#i would have been happy with Israel winning rather than Sweden | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

unibrowzz · 4 years ago

Text

Mod (finally) reviews all 67 winners of the Eurovision Song Contest Part IV: The 1980s

Ah yes, the 80s. One of my favourite decades for music overall, and one of the only decades in Eurovision where I wouldn’t immediately jump at the chance to change most of the songs that won, the other decade being the 2000s.

But at least with the 80s there was more quality songs per year, whereas the 2000s was mostly drivel.

I also count the 80s as being somewhat of a turning point in the contest’s history, and by that I mean it always seemed to me like it was the decade where the UK really began to stop caring. Most people know the song that won in 1985, but nobody knows what won in 1986. Everyone knows Johnny Logan won twice, but couldn’t name his second song. Everyone knows Celine Dion competed, but can’t remember if she won or what she sang.

That and countries also started experimenting with more modern sounds and outfits towards the end. The early 80s is just an extension of the 70s I swear.

But that’s enough of all that, how do I find the winning songs?

1980- What’s Another Year?

Country: Ireland

Artist: Johnny Logan

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the song that makes every 50something woman in the UK and Ireland all doey-eyed and rosy cheeked as they remember back to when they were a teenager watching this on TV and drooling at the lovely looking sad Irishman singing his sorrows into the microphone. Or that’s my experience with this song anyway. Another experience is that most vintage fans I know tend to dislike this song on the grounds of it beating out [insert song here] Everyone has their favourite from 1980 since it was honestly a pretty strong year, but even though this song isn’t my first place for that year I can still clearly see why it won. See, 1980 had a lot of pop songs, so a slow, sad song like this one was bound to stand out, whether it was popular or not. Luckily for this one, it turned out to be a popular choice. Other songs wouldn’t be so lucky… Back on track though. Like I said, this is a very sad and melancholy song with sad and melancholy lyrics, which not only made it stand out in its year, but also made it stand out amongst other Eurovision songs of its time. It’s strange to think, but at this point in the contest’s history there hadn’t been a winner with lyrics so solemn and personal. See, in modern Eurovision, every other song is the artist baring their soul about their horrible ex-boyfriend, or their depression, or past abuse, or whatever, so knowing there was a period where songs like that were so rare is just… surreal to me.

Is this my personal winner for this year? This or Greece tbh, I don’t mind this one

If no, what is? Greece- Anna Vissi- “Autostop”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 23rd

1981: Making Your Mind Up

Country: United Kingdom

Artist: Bucks Fizz

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the UK winner that nobody really likes, but the BBC still forces at us anyway because they’re proud they came up with a gimmick that everybody remembers. Or maybe it’s not that well remembered, but nobody would know that because we’re reminded of it every year. This song is… alright. Just alright. The first listen of this one is always the best, because after a while it just gets kind of annoying. The singing ESPECIALLY starts to grate you for a while. Even in the studio version the two girls sound unbearably shrill and whiny, and I’m not sure if that’s their fault or the songwriter’s (since if I remember correctly only one of them was a professional singer). I’m seriously convinced there’s no way for a female vocalist to pull this off without sounding terrible. Again, this one’s perfectly fine and serviceable, but that doesn’t mask the fact it’s still the worst UK winner and the worst winner of the 1980s too.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Portugal- Carlos Paião- “Playback”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 58th

1982: Ein Bißchen Frieden

Country: West Germany

Artist: Nicole

Language: German (Translation: “A little peace”)

Thoughts: This song gives me a really warm, nostalgic feeling, and I don’t know why. I mean, I know this one did well internationally, so it’s possible I just heard it as a kid, but given how I grew up in the early 2000s, “Eurovision is a shitty freak show full of weirdos from the USSR who gang up on the UK and don't vote for us on purpose” era Britain, that’s highly unlikely. Anyways, this is such a warm, fuzzy kind of song. It has a lovely… round-the-campfire, singalong kind of vibe, like this is meant to be sung by a load of long haired hippies with flowers in their hair and CND symbols drawn on their cheeks. And it’s… … Also kind of bland. If you’ve been reading my personal winners so far, you’ll have noticed I definitely have a soft spot for old German entries, so it’s a shame I find the one song they actually won with to be so… generic. It’s like they got tired of being unique so decided to send the same saccharine fluff everyone else was sending, and guess what, it paid off majorly, because this song was a huge hit at the time. Something about that kind of bothers me, like, out of all the entries they sent, it’s the one that’s the most “Eurovision-y” that ended up winning. And there’s something depressing in that.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? United Kingdom- Bardo- “One Step Further”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 50th

1983: Si la vie est Cadeau

Country: Luxembourg

Artist: Corinne Hermés

Language: French (Translation: “If life were a gift”)

Thoughts: You want a tip on how to stand out amongst Eurovision fans? Say you like this song. Probably won’t make you very popular, but you’ll stand out at least. I will confess, I, too, was part of the hate-wagon for this song. Like most fans I knew, I’d complain about how boring and uninteresting it was and how it, ahem, “robbed” so many other entries, and how basic it was, et cetera, et cetera. But… honestly? It’s not even that bad. Sure I had other favourites from 1983 (the ones I could stand watching anyway, the host that year was so unimaginably terrible I gave up watching halfway through. I DARE you to watch the whole thing without wanting to neck yourself), but this song gets way more hate than it deserves. I honestly don’t think this song is half as bad as I made it out to be myself, or as bad as the fandom makes it out to be. It’s got a decent melody, some solid vocals, some appealingly 80s instrumental, like there’s a lot I like here. …Until you read the lyrics and realise they’re almost as half-assed and lazy as All Kinds of Everything’s, but I digress. Did I prefer other songs from that year? Of course. Am I going to complain about this one winning? Nah. It’s alright.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Sweden- Carola Häggkvist- “Främling”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 41st

1984- Diggiloo, Diggiley

Country: Sweden

Artist: Herreys

Language: Swedish

Thoughts: Whenever I was a younger fan I used to describe this song as being drunk-dad-at-a-wedding-music performed by three sentient Ken dolls, and I still stand by that statement. And I don’t really know how else to describe this one. It certainly has its charm, and it’s still a likeable song, but it also feels very… vapid. Like if this song were a person, they’d be a bit of a bimbo. And I mean, the song’s about how the singer’s oh-so-happy and prancing down the street in his brand new shoes, so that’s probably a fair description. Part of me wonders if that’s down to old Eurovision songs being vapid in general or if it’s down to the schlager genre itself requiring songs to be kinda neutered and happy-go-lucky, but even though I do like this song, it does come off as being a bit bland. A bit by-the-numbers and playing-it-safe. And I don’t mind songs like that, but I’d rather they didn’t win, y��know?

