Saturday 28 April 2018

Eurovision 2018 song reviews (part 6) - Greece, Ireland, FYR Macedonia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine

With rehearsals starting this weekend, it really feels like the contest proper is about to begin - which is both exciting and worrying considering how little I have to look forward to after this (sad, but true). In the 6th instalment, I conclude my reviews of the 37 tracks competing in the semi finals. 


Greece - Yianna Terzi - "Oneiro Mou"
Semi final: 1
My score: 9/10
Chances of qualifying: 6.5/10
Can it make the top 10? Could happen.
Can it win? For the sake of their economic recovery, I hope not.

Greece's 2005 winning entry 'My Number One' by Helena Paparizou was one of the defining songs of my childhood, not to mention my earliest Eurovision memory. Greece also used to be my favourite Eurovision country when I was growing up, so it's sad to see how much they've lost their way in recent years. Thankfully, my aunty land (tacky, I know) has returned to form with this gorgeous entry, which is one of my favourite entries of this year. The fact that it is sung entirely in Greek (a language I grew up around) and has a nostalgic quality for me instrumentally may well have something to do with it. After the clinical, joyless, basic, generic MESS they gave us last year, Greece giving us something so...authentically Greek makes me very happy indeed. 

Despite my love for this song, I have some concerns - my biggest being the fact that Yianna is yet to perform this song life in full. Although the clips she has posted of her singing it on Instagram have been very promising, I need to hear the live version before I can fully judge its chances. My other concern is that they don't give this the epic staging it deserves; the instrumental bridge in particular has potential to be a MOMENT. Even though it's in a tough semi, I can see jurors lapping this one up. 


Ireland - Ryan O'Shaughnessy - "Together"
Semi final: 1
My score: 5/10
Chances of qualifying: 5/10
Can it make the top 10? No.
Can it win? No.

Another year, another complete MISS from the formerly-successful Irish delegation. I just find this utterly dreary, old fashioned and uninspired. When countries such as Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia and Belgium continue to take risks, Ireland play it safe and guess what? It backfires. What I will say is that this is a vast improvement of the garbage song they sent last year, but that's far from a competent because the bar was not high...

I would have ruled it out completely, but the news that they'll be bringing the dancers from the video to Lisbon has improved its chances considerably. Having the storyline of incorporating a same-sex couple in the video is the only noteworthy element of the song, so fair play. Although I'm all for diversity and inclusion at Eurovision, I really, really don't want this dud in the final. 


FYR Macedonia - Eye Que - "Lost And Found"
Semi final: 1
My score: 9/10
Chances of qualifying: 5.5/10
Can it make the top 10? If only...
Can it win? No.

Last year, FYR Macedonia brought one of my favourite studio entries, the mega bop that was 'Dance Alone'. Unfortunately, it all fell apart once it got to Kiev, mostly due to the disastrous staging. This year, they're back with a far more competitive entry, and one with a stronger staging concept (at least I bloody hope it does!). Lost And Found fuses reggae, EDM and rock-pop to create a song unlike any other this year. This is instantly memorable and blew me away from first listen, so I'm hoping that voters and jurors across Europe will feel the same.

As a fan favourite, I'm cautiously optimistic about its chances. That said, FYR Macedonia have only qualified once in the last 10 years(!). Indeed, they tend to struggle at the best of times, even with decent entries. As they are in the toughest semi final in years and have an awful draw, I don't see this making the final unfortunately. 


Switzerland - Zibbz - "Stones"
Semi final: 1
My score: 7.5/10
Chances of qualifying: 5/10
Can it make the top 10? No.
Can it win? No.

Unlike Ireland, Switzerland is a country who are actually...you know...trying to give us quality entries recently. I'll admit, this didn't really do much for me at first. After a shaky national selection performance, the studio cut gradually has moved its way up in my personal rankings. The brother-sister duo bring a spot of bluesy rock-pop to the contests, with a clear and bold message - which I massively appreciate in a contests where lyrics are often...questionable. 

My problem is that I don't think this is the kind of song that is right for Eurovision. By that, I mean it's not particularly competitive. Although it has drawn second half, I really don't see this standing out enough to televoters, nor juries, in order to survive such a difficult semi. I hope Switzerland continue to send quality entries in the future, because it will eventually pay off if the stars align. 


