had a bigger chunk after the second chorus. Cesár is not a newcomer to
Eurovision he has provided backing vocals for the last 2 Bulgarian entries –
both of which ended up top 4 – and the composers of these two entries is also
behind Cesár’s solo song. If I had written this straight after the first listen
it would have been a big fat no. Now, it’s very much a yes but this scares me
very much.
ARTIST – Cesár
Sampson
SONG – Nobody but you
MUSIC - Boris Milanov, Sebastian Arman, Joacim Persson,
Johan Alkenäs
LYRICS - Boris Milanov, Sebastian Arman, Joacim Persson,
Johan Alkenäs
AUSTRALIA
The Australian song was unveiled on March 8th via
a music video on youtube. It was supposed to be revealed on the10th but due to
leak of the song it was brought forward. Back in December the broadcaster
announced that they had internally selected Jessica Mauboy, who was an interval
act ESC n 2014, and the song would be made public in March. Her song is called
“#We got love”
The performance of the song during the video is very
simplistic. There are two main settings – inside a fame of multicoloured neon
strip and laying down in a dimly lit pool in which you can see the water
vibrating to the music. In both situations the background screen shows
different colours scenes and situations. I could see the former of those ideas
being used quite effectively. There are no other people in the video but I
suggest she may need singers and/or dancers to help power the song along.
The song structure is pretty formulaic and very Eurovision.
The first 2 minutes are filled with a verse/chorus/verse/chorus however the
differences between the flow of these parts is so slight it might as well just
be one long chorus. Just after the two minutes mark the backing becomes a bit
more tribal and the beat finally intensifies before having one more rendition
of the chorus, The song then ends with Jessica shouting “We got love” several
times over the tune of the chorus.
This is not a bad song, but it could be much, much better.
The song doesn’t really beef up enough or quick enough. The fact that the first
2 minutes is practically on the same level makes it quite boring and
uninspiring very quickly, although they might be able to keep the attention
visually. When remembering back to Jessica’s first foray on the Eurovision
stage, the song she performed then “Sea of flags” is not a million miles way
from this and for many fans this might be seen as a very safe choice. The team
behind this song have been behind almost every sing Australian entry and it is
getting a little predictable and samey. I want them to try something different,
something that showcases something diverse about the Aussie music scene apart
from this tiny slice of ‘down under’ musical pie. Luckily for them the second semi final is nowhere near as competitive as the first and I think they will probably get to the final and dive badly.
ARTIST – Jessica
Mauboy
SONG – #We got love
MUSIC - Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci, Jessica Mauboy
LYRICS - Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci, Jessica Mauboy
Saturday, 10 March 2018
CROATIA
The Croatian song was unveiled on March 6th via
the release of the official video on youtube. Last month, it was announced that
Franka Batelić had been internally selected by HRT, the Croatian broadcaster,
and that more details would be announced at a later date. Her song is called
“Crazy”
The video has a very strong theme and although I don’t think
it can moved as a whole to the Eurovision stage but in a reduced singing friendly
form it could work. Franka is dressed in beigy/brown tones with nod to Grecian
floaty dresses but with a warrior princess overtones. She is joined by a
plethora of dancers who are dressed in a similar fashion and are used in quite
a few different ways. There are also sand, underwater and glowing ball
motifs too.
The song starts with a very odd horn/flute type noise which
sounds quite folky and ethnic but the beat kicks in and takes it in a different
direction. The song reminds me of Sam Brown’s “Stop” and “INXS’s “Never tear us
apart” The first verse is very long and doesn’t have a lot of lyrics so feels
even longer. The chorus is very short and again mostly has repetitions the
title of the song. This is lone follower by a very annoying ear worm of the
word ‘love’ but pronounce ‘lo-oh-oh-ove’ which is a very wasteful part of the 3
minutes. After the first verse/chorus rendition there is a very odd spoken
word/rap part which sounds totally out of place in the song but also out of
kilter with the style of music she is offering. Things like this never sound
well, especially if their English is below par. After the second rendition
there is then a quieter bridge before going into a final part chorus ending
with another ‘lo-oh-oh-ove’’
The song is a bit wishy-washy for my taste and doesn’t
really have that spark of pizzazz or that verve that makes it memorable. The
parts of the song don’t really fit together and this lets down the main body of
the song. I also think that this will probably sound awful live, in particular
the rap part. It’s also found itself in a semi with only one other ex-Yugoslav
country in it, so will not really benefit from the neighbourly voting. It’s a
nice try but a no.