Is this my personal winner for this year? Not really

If no, what is? Italy- Alice & Franco- “Il Treni di Tozeur”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 15th

1985- La det Swinge

Country: Norway

Artist: Bobbysocks

Language: Norwegian

Thoughts: Ah yes, the song which finally hauled Norway into first place after years of being a regular last-placer. Maybe the UK should take some notes instead of blaming Brexit. Or Russia. Or Iraq. Or anything other than their own apathy, for that matter. But this is about La det Swinge and not the UK, so what are my thoughts on it? Well it’s… It’s the kind of song I imagine my mom and aunt would sing at a wedding if they ever attended one. It’s a very fun song, a little cheesy, sure, but it’s hard to not like a song that’s this upbeat and cheery. And yeah I know it’s because it’s schlager and that’s generally a really cheerful genre by default, I touched on that in the review above,

Is this my personal winner for this year? This or Israel

If no, what is? Israel- Yizhar Cohen- “Olé Olé”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 14th

1986- J’aime la Vie

Country: Belgium

Artist: Sandra Kim

Language: French

Thoughts: This song is an enigma because I’m an absolute slut for 80s pop, yet, for some reason, I find this song painfully average and uninteresting. Now, I’ll get it off my chest and say that 1986 was also a painfully average and uninteresting year, and most of the time I just felt myself remembering the singer more than the song, and even then I struggle to remember what some of the acts even were. It was just such a boring blur of a year I’m surprised the juries even managed to stay awake to pick a winner. And I GUESS you could argue that this song is so upbeat and peppy that it woke them up, but that doesn’t excuse how bloody generic it is. Like, this is the most generic 80s song you can imagine, and not in a good way. It feels more like stock music than an actual publicly released pop song. Had it not won, I doubt it would’ve stood out to me at all; it would’ve just faded into the background with all the other muted, 80s-coloured mush from this year. Basically, there’s a reason the singer’s age is the only thing noteworthy about this song.

Is this my personal winner for this year? Not really

If no, what is? Luxembourg- Sherisse Laurence- “L’amour de ma vie”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 49th

1987- Hold me Now

Country: Ireland

Artist: Johnny Logan

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the superior Johnny Logan winner. And I’m not sure why everyone forgets this one because Mother of Mercy this song is in another league entirely compared to the other schlock Ireland’s won with. Like this is their best winner, no competition. One of their best songs overall as well. One of the best entries from the 80s, one of the best winners of the 80s, one of the best winners… Yeah, I really like this song. I’ll admit to sleeping on this one for too long myself, always dismissing it as some boring Irish ballad to go with all the other boring Irish ballads they somehow managed to win with (we’ll get to that later), and always agreeing with people who said XYZ country (always Yugolslavia) should have won instead. Basically I learnt the hard way to never judge a song on its country and genre. But one day I found myself in the midst of a revisiting trip, going back to winners I didn't pay much attention to, just to see if there was anything I’d missed the first time round. And something about the lyrics in this song resonated with me a lot more than I thought they would. In a strange way, it made me feel older; like I’d grown up and was able to relate to the words in a song and appreciate it more than I could when I was younger. The line “what do you say when words are not enough?” especially hits harder than it should; as someone with autism I tend to find showing emotions difficult, even in virtual conversation where I’m not using my voice or face, because… Well, what do you say when your words aren’t enough?

Is this my personal winner for this year? Yes

If no, what is? N/A

Personal ranking (out of 67): 2nd

1988- Ne Partez pas Sans Moi

Country: Switzerland

Artist: Céline Dion

Language: French

Thoughts: Telling people Céline Dion won this thing is a new favourite hobby of mine, just to see the confused reaction. And that’s the most interesting thing about this song because it’s… fine, I guess? It’s a perfectly serviceable 80s power ballad, but there’s no bells and whistles to make me sit up and declare it any better than just “okay”. It’s basically the ballad equivalent of J’aime la Vie from 1986, in that it’s extremely 80s and also in French, but there’s nothing to make it that memorable aside from the singer herself. And even then this isn’t the song that made her famous anyway. Even her singing doesn't make this one stand out, partially because the song doesn't do anything special with it, and partially because she just blends in with all the other good singers of this era. And that’s kinda sad to think about.

Is this my personal winner for this year? Hmmm....

If no, what is? Greece- Afroditi Frida- “Clown”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 22nd

1989- Rock Me

Country: Yugoslavia

Artist: Riva

Language: Croatian

Thoughts: So this is another song it really took me a while to get into (there’s lots of those, trust me) and one that was very briefly in my top three overall favourites. It’s slid down a few slots since then, though I would still say it’s… Somewhere in the top 15. I don’t really have a lot to say about this one, if I’m honest. It’s just a good, fun, solid song which stood out in a very dull and ballad-saturated year, nothing more, nothing less. The lyrics are nice too, being about a bored musician who learns to love music again by teaching himself how to play pop songs to entertain his friends. That’s a unique subject and I can imagine it resonating with a lot of people who’ve fallen out with a hobby they used to love because they took it too seriously (providing they either speak Croatian or have looked up the lyrics, of course). I mean, it resonates with me at least. All in all, I just like this song for its message more than anything else.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Portugal- Da Vinci- “Conquistador”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 9th

#Eurovision #mod's winner reviews #posting now because the tag will be CHAOS come 7 lmao #esc winners

7 notes · View notes

xhxhxhx · 6 years ago

Text

baconmancr reblogged your post: Why the focus on Vietnam?

South Korea was a military dictatorship until the 80′s. Japan is still only one step removed from a single party state, with the LDP only spending 4 years out of power since 1955. Are these really the best examples of what american intervention can do?

American intervention is an unusually broad and unhelpful term here. America “intervened” everywhere.

If you are so inclined, you might take your preferred European social democracy, liberated and pacified by American soldiers, shielded from Soviet occupation by American arms, remade by American aid, made rich by the American world order, and credit them to its interventions.

These Europeans became happy American clients. Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands were all NATO members, received Marshall Plan aid, and aligned with America. It was a good arrangement for the Europeans. They did not want the Soviets to occupy them as the Germans had.

If you are less generous, then Germany, defeated, occupied, and remade by America might be the better example. It is not a perfect example. Germany had rather too many ordinary people who had the unusual misfortune of being terribly guilty of some terrible crimes, and America gave them the permission to forget.

But Germany had been an angry little country since Napoleon kicked the Austrian Francis off his German throne, and had spent the entire time since alternately seething and making trouble. After World War II, there was a serious risk that American withdrawal would let Germany do what it had done the last time it made its attempt at European domination.

Germany was already a self-pitying nation with a selective memory -- more Dresden than Belsen -- so what would have happened if they had come into possession of a sovereign, independent, and powerful state, without American ties or European encumbrances?

Russia deserves most of the credit for knocking Germany off its final attempt at European domination, but America deserves the credit for drawing Germany into a European alliance where Germans would not call the shots. America saved Europe from Germany twice over: first by helping take them down, then by making sure they stayed down.

The division of Germany is one of the greatest credits to American intervention. Germany was restored, restored to those happy days before Bismarck, when Germany was the soft center of Europe, divided and at peace.

But! Let me get to your points.

I pointed to Japan and Korea because the United States fought sustained military campaigns there, much as it did in Vietnam. The relative success of American campaigns in Japan and Korea, and the enduring success of Japanese and Korean societies after the American wars, were why I chose to contrast them with Vietnam.