Slovenia - Lea Sirk - "Hvala, ne!"
Semi final: 2
My score: 8.5/10
Chances of qualifying: 5/10
Can it make the top 10? No.
Can it win? If only. 

Where do I even begin with this? What began with an ironic appreciation for a trashy Slovenian trap bop has quickly evolved into genuine adoration. This is probably my most-played song of ESC 2018 so far and I'm not even ashamed of it anymore at this point. The song has one of the best bridges of the year, and the drop is irresistibly catchy. This may be silly, but it slaps and Lea sells the shit out of it.

The staging is simple, but effective. Everything from the tight choreography, the effective use of those Hobby Craft frames and the 'edgy' styling made this one of the best stage presentations of all the national selections. Having seen Lea perform this live on a number of occasions by this point, we know that Lea can hit the notes AND keep up the choreo, which will hopefully serve her well. I just hope that Europe sees the fun in this riot of an entry and chucks her a vote, because I want this in the final desperately. 

Hvala, ne ne! Hvala, ne! *tinny drop*


Sweden - Benjamin Ingrosso - "Dance You Off"
Semi final: 2
My score: 7/10
Chances of qualifying: 10/10
Can it make the top 10? Yes.
Can it win? Yes.

Although the last four countries I've been discussing tend to struggle to qualify, Sweden has no such problem. In fact, it's gotten to the point where Sweden scores well by default - last year, they sent a wooden performer with barely any charisma + an alright song + some treadmills and they managed to make top 5. To be honest, I'm getting a little bored of male solo artists singing subpar songs from Sweden and would welcome virtually anything else at this point. 

Although the song is okay at best and Benjamin's voice is a bit grating, I cannot deny how excellent Dance You Off's Melodifestivalen staging was. The use of a giant tanning bed light show in a year when LEDs are effectively banned is a masterstroke from the Swedish delegation and will no doubt secure them a top 10 finish, regardless of the song. In fact, in such an open field, I could even see this winning...


Ukraine - Melovin - "Under the Ladder"
Semi final: 2
My score: 8.5/10
Chances of qualifying: 9.5/10
Can it make the top 10? Yes.
Can it win? I don't think so.

Along with Greece, Ukraine is another Eurovision favourite of mine. With the exception of their 2017 entry, Ukraine has consistently delivered quality, well-performed bops. This year is no different, although they've once again diverted from sending a female solo artist like they have historically. Unlike their entry last year, 'Under the Ladder' has a pop sensibility and an anthemic chorus, bringing them back up to their usual standard. 

As this is closing what is a rather weak semi final, I cannot see a scenario where this doesn't sail through. The staging from the Ukrainian national selection was powerful, memorable and dynamic, so hopefully they won't change too much. The one setback this has is that Melovin's diction is terrible, making most of the lyrics incomprehensible. However, he has had plenty of time to work on that, so I'm sure he'll be able to bring Ukraine back over to the left-hand side of the score board where they belong. 


Updated ranking:

Semi 1 (by chances of qualification)
1. Israel - Netta - "Toy" - 9.5
2. Czech Republic - Mikolas Josef - "Lie To Me" - 8
3. Estonia - Elina Nechayeva - "La Forza" - 8
4. Cyprus - Eleni Foureira - "Fuego" - 8
5. Austria - Cesár Sampson - "Nobody but You" - 8
6. Belgium - SENNEK - "A Matter of Time" - 8
7. Bulgaria - EQUINOX - "Bones" - 7.5
8. Greece - Yianna Terzi - "Oneiro Mou" - 7
9. Armenia - Sevak Khanagyan - "Qami" - 7
10. Finland - Saara Aalto - "Monsters" - 6.5
11. Azerbaijan - Aisel - "X My Heart" - 6
12. FYR Macedonia - Eye Que - "Lost And Found" - 5.5
13. Ireland - Ryan O'Shaughnessy - "Together" - 5
14. Switzerland - Zibbz - "Stones" - 5
15. Lithuania - Ieva Zasimauskaitė - "When We're Old" - 5
16. Belarus - Alekseev - "Forever" - 4.5
17. Albania - Eugent Bushpepa - "Mall" - 4.5
18. Croatia - Franka - "Crazy" - 4
19. Iceland - Ari Ólafsson - "Our Choice" - 2