ARTIST – Franka
Batelić
SONG – Crazy
MUSIC - Branimir Mihaljević
LYRICS - Franka Batelić
Friday, 9 March 2018
BELGIUM
The Belgian song was unveiled on March 5th via
the release of the official video on youtube. The next day the song has its
premiere on Belgian radio station MNM. Back in September, it was announced that
Laura Groeseneken, under her stage name Sennek, had been internally selected by
the Flemish broadcaster VRT and her song would be announced in March. The song
she will be singing is “A matter of time”
The video takes place in a number of settings – a theatre,
an empty swimming pool, staircases, fancy stated glass windows, - and any of this, or none, could influence
to the stage show. She is also wearing a number of different outfits any of
which could be her stage costume. Most of the time she is looking away from the
camera which is an interesting perspective and could possibly imagine her
singing this in profile during the first verse.
The song is a very jazzy number with more than a nod to
twenty-first century James Bond themes. It starts with a verse which is only
backed by a few piano chords and this is then followed by another verse but
this time the piano is joined by drumming. There is brief pre-chorus which is
the lull before the chorus. The pace and pitch changes drastically and really
catches your ear. In particular the repetition of the word ‘echoes’ is a very
clever touch. The change back into the verse is a little clunky but it pretty
hard to condense so much direction in 3 minutes. We have another verse, pre
chorus and chorus before the song ends with the backing gently fading away like
it is falling down a tunnel.
Overall this is a very classy, well-produced and well
thought through entry. Obviously the proof will be in the live performances a
as to how well she can actually deliver this and hopefully we will get some
soon. This fits very well in the lineage of recent Belgian entries and long
standing fans and watchers will not be disappointed by what Belgium deliver
this year. The juries are going to absolutely lap this up but I am a little
hesitant as to how encouraged televoters will be to sit up and vote for this.
Although it is a great song, is it a song that compels you to vote for it.
Although I would live for this to be up near the top at the end I have a
feeling it will rumble just below where it deserves.
ARTIST – Sennek
SONG – A matter of time
MUSIC - Laura Groeseneken, Alex Callier, Maxime Tribèche
LYRICS - Laura Groeseneken, Alex Callier, Maxime Tribèche
Thursday, 8 March 2018
PORTUGAL
The Portuguese Final was held on March 4th at Pavilhão
Multiusos in Guimarães, hosted by Filomena Cautela & Pedro Fernandes.
Before the final there were 2 semi-finals where 6 qualified from each show. The
winner waschosen by televoting (50%) & 7 regional juries (50%).
Winning was Cláudia Pascoal with the song “O jardim” (The garden)
Cláudia stands in the middle of the stage in a long black
dress this really punctuates her pink hair. Behind her on a chair facing
backwards is her backing singer who just happens to be the writer of the song.
She turns around part way through then turns back again. There is not much in the
way of action and Cláudia sings the song very intensely and the emotion shows
in her face and voice. The backdrop is blue and beneath her feet are the
outlines of white petals and leaves.
This is quite a modern ethereal song, akin to something
London Grammar might come out with. It starts with just piano backing. As the
song progresses you suspect that an undercurrent, a beefed up beat will appear
– but it never does. As the song progresses there is a very faint
beat although it is more like a soft heart beat which fits with the
words of the song. The lyrics are full of metaphors hinting at what the
Portuguese call ‘saudade’ or longing, in this case being the thoughts and pain
of those left behind when someone has died, all of which influences Cláudia’s
emotional performance. You definitely feel a journey - a beginning, middle and end - when watching and listening.
The performance is very simple as is the song. The tune of
the song is very memorable and repetitive but not in a bad way. It is much less
orchestrated than Salvador’s entry last year and is much more insular in terms
of meaning and performance. I think the language also sounds very pretty in the
song. This is a great entry for the home crowd to support in my and also a
great showcase of modern Portuguese singers and songwriters rather than the more traditional Fado. I think this will
do well with the juries and will give a
reasonable result for the home crowd.