And South Korea’s credit comes not from its democratization, which did come late, but from its peace and prosperity. Today, South Korea is a First World country. After World War II, Korea was as poor as Africa or India. (And although South Korea was a dictatorship, there is substantial moral space between these non-communist authoritarians and the communist states they opposed. Park Chung-Hee’s Korea was better than Kim Il-Sung’s Korea.)

Dominant party democracies are still democracies. Dominant parties are like monopolists who dominate because everyone else is just worse. They’re the Microsofts, Googles, and Amazons of party politics. The threat of competition keeps them on their game, but no one else is as good.

Now, those dominant party democracies include not only Japan, but also “Sweden, Italy, Israel, [and] West Germany[.]” Were Sweden and West Germany one step away from being single party states? Were the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats the functional equivalents of the National Socialists? They were not!

The Apples and Bings of the dominant-party world were awful. Italy’s opposition was the largest communist party in Western Europe. West Germany’s opposition was defeatist. (When the opposition came to power with Willy Brandt, the Chancellor’s personal assistant turned out to be an East German spy.) And Israel’s opposition was led by right-wing terrorists. Can you imagine?

And!

American military intervention is not magical democratizing fairy dust. It is a tool with a limited purpose. It can destroy its enemies. It can take, clear and hold territory. And sometimes it can help its allies help themselves. The American military can protect democracies. It cannot make them.

Sometimes the resources to make democracies work are there. They were there in Germany and Japan, which had been limited democracies within living memory. They were not there in South Korea or South Vietnam. It is possible to be surprised. Iraq is now a limited democracy.

Perhaps it would have been admirable if the United States had contrived to create a political party that would lose to face off with the political party that could win, but it would not have been worth it. Americans have endless disappointment with anything they have made that is less than perfect but an endless patience for anything they can safely ignore.

South Korea’s military dictatorship was something they could safely ignore.

#baconmancr

90 notes · View notes

eurosong · 5 years ago

Text

ESC 2019 grand final ranking

Afternoon, folks! I have many finals day traditions, and another of them is to share my ranking of the 26 Eurovision songs that made it into the grand final on Saturday. Was a hard one to do given that a huge bulk of my favourites got knocked out in the semis, but as usual I will try to give a positive as well as a negative for each song nonetheless. The songs are presented in their running order, with their rank out of the 26 finalists for me in brackets thereäfter.

Malta (4) + Full of energy, a very non-linear song that contains many musical surprises. Lyrically, it’s one of the most clever and playful of the year. I love the colourful metaphors playing on the concept of chameleon, and the “GIVE ME X I’M A Y” is the lyrical meme of the year. - The chorus is divisive and I can understand why, as it’s rather repetitive. Albania (2) + How could they put this queen on in the death slot? One of the most moving songs of the night, performed with style, power and grace. Sparsely poetic lyrics about something deeply meaningful. No need for theatrics - the song speaks for itself. - Though I find it a positive, maybe it does need a bit more staging though to carry across the message of the song more clearly.

Czechia (9) + Earwormy, upbeat song with retro flourishes. Would have made a great show starter. - Once again, problematic lyrics from Czechia. A song about listening into other folk having sex, wtf m8?

Germany (15) + The song has a really nice build - the verse and bridge are powerful, have good lyrics and make me expect a lot. - The chorus is a cliché let down. The girls are still two soloists as opposed to a group and often are rather screechy.

Russia (20) + I like that Sergej went in a rather different direction musically, with something more orchestral and qualitative musically. Coming back with another “b*p” would have been a much lazier move. - All rather melodramatic. Songs like these should move folk but I feel completely impassive. The clunky lyrics don’t help.

Denmark (14) + It’s nice to hear Danish again after two decades of the Danes dodging their national language for so long. - The sweetness becomes overbearing tweeness over time. I’m a little sad this got in over more substantive songs in its semi. Nordic bloc vote is strong. San Marino (25) + Serhat is a nice guy and the song has a nice message. - The fact this bizarre throwback, performed atonally, got in over Portugal and Hungary will haunt me to the end of days. Macedonia (18) + It’s nice to have Macedonia in the final again - they’d been done wrong for so long. It’s a classy composition. - It’s also rather dated and the lyrics come across as some Hallmark card factory produced lines.

Sweden (13) + It’s a catchy song. The Mamas supply the charisma where JH lacks. - Very repetitive song. Not very soulful, strange for a gospel-influenced song. Slovenia (6) + Musically, one of the more interesting songs of the year. Minimalist, intimate, some very nice turns of phrase in the lyrics. - Their attitude towards the press and fans as a cumbersome extra getting in the way of promoting their song leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. After they insulted the journalist, I regretted giving them votes.

Cyprus (21) + I like what I’ve seen of Tamta over the past few weeks. She cares about the fans, other artists (getting mad at Conan’s elimination) and has a lot of character. - The song is a pretty lame attempt to ride Fuego’s wave, even if I can tolerate it more than I did 2018′s song.

Netherlands (10) + The circularity of Eurovision. After folk predicted this year would definitely be won by a banger, it’s not bad at all to see a downbeat song as the most fancied to win, especially one written by the performer. - Doesn’t move me at all, and I am moved by several other songs in this year’s 41. Repetitive structure and overuse of a head voice that for me is not very good. The song will forever be associated in my mind with being made to feel like a complete idiot by a number of people for not finding it magnificent.

Greece (5) + Catchy, anthemic and I love the strange timbre of her voice. - The lyrics are non sequitur clichés and the staging is all a little odd. Israel (24) + This song choice will protect Ireland’s record of number of wins on home soil. - His syrupy yet maudlin voice matched with the bizarre, overwrought lyrics make the world lose all its colours for 3 minutes for me.

Norway (19) + It’s a happy, super-catchy tune and nice to see Sami representation - It’s a bizarre pot pourri that feels messy. The type of bizarre song that holds advances in ESC’s reputation back.

UK (16) + Michael Rice is an unbelievably nice guy with a good voice and I could not begrudge his success. The first thirty seconds are really effective. - Then it gets reallly repetitive and very X factor winners’ single.

Iceland (11) + I like the retro techno musical æsthetic. I also like the amount of effort they’re putting into side projects like “Iceland Music News” to build their mythos. It’s good to have representation of other styles in the final. - They were extremely aloof to their fans in Madrid. I know it’s part of the act, but it still comes across as dickish. The staging is very ott.

Estonia (12) + Victor is such a nice guy and he was one of the most reflective people after the semi final, vowing to step it up. The song has grown on me a bit. - It’s still Poundland Avicii with some very dodgy, not so high “high” notes.

Belarus (7) + Yes, in the end I’m gunna like it. Zena showed a charisma and professionalism beyond her years and brought the track alive. - It’s still way too repetitive, and the staging is the most bizarre string of non-sequiturs.

Azerbaijan (8) + Azerbaijan’s second best track after Skeletons for me. I love the ethnic elements and the atypical lyrical subject. Çingiz’ voice is also low key impressive. - That staging tho. How were people in the press room so impressed? So cheesy and chintzy.