Semi 2 (by chances of qualification)
1. Sweden - Benjamin Ingrosso - "Dance You Off" - 10
2. Ukraine - Melovin - "Under the Ladder" - 9.5
3. Norway - Alexander Rybak - "That's How You Write A Song" - 9
4. Denmark - Rasmussen - "Higher Ground" - 9
5. The Netherlands - Waylon - "Outlaw In 'Em" - 9
6. Australia - Jessica Mauboy - "We Got Love" - 8
7. Poland - Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - "Light Me Up"
8. Russia - Julia Samoylova - "I Won't Break" - 8
9. Moldova - DoReDos - "My Lucky Day" - 7.5
10. Hungary - AWS - "Viszlát nyár" - 7
11. Romania - The Humans - "Goodbye" - 6
12. Latvia - Laura Rizzotto - "Funny Girl" - 5.5
13. Montenegro - Vanja Radovanović - "Inje" - 5
14. Slovenia - Lea Sirk - "Hvala, ne!" - 5
15. Malta - Christabelle - "Taboo" - 5
16. Georgia - Iriao - "For You" - 5
17. Serbia - Sanja Ilić & Balkanika - "Nova Deca" - 5
18. San Marino - Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening - "Who We Are" - 1

Overall ranking so far (by personal score - ties broken by preference)
1. Israel - Netta - "Toy" - 9.5
2. Estonia - Elina Nechayeva - "La Forza" - 9
3. FYR Macedonia - Eye Que - "Lost And Found" - 9
4. Greece - Yianna Terzi - "Oneiro Mou" - 9
5. Belgium - SENNEK - "A Matter of Time" - 9
6. Denmark - Rasmussen - "Higher Ground" - 8.5
7. Austria - Cesár Sampson - "Nobody but You" - 8.5
8. Cyprus - Eleni Foureira - "Fuego" - 8.5
9. Slovenia - Lea Sirk - "Hvala, ne!" - 8.5
10. Ukraine - Melovin - "Under the Ladder" - 8.5
11. Bulgaria - EQUINOX - "Bones" - 8
12. Croatia - Franka - "Crazy" - 8
13. Serbia - Sanja Ilić & Balkanika - "Nova Deca" - 8
14. Moldova - DoReDos - "My Lucky Day" - 8
15. Australia - Jessica Mauboy - "We Got Love" - 7.5
16. Azerbaijan - Aisel - "X My Heart" - 7.5
17. Switzerland - Zibbz - "Stones" - 7.5
18. Finland - Saara Aalto - "Monsters" - 7.5
19. Armenia - Sevak Khanagyan - "Qami" - 7.5
20. Russia - Julia Samoylova - "I Won't Break" - 7.5
21. Georgia - Iriao - "For You" - 7.5
22. Hungary - AWS - "Viszlát nyár" - 7.5
23. Albania - Eugent Bushpepa - "Mall" - 7.5
24. Latvia - Laura Rizzotto - "Funny Girl" - 7
25. Czech Republic - Mikolas Josef - "Lie To Me" - 7
26. Sweden - Benjamin Ingrosso - "Dance You Off" - 7
27. Malta - Christabelle - "Taboo" - 7
28. Lithuania - Ieva Zasimauskaitė - "When We're Old" - 6
29. Poland - Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - "Light Me Up" - 6
30. The Netherlands - Waylon - "Outlaw In 'Em" - 6
31. Belarus - Alekseev - "Forever" - 6
32. Montenegro - Vanja Radovanović - "Inje" - 5.5
33. San Marino - Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening - "Who We Are" - 5
34. Ireland - Ryan O'Shaughnessy - "Together" - 5
35. Romania - The Humans - "Goodbye" - 4
36. Norway - Alexander Rybak - "That's How You Write A Song" - 3
37. Iceland - Ari Ólafsson - "Our Choice" - 3

Next week, I'll be reviewing the automatic qualifiers before I give my predictions. In the meantime, revisit the other review posts:



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