ARTIST – Cláudia
Pascoal
SONG – O jardim (The garden)
MUSIC - Isaura
LYRICS - Isaura
Wednesday, 7 March 2018
AZERBAIJAN
The Azeri song was unveiled on March 4th via a
lyric video on youtube and song release on Spotify. Back in November the broadcaster
announced that they had internally selected Aisel and the song would be made
public in March. The song she will be singing is called “X my heart” (Cross my
heart)
As there was no performance to the song, and only a lyric
video (not even a full music video) we have very little to go on. All we can
guess is that the lyrics allude to skies, stars and moons so maybe we can
expect something dark and sparkly or maybe and emphasis on the letter X. I am
guessing she will need quite a few backing singers to beef up the track and
possibly some dancers who also do some singing. Azerbaijan are quite well known
for their visual motifs so it will be interesting to see how they give this
more traditional radio friendly pop song some clout.
Aisel has a jazzy, talky singing voice and is very
easy to listen to and understand but I wonder how much of this is down to
talent or production. The song follows a well trodden path and is also one
of those songs that has an extensive bridge/pre-chorus that I find quite time
consuming in Eurovision terms. In the lead up to the chorus the tune gets
higher and if there is a point she will struggle it will be here. Her voice is
also very level, which hints at the production values. If any of this I louder
or quieter than other parts it might not work or sound great live.
I think it I fair to say that this is a bit of a mess. Don’t
get me wrong I think that some of the parts of this entry work and make perfect
sense but in this case the sum of those parts don’t gel together at all. Aisel’s
voice seems a bit over-produced and if she can perform this assured on the
night good for her but if not it is going to sound very messy. The lyrics in
particular are very poor, some of the metaphors and descriptions don’t work and
in some cases don’t even makes sense. I think that the backing track of the song
is quite radio friendly but doesn’t particularly suit the words of the song (or
vice versa). I personally find it quite baffling that this is entry the work of
the ‘dream team’ of producer Philip Kirkorov, choreographer Ilias Kokotos, and
composer Dimitris Kontopoulos. The question is how much can you polish a turd –
I guess we will find out. Unfortunately this is probably going to qualify
although it really, really shouldn’t.
ARTIST – Aisel
SONG – X my heart
MUSIC - Tim Bran
LYRICS - Dimitris Kontopoulos, Sandra Bjurman
Tuesday, 6 March 2018
ICELAND
The Icelandic Final was held on March 3rd at Laugardalshöll
in Reykjavik, hosted by Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir & Jón Jónsson.
Before the final there were 2 semi-finals with 3 songs qualifying from each.
During the semis all songs were performed in Icelandic but in the final they
could be sung in their language of choice. The eventual winner was chosen in 2 rounds of
voting - a top 2 was chosen by a jury (50%) and televoting (50%). Then a winner
was then chosen solely by televoting. Going to Lisbon is Ari Ólafsson singing “Our
Choice”
Ari is on stage with his back to the audience where the
backdrop is a kind of purple colour with lights wafting in the air. When he
turns round you can see he has a band on stage with him who also do a fair bit
of backing singing. When the first chorus starts the backdrop turns to a
picture of sky but by the end it turns into a generic dark blue background. Ari
is dressed quite snazzily in a tight fitting maroon suit and seems quite
smiley throughout. He is a little awkward moving around and sometimes his moves don't quite go with what he is singing.
When the song starts Ari is singing quietly and very low but
seems to have a fair bit of control. The first part of the song takes a very
long time to get going and it is not until 60 seconds have passed that the song
starts. We then have the chorus (proper) twice before going into a jazzy bridge
where Ari shows how wide his range is by doing quite a nice falsetto note.
There is one more chorus before a slowing down for the ending. The main issue I
have with this song is that the lyrics are very stayed and the themes and words
used are too soppy to be taken seriously. The tune of the song seems more akin
to an ‘80’s charity record.
In the semi-final, this was sung as “Heim” (Home) and he
seemed much more confident singing this, however I found his singing voice in
the final much stronger I guess a switch back would solve the issues of the bad
lyrics but would not be able to paper over the other cracks this song has. This
such a poor choice – and in fact the whole Icelandic selection was full of very
mediocre songs – but Ari is a good singer so maybe people voted for that when
there was a Hobson’s Choice on songs? This is plodding, old fashioned and very,
very boring. Yawn.
ARTIST – Ari Ólafsson
SONG – Our Choice
MUSIC - Þórunn Erna
Clausen
LYRICS - Þórunn Erna Clausen
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