France (26) + It’s sounding a bit more interesting than at Destination Eurovision, with a tiny bit of drama added with that stronger instrumentation. - It’s a masturbatory ode to self, and bringing in people to act like human props to make it look like a song of empowering people when for me it’s just a song about me me me doesn’t cut the cheddar.

Italy (1) + I love everything about this song with all my heart and soul. Please god let it be a surprise winner. In what bleak universe do we live in, where this winning would be a surprise?! Unforgettable music and an emotive punch to the heart in both the sublime lyrics and the clever orchestration. - I can’t say anything against it. I tried, believe me.

Serbia (3) + Bringing Serbia back to doing what they do best. Such a classy, emotive ballad performed by one of THE voices of the evening. - They could have done with making it a little

Switzerland (23) + Luca’s got a catchy song and the staging is very slick. - He radiates a smug energy for me whilst singing this. These Fuego-inspired tracks are not my cup of tea.

Australia (22) + Inspired by important personal experiences, its lyrics are sincere and the zeééééèèèero is an earworm - shame it’s not sung as much in the live version. - Led to believe they’d go with a classier staging, instead it’s even more extra and kitsch than in Australia. This slid down my ranking a lot, as I liked the song more in the studio version and the way folk have exploded in favour of it just because of this staging makes me like it a lot less.

Spain (17) + Cheerful, infectious, party stuff. - In the end, it leaves you with the hangover from such a party with its vacuousness.

#eurovision #esc 2019 #eurovision song contest #eurovision 2019 #opinions

23 notes · View notes

singtheskyandfightlikehell · 6 years ago

Text

Eurovision 2019 Opinions

Well, the 26 countries that will be participating in the final are official now, so here’s my in depth thoughts about each entry, ranked from least favorite to favorite along with explanations and a 10 pt rating system. honestly i thought this year was solidly mediocre. a few i really like, about 3 i can’t stand, and the rest are all smack dab in the middle of “decent”. of course, these are just my opinions and I totally get that people will disagree with them. i don’t really care. yeah there’s a few i’ll judge you for, but frankly my opinion shouldn’t matter to you. i’m just posting it for my own record and for anyone who might be curious

26. Slovenia (0/10) I know a lot of people like this entry, but frankly, I cannot stand it. It’s boring. It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable. If I wanted to watch an m/f couple - or, you know what, any couple - stand really close to each other and mumble for three minutes, I - I don’t actually know where I’d go, because I can’t conceptualize myself ever wanting to see that.

25. Denmark (0/10) Again, why? This entry annoys me a lot, and the only reason I didn’t put it last was because I appreciate the use of more than one language. It’s my least favorite parts of all kids shows combined coupled with a message that honestly I disagree with. It feels a bit like she’s judging me for being upset at injustice in the world when I should just shut up and be happy about what I have. I’m sorry, but I don’t believe it’s acceptable to ignore atrocities just because my life is filled with good things. I could imagine this song being the welcoming number in a musical staged in one of those “everything is perfect on the outside but inside it’s the creepiest shit you’ve ever seen” towns that’s used to hypnotize the protagonist into not noticing the creepy shit

24. Estonia (1/10) I don’t honestly dislike this song, but it does bore me. He’s a mediocre singer with a mediocre song. Also I can’t get past the fact that he rhymes “this” with “this”. It distracts me and ruins the whole thing.

23. Czech Republic (2/10) I really didn’t like this one at first. It was irritating and the lyrics were weird. However, I surprisingly enjoyed the live performance. The lead singer has some charisma on stage. Good for him.

22. San Marino (3/10) No idea how he got to the final (I know it’s bc he’s a meme, but still), but I don’t hate the song. I don’t think it should win, but honestly, I think it’s fun. His voice is ridiculous, but I can stand it for three minutes.

21. UK (4/10) I definitely feel like this is the kind of generic song I’ve heard many times before, but he does a good job with it, and ultimately it’s alright. His hair makes me think of Finn Shelby from Peaky Blinders, but that’s neither here nor there.

20. North Macedonia (4/10) Honestly, I feel like I should like this song more than I do. She has a good voice, and the song has a good message. Unfortunately, it’s just never clicked with me, and I often find myself tuning out while listening to it.

19. Israel (5/10) I like his voice. He sells the emotion. Not a gripping song, by any means, but not bad. Some of the rhymes feel a little forced, like the lyrics were written specifically so that they would rhyme, rather than because they have meaning.

18. Germany (5/10) This one gets stuck in my head sometimes, but I’m okay with that. Tbh, I quite like it. Plus, the whole “sisters (but I’d say girls in general) are taught to tear each other down but need to build each other up instead” theme is one I wholeheartedly support. I spent too many years hating everything associated with girls because society told me to.

17. Malta (5/10) I go back and forth on this one a lot. Parts of it I like, parts of it I don’t. It feels a bit different to me, but not like, in a revolutionary way. The singer is strong, and it definitely gets the award for most colorful performance, literally!

16. Serbia (5/10) I feel like I’ve heard this entry before, too, but specifically at Eurovision. Still, she does a good job with it, and I like her armor-inspired jewelry. Plus, it’s not in English!

15. Belarus (5/10) Another one I go back and forth on. I find this is very good study music - energetic and repetitive enough not to be distracting. I don’t love it (I’m even hesitant to say I like it lmao), but people really ought to stop hating on her so much. She’s sixteen. Let her have her fun.

14. Albania (6/10) I really liked Albania’s entry this year tbh. I didn’t feel she sang as strong in the semi-final as she did in the music video, but otherwise I thought it was a very powerful song. The staging was pretty cool, too!

13. Azerbaijan (6/10) I loved everything about this except the refrain. The “shut up about it” bit starts to get on my nerves by about the second refrain. But the verses sounded cool and the staging was awesome!

12. Sweden (6/10) Not the most exciting song in the world, but he sounds good, the ladies sound great, and there’s nothing I dislike about the song or staging.

11. Cyprus (6/10) Not as good as the music video, sadly, but still catchy and fun. I didn’t really like it the first time I heard it, but it’s grown on me since. I felt bad for her being put on the spot with that one “are you mad about Cyprus losing last year” question.

10. Greece (6/10) Definitely grew on me. I tuned out of it the first time I heard it. Prior to the semi finals I thought it was alright. But she really gave us the lesbian dream, huh? Ladies with neat clothes and swords, plus a garden? What more can you ask for lmao

9. France (7/10) Feels kinda standard to me, but not in the worst way possible. Sometimes I get really into it, other times it’s just a nice song. I’ve been liking it a little bit more each time I hear it, though.

8. Netherlands (7/10) The favorite to win, and I’d be okay if it did. Not my favorite this year, but a solidly good song. I have to be in the right mood to want to listen to it, but when I am? Fucking amazing. Also, considering he never left the piano (and didn’t light it on fire), he gave a pretty good performance.

7. Spain (8/10) This song is so much fun, and it’s definitely going to end the competition on a high note. I’m also really curious to see the full version to know more about the life-size dollhouse and animatronic thing they’ve got going

6. Switzerland (8/10) I loved the music video more than the live performance, but regardless I thought this song was also really fun and, idk, snazzy? Love dancing to it while I fold laundry.

5. Australia (9/10) Australia’s staging was everything! I had them in the upper middle rankings until the semi-final, but honestly that looked cool as all fuck!! Her song is weird, but in a way that I can dig. Plus seeing her soar around like Glinda in space with two fellow witches is one of the highlights of Eurovision this year

4. Russia (10/10) Sergey is back and just like in 2016, I absolutely love him and his performance. I’ll admit, the shower thing was a bit weird, but the song sounded great live! Plus, he had a leg-up for me by going with fairy tale imagery in the music video.

3. Norway (10/10) Initially, I only liked the joiking. The other two singers have grown on me, though. This song is fun, the staging is cool, the singers are great, and then it gets quiet and the joik part comes in, and it’s so fucking cool!! Love it, love it, love it!

2. Italy (10/10) My favorite for a long time, only bumped out because I made the fortuitous mistake of watching Iceland’s interviews. I love the song. I love the message. The thing that impressed me most, though, was that this song is about something that isn’t even remotely close to anything that’s happened in my life. I do not relate to it at all. But despite having no personal connection to the topic, I could feel the emotion in it. For a brief three minutes, I could feel something that isn’t my reality but is the reality of many other people. And an artist who can do that is powerful indeed.

1. Iceland (10/10) If you couldn’t tell from the everything about my blog, I have firmly joined the camp of Hatari stans. It may surprise you, but I didn’t really like this song the first time I heard it. Then, I found out the meaning behind it and gave it another chance. Lo and behold, I liked it! It rose in my rankings from lower-middle to the number one spot between listening to it multiple times and watching all the Hatari content I could get my hands on. I totally understand the music being too far for some people, but as a metalhead during the not-Eurovision parts of the year, Hatari isn’t too far of a leap for me. I love the song. I love the staging. I love the costumes. I love the message. I love the band. I love how they interact with each other and everyone else. I love the bits on Iceland Music News. I love their trolling and sarcasm in the interviews. I love the anti-capitalism. I love their websites (seriously, check them out. they put a lot of effort into them). I love the way they approach issues that are important to them. I love the fact that they aren’t afraid of the tough subjects. I especially love that they aren’t trying to walk the popularity line (you see it all the time - for example, queerbaiting, where a tv show wants to appeal to all sides of an issue, so they make characters nearly lgbtqia+ but then throw in enough straightness to please conservatives). Hatari picks their side in each issue instead of trying to cater to everyone, and I respect that a lot. My reactions and emotions aren’t usually prominent or even necessarily visible, but there’s a chance I might actually cheer if they win.

Finally, the honorable mentions, aka countries that didn’t make it to the final but that I would’ve loved to see:

Hungary (in my original top 10) - loved him last time, loved him this time. Beautiful song, beautiful voice, beautiful staging

Georgia - my hopes weren’t high but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love it. There’s nothing quite like a good dramatic song, and this was as dramatic as they come

Portugal/Poland - the two most people were really miffed about in the first semi-final; I think they’d’ve been alright in the semi-final, but both depend entirely on my mood. sometimes I love, sometimes I hate

Croatia - the song was ‘meh’, the singer was fantastic, and the staging was Eurovision in all the right ways

Armenia - one of my early favorites. could’ve used some other people on stage, but otherwise I thought she did wonderfully

Romania - what can I say that hasn’t been said already? she brought everything! that was an experience and an amazing one at that. so disappointed she didn’t make it

and of course,

Ukraine - catchy, badass, wacky, and wlw? sign me the fuck up. So sad to hear what happened to her. I know people are saying this is why politics should be kept out of music, but that’s ridiculous. The real issue is when the issue/message isn’t coming from the artist. It should always be up to the artist’s discretion what they do or do not promote. Propaganda and censorship go hand in hand, which is why I am so bothered by the blanket statements I hear thrown around about Ukraine’s fiasco this year

And that’s all! I think I’ll be happy with anyone scoring a 7 or higher for me winning on Saturday. I wouldn’t be upset about a 6 winning either, I suppose.

Anyways, off to bed so I can make my snacks tomorrow lmao!

1 note · View note

the-burning-tiger · 7 years ago

Text

In honour of Eurovision tonight Im bringing this back ‘cos we all know if Magnus Bane threw a Eurovision party t would be the best party ever...

Read it on A03 or below the cut

It had all started so innocently. They had been lying on the sofa in the loft just watching some nonsense tv show when Magnus had suggested it. How about a little soirée ? His exact words. That probably should have been a hint. You know to celebrate you moving in…just a few close friends. It had sounded fine and as he knew his boyfriend loved to throw parties it seemed mean to say no, not that he was any good at refusing anything to his wonderful warlock.

Alec remembered the look of absolute joy on the warlock's face as he grabbed for his phone to check dates. The mischievous glint in Magnus’ eye when he selected the date may also have been a clue that a quiet night wasn't really on the cards.

Magnus had suggested a themed evening, excited that in little over a month there was a annual singing contest in Europe that would be perfect for a get together. Apparently it was called the Eurovision Song Contest and was incredibly popular with loads of countries in Europe and even some not (Australia and Israel had been invited) all getting involved, and Magnus had pointed out as Idris was technically in Europe it was high time the Shadowhunters got involved.

How bad could it be? I mean some nice music in the background and Magnus had sworn he'd just invite a few people. He had finally settled on a very select group. First of all Izzy, Clary, Jace and Lydia were obviously on the list and if they were coming then Simon had to come and with him Raphael and Lily. Magnus had insisted that seeing as there were vampires coming for courtesy’s sake he had to have a couple of werewolves so Maia and Bat were invited as well. Then Magnus old friends Catarina and Tessa completed the group. Hardly anyone. It would be fine.

Except, as often happened the list kept getting longer, first it was some seelies (after all it would be rude not too) then a few more of the vampire clan and some more of Luke's pack. It was soon apparent that this was going to be less of a soirée and more of an out and out party.

Still Alec didn't worry too much.

Alec had started to feel a little trepidation when he had seen the invites which were unsurprisingly very glittery..

Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood

Cordially invite you to celebrate

The musical spectacular that is

The Eurovision Song Contest

Fancy dress mandatory Come representing your favourite European country

He had felt then that things were getting somewhat out of control. But seriously how bad could a singing contest be … Right?

The next few weeks had passed in somewhat of a blur although despite the fact that he'd been pretty busy at the institute he couldn't help but notice that Magnus was spending an inordinate amount of time planning the perfect themed nibbles and researching drinks from around the world. It was, to be fair nice to see him so excited. It was, however slightly worrying when the warlock roped in Izzy and Clary to help with the arrangements. It became a regular occurrence to find the pair of them giggling conspiratorially in corners, although they assured Alec that it would be a fabulous evening. Apparently Magnus had shown them clips of previous shows to give them the inspiration, which was odd as every time Alec had asked him the warlock had insisted everything was in hand and not to worry.

A week before the party it seemed that everyone was obsessed with talking about what their costumes would be. Izzy had told Clary and Lydia excitedly that Simon was going to simply die when he saw what she was wearing and Alec had to stop himself from pointing out that as the vampire was already technically already dead it wouldn't be that hard. He still had no clue what he would be wearing, Magnus had assured him he had it all under control and not to worry and he hoped that the warlock had been joking when he'd mentioned lederhosen.

On the morning of the party the loft was a flurry of activity. Magnus was overseeing the instillation of a large amount of ginormous flat screen TVs and a spectacular sound system, whilst Clary and Isabelle were decorating every available inch of the loft with bunting and flags assisted by a very disgruntled looking Jace. Every available surface was filled with exotic delicacies, French snails jostled for position next to Swedish meatballs, German sauerkraut and Swiss fondue and many others that Alec didn't recognise. Magnus had set up an equally impressive bar area with drinks themed by country, Russian vodka, Greek ouzo, Italian grappa and many more. Beside the bar there was a stack of laminated cards, Alec picked one up to examine it more closely. There in bold letters was the title “Eurovision Song Contest Drinking Game Rules” followed by a list of instructions..

Fireworks…drink Wind machine …drink Costume change…drink Key change…drink

The list was apparently endless.

Alec had started to realise far too late that the situation was getting rapidly out of hand and equally that there was no way to back out now.

So that was how Alec Lightwood came to be standing in his new home dressed as a Roman gladiator in the middle of raucous party and much as he hated to admit it enjoying himself immensely. Alec Lightwood. At a party. Having fun. Now who would have thought that was possible a year ago.

Alec leaned back against the bar feeling decidedly tipsy as he sipped on a martini and gazed around the scene before him.

He had started to get the idea that perhaps it was a bit more than a singing contest during the very glittery opening credits but it was only when the contest actually began that it became evident that this was possibly one of the most ridiculously camp things he had ever seen. There had been a plethora of different songs from the actually quite good to the deeply bizarre and within minutes the loft had been filled with people shouting

“Fireworks…drink”

“Costume change .. Drink”

From there things had rapidly degenerated. Apparently now they were well in to the voting and quite frankly Alec didn't have the foggiest idea what was going on or in fact who was winning. Magnus had cranked up the music once the singing was over and medley of classic Eurovision songs was playing.

Alec smiled as he watched his sister dance sinuously around a quite frankly stunned looking Simon. His sister of course was an excellent dancer but her extremely provocative French maid outfit was certainly helping. Even Raphael, dressed in a resplendent matador outfit had almost cracked a smile.

The middle of the loft was filled with people dancing and he caught a glimpse of Clary's red hair flying around as she whirled around hand in hand with Lydia. Lydia's blonde hair was in thick plaits to complement her Swiss maid outfit and she was glowing with happiness. It was more than Alec could have hoped for.

Over in the corner Jace and a young werewolf.. Jordan was it… were first bumping like old friends which was funny considering that not half an hour earlier they were arguing over whether that was actually a key change in the Greek song.

“Sweden 12 points…drink” the shout went up

Closely followed by a very drunk Jace, in full Viking regalia, exclaiming loudly that he was Denmark obviously not Sweden but then drinking anyway.

As the music changed to pump out the pure euro pop strains of Gina G’s Ooh ahh just a little bit Alec noticed that Simon had broken out of his mesmerised state. He was clearly trying to do some very drunken Russian dancing to complement his Cossack outfit but despite having vampire strength was failing miserably and spending an inordinate amount of time landing heavily on his butt. Clary and Lydia had wandered over to watch and were laughing heavily, Clary's Greek laurel wreath headdress slightly wonky.

Alec felt someone lean heavily against his shoulder and looking down saw a slightly wobbly looking Lily looking up at him her smile wide and very fangy.

“Great party Alec..” She was slightly slurry and waving around a rather large glass of Bloody Mary… Emphasis on the bloody.

Despite her slightly inebriated state the vampire as always was immaculately dressed in a baby pink skirt suit.

“Hey Lily, missed the memo about fancy dress…” Alec admonished lightly

“It's vintage Coco Chanel darling..” She pouted back

Seeing Alec raising a questioning eyebrow Lilly was soon shouting across the room…

“Bane….. Bane … I love your boyfriend, I really do, but you simply must teach him something about fashion…..”

Magnus who was dancing with a group of Bavarian barmaid seelies looked across grinning broadly..

“Darling… It's a lost cause..” He shouted back winking at Alec.

Lily sighed dramatically and started to lecture Alec on the importance of Chanel. Alec wasn't really listening, the sight of his boyfriend was, as ever, captivating, the silver glitter in his hair sparkling in the light as he wove around the seelies. He was wearing a silver skin tight sequinned catsuit open to the waist showing off an expanse of polished bronze chest adorned with a wealth of necklaces. It occurred to Alec as Magnus sparkled under the party lights that he looked like a sexy mirror ball closely followed by the realisation that he was probably more drunk than he had realised.

Lily punched him firmly on the arm..

“So you see it's practically French national costume…”

“Huh”

“Oh you're hopeless..” She huffed “Fine… I'm going to rescue Raphael, at least he appreciates good dress sense”

As Lily sashayed off Alec overheard Maia’s friend and fellow werewolf Bat, who had been roped into DJ duty, announcing that the next one was for all you lovers out there in his most cheesy voice.

Magnus was practically flowing through the crowd towards him now, watching him was making Alec breathless. He stepped forward to gather the warlock in his arms as Johnny Logan’s Hold Me Now started to play. Alec ran his hands lightly down the warlock's sides.

“Remind me again which country your supposed to be” he teased gently “Well these sequins are rather like fish scales so.. Let's go with Finland” Magnus smiled mischievously looping his arms round his boyfriends neck.

“Cheater..”

“Always”

Alec pulled the warlock into a soft lingering kiss.

They rested their foreheads together as they swayed to the music together, Magnus’ ridiculously high platform boots making them almost the same height.

“So much for a quiet soirée ..” Alec murmured

“If I'd told you would you have wanted to do this…”

“Hmmm maybe not…”

“Are you having fun though..”

Alec pulled back a little and smiled at his boyfriend.

“Definitely …”

“I don't think you’re the only one” Magnus nodded his head to the right of them where a pinstriped suited Raj was currently entangled with a very handsome seelie knight.

“Raj.. Really…when did that happen…”

“Ah my boyfriend the trendsetter”

Magnus grinned at him wolfishly.

“We should do this more often …”

“Mags…”

The warlock threw his head back and shouted..

“Same time next year everyone?”

A huge cheer erupted .

“See they agree…” He smirked.

“You're impossible…”

Alec leaned in and kissed the warlock lightly.

“I love you Magnus Bane”

“I love you too.”

Magnus leant in to return the kiss, this time with more intent. The music was changing into something more upbeat as the warlock started to writhe against Alec fingers tangling in his hair. Alec broke free and growled softly into his boyfriends ear..

“I swear Magnus if you don't stop moving like that I'll have no choice but to drag you out of here and tear that catsuit off you..”

“Now that sounds like an excellent plan..” Magnus breathed starting to manoeuvre them away from the party “I'm sure everyone's Far too busy to notice.”

The last thing Alec noticed before they bundled into the bedroom was Jace leering suggestively and giving him thumbs up.

As Magnus dragged him in for a hungry kiss Alec reflected that it had been an awesome night and, he thought it was about to get a hell of a lot better.

#malec fic #malec #shadowhunters #my fic #Magnus does eurovision

18 notes · View notes

eurenvision · 7 years ago

Text

Ren “Roasts” Tmblrvision 2017

Of course I have opinions.

I don’t have the time or energy to review each entry, though, so I’ll probably just try to review a selected handful of songs, such as those I televoted for, those I almost televoted for, and the Top Ten.

I gave three televotes to Lithuania. This was my absolute favourite song of the season, and I did spend a night listening to their entire album (and will likely continue to do so, to be honest). I personally thought this was better than last year’s entry, which was an early betting odds favourite, so I was a little surprised to see it perform underwhelmingly here. I felt it was underrated and I’m glad televoting lifted it up to the left side of the table.

I gave one televote to Germany because I’m a ho for Clueso. Loved the song when I first heard it, love the song still now, end of.

I gave one televote to Andorra, and if I wanted to rig the results, I’d probably have given it even more televotes, because IMO it didn’t deserve to place as low as it did. It definitely stood out this season, and out of the “odd ducks” (I’d include Monaco and Lebanon in this category), it was my personal fave, though all three had their charms. (If I’d televoted later, I might have given Lebanon a vote as well, as it grew on me on successive listens.)

I gave one televote to Algeria. It was one of the songs that was stuck in my head, which considering I didn’t understand a single word she was singing was quite a feat. I had considered giving it two televotes instead of one, but that would have meant not giving a televote to another song. In other words, had I been a jury member, this would’ve gotten my 10 points. I’m glad it finished high on the televoting table and landed in the overall Top Ten.

I gave on televote to Bosnia and Herzegovina. There were few purely (almost kitschy) happy songs on this season so this definitely scratched an itch I had. This song never fails to make me smile and bounce so of course it was gonna get a televote.

I gave one televote to Malta. This was the feel-good vote among my televotes, the one that benefitted from me taking away a vote from Algeria. This is, as the kids say, a “bop,” and I can’t help dancing whenever I hear it.

I gave one televote to Poland. This was a song that grew on me as I listened to the playlist repeatedly and has emerged as one of my top personal faves. There’s something soaring and lovely about the song and his vocal.

I gave on televote to Luxembourg. This was one of the first songs submitted and I really enjoyed it, I was so happy to have a nice fun rock song from an unexpected country, and it’s a song I’ll gladly listen to over and over again. It had to get a vote from me. Funny how it ended on the right side of the board on both votes but finished on the left side in the combined result...

There were quite a few songs on my long list, but in the end I’d ditched them for these seven. Some didn’t quite hold up after repeated listens, some just didn’t have a special quality that really pushed me to give them one of my votes. It’s not that they weren’t good; they were just... not great (enough) IMO.

Also, I was listening to the Spotify playlist more as I was on holiday at the time, so entries that weren’t on that playlist were at a disadvantage. Latvia, Macedonia, and Serbia weren’t on that playlist and so I couldn’t remember them at all. Albania had a different version on the playlist from the official entry, so it would’ve been unfair to rate it based on that. I think the biggest casualty was France, a song which I remember loving (I even voted for it in its NF) but because it wasn’t available for me on German Spotify, I couldn’t love it enough to get a televote from me. If I’d had a Top Ten, maybe it would’ve still snuck in.

I kind of knowingly stayed away from returning and established artists, since for me the appeal of these contests is to discover something and someone new. Australia might have been the biggest casualty of the lot, as I love the song but was already familiar with it before the contest, so when it came to cutting a song from my televotes, it was a bit easier to let go. Other songs in this group I enjoyed were Italy, Spain, Belgium, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

And now to review the Top Ten....

10. United Kingdom There were a lot of strong females with strong voices in this edition, and alas, they all kind of cancelled each other out for me. It’s not that they weren’t good; it’s just that in the end, I kind of got sick of that genre and decided not to vote for any of them. (I’d throw Montenegro, Czechia, and Sweden into that group.) Plus Emeli Sande also fell into that group of songs and artists I was already familiar with, so it went down on my list.

9. Belgium I love love love Loïc, but again, it was easier to put him lower on my list because he was a returning artist, and the song was familiar to me. I’m happy he placed second among all returning artists, though.

8. Algeria Underrated in the jury vote, I’m glad this did well in the televote. I guess this was many HoDs’ 11th or 12th place.

7. Norway It’s not a bad song, and maybe in another season or time of year I would’ve enjoyed it more, but being on holiday in the tropics wasn’t the best time to listen to some rather gloomy Nordic music. (Even “worse” in this regard was Denmark. Maybe in the dead of winter I’d have ranked those songs higher, but not in the summer.)

6. Czechia Basically the same comments as United Kingdom, though it would’ve ranked higher because I wasn’t familiar with either the song or the artist. Might’ve been a contender for my Jury Top Ten.

5. Australia Was a contender for my televotes until I had to bump it off in favour of songs and artists I’d never heard of before.

4. France WHY IS THIS NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY GERMANY. Could’ve gotten a televote if it were.

3. Moldova I’ll be honest - I couldn’t (and still don’t) remember this song, and was confused that this was doing so well in televote, because it just wasn’t “sticky” to me. But I guess it was sticky enough for enough people to vote for it and give it the televote win. Personally, not convinced.

2. Italy Lovely song, and I’m glad it did as well as it did. Probably would’ve been a contender for my Jury Top Ten, though of course I’d have docked points for being an artist I didn’t know. At least the song was new enough that I hadn’t overplayed it before the contest...

1. Israel This was also a contender for my televotes, but in the end it just didn’t have that “oomph” to get one from me. It’s a lovely little song and a worthy winner, but it just didn’t grab me enough. I dunno if I’d listen to it regularly now that the show is over but I wouldn’t skip past it.

#Tmblrvision #Tmblrvision 2017

12 notes · View notes

while-my-tardis-gently-weeps · 7 years ago

Text

Eurovision 2016 vs 2017

.So I’ve been re-watching Eurovision from past years to get me over my PED (Post-Eurovision Depression), and I thought I’d do a comparison of this year’s songs against ones from last year, inspired by Eurosong’s post here.

Here goes:

Albania: Fairytale vs World - To be frank, I’m rather ambivalent on both songs, but I went with “World” because of Lindita’s incredible voice.

Armenia: LoveWave vs Fly with Me - Armenia always does well, and it’s not hard to see why, looking at these two songs. Neither are really my cup of tea, but I connected a bit more with “LoveWave.”

Australia: Sound of Silence vs Don’t Come Easy - Isaiah did his best, but not many can compete against the vocal tour de force that is Dami Im, and Isaiah certainly isn’t one of them.

Austria: Loin d’ici vs Running on Air - Even though both songs are quite average, the decision between the two songs are actually quite easy for me because I was completely won over by Nathan Trent’s charm, charisma, and sheer enthusiasm. And that music video, now that’s just cheating. Scenery porn at its best.

Azerbaijan: Miracle vs Skeletons - DiHaj wins this hands down. It’s contemporary, edgy, catchy, and modern (albeit slightly marred by mystifying elements in the staging; still don’t know what the horse head is all about). Miracle, on the other hand, is, I’m sorry to say, just boring.

Belarus: Help you fly vs Historyja majgo zyccia - This one is another no-contest: Naviband of course, undoubtedly. Not only was it sung in Belarusian, it’s also a little piece of absolute joy condensed into around 3 minutes of music. As for Ivan’s “Help you fly,” there’s something wrong with the whole production if the only memorable thing about it is the outlandish gimmick.

Belgium: What’s the pressure vs City Lights - Perhaps against common sense, I’m going to call this a draw. I appreciated City Lights for being a contemporary song with a distinct sound, one that is completely unlike the usual Eurovision fare, but I also thought it was vastly overrated. My regard for “City Lights” only decreased further after I saw live performances of it because there’s not much stage presence and charisma to speak of coming from this one, really. On the other hand, “What’s the Pressure” might be beyond dated, but Laura’s confident, lively performance definitely made it a lot more enjoyable to sit through than, if I dare say, this year’s “City Lights.” Now, if Eurovision were a radio show, the result might be quite different but as it is, I’m for “City Lights” in terms of the song alone and “What’s the Pressure” in terms of the whole package.

Bulgaria: If love was a crime vs Beautiful Mess - Another hard one, but this one because both songs are so good and well-deserving of their high placings. I like both, really, but I love “If love was a crime.”

Croatia: Lighthouse vs My Friend - “Lighthouse,” definitely. Mad respects to Jacques for pulling off those Jekyllesque vocals, but “Lighthouse” is definitely the better song, both objectively and subjectively speaking.

Cyprus: Alter Ego vs Gravity - The latter, but only barely. Possibly because “Gravity” is more recent and I remember it slightly better as a result.

Czechia: I Stand vs My Turn - Both are quite dull, but I found Gabriela to be the better singer.

Denmark: Soldiers of Love vs Where I Am - Do I have to chose between 90s boyband raised from the dead and every single X Factor winner song ever? Okay, Anja’s the better singer so I guess it goes to her.

Estonia: Play vs Verona - The former for sure. It’s not increasingly grating upon each repeated listen, for one.

Finland: Sing it away vs Blackbird - I still have extremely strong feelings about Norma John’s non-qualification. Gorgeous song, excellent vocals, dark, atmospheric staging, they’ve done everything right. I just don’t get it. Last year’s NQ, on the other hand, was only to be expected.

France: J’ai cherché vs Requiem - The French delegation definitely knows what it’s doing, choosing two stellar Nazim Khaled songs in as many years. Both are great songs, but personally I’m a lot more partial to Alma’s “Requiem.” Especially the lyrics: “Des amours meurent, des amours naissent/Les siècles passent et disparaissent/Ce que tu crois être la mort/C’est une saison et rien de plus (Love dies, love is born/Centuries pass and disappear/What you believe to be death/Is nothing but a season).” Just exquisite.

Georgia: Midnight Gold vs Keep the Faith - I hate myself slightly for choosing “Midnight Gold” really, because that was 3 minutes of my life that I can’t get back. Unfortunately, not much more can be said for “Keep the Faith,” despite my respect for Tamara’s vocal prowess, and at least the former sounds a little different...?

Germany: Ghost vs Perfect Life - At least nothing about Levina and “Perfect Life” is absolutely offensive to me, which is a lot more than I can say for the former, starting with the bargain sale Kyary Pamyu Pamyu imitation fashion. If anything, parts of “Perfect Life”’s lyrics actually quite tickle my fancies.

Greece: Utopian Land vs This is Love - I don’t like either, but Utopian Land gets some brownie points for being different. And those high notes in the live version of “This is Love” is just tragic.

Hungary: Pioneer vs Origo - I love both songs, but went for “Origo” because of the use of Hungarian, the unique sound, and the emotional delivery. I still wish he did away with the rap section though.

Iceland: Here them calling vs Paper - Both lovely songs that I wished I could have seen in the finals. I connected with the latter song more though.

Ireland: Sunlight vs Dying to Try - Nothing to remember whatsoever vs. average song that is nonetheless memorable because of Brendan Murray’s unique voice (though not necessarily favorably so). But hell, Brendan nailed those notes during his performance in the Semi so kudos to him I guess.

Israel: Made of Stars vs I Feel Alive - “Made of Stars” by a country mile. Hovi Star’s soulful performance was mesmerizing, whereas I still think Imri got through largely because of the running order.

Italy: No degree of separation vs Occidentali’s Karma - Italy is my favorite Big 5 nation, and one of my favorite countries overall in Eurovision. They’ve always sent outstanding entries since their comeback, and the past two years were no different. I have great love for both songs and both singers, but that said, this one is actually one of the easiest decision to make out of this whole list. In fact, “Occidentali’s Karma” is my favorite out of all the songs from both years. The combination of catchy pop tune and deep, philosophical lyrics offering commentary and satire on Western materialistic lifestyle and cultural appropriation puts it leagues above most of the songs in this set.

Latvia: Heartbeat vs Line - “Line” doesn’t stand a chance against the great Aminata, especially when you add Justs’ passionate performance to it (he’s no Aminata either, but he’s still pretty good).

Lithuania: I’ve been waiting for this night vs Rain of Revolution - What happened to you, Lithuania? How did you go from the glorious Donny to...I don’t even know how to describe this? If I wanted to see Pikku Myy in Eurovision I would have gone for Elina Salo, thank you very much.

Macedonia: Dona vs Dance Alone - I guess, because Kaliopi is a much better singer.

Malta: Walk on water vs Breathlessly - Because I actually remember how the song from last year goes.

Moldova: Falling Stars vs Hey, Mamma! - Sunstroke Project wins this hands down. It’s a simple song, but what a enjoyable one, and what a performance! Congrats to them for giving Moldova its best placing in the finals.

Montenegro: The Real Thing vs Space - Surprise, surprise. What can I say though? The guy at least has guts for donning helicopter braids.

Netherlands: Slow down vs Lights and Shadows - Objectively speaking, I actually think “Slow down” is probably the better song of the two, but I despise country music and always had a soft spot for well-done vocals (being a huge choir geek myself), which the latter has in spades with their stunning harmonies.

Norway: Icebreaker vs Grab the Moment - I love both songs, and I’ve always been partial to the Norwegian entries ever since I was introduced to Eurovision with Alexander Rybak’s “Fairytale.” I’m quite close to calling this another draw, really, but I’m in a more “Grab the Moment” mood today.

Poland: Color of your life vs Flashlight - Both are average songs (though the former’s lyrics are a lot less dire), but Michal sells it a lot better with his emotional performance and gothic-chic style. I still quite like Kasia’s voice, though.

Romania: Moment of Silence vs Yodel It! - I’ve only listened to the studio version of the former, but I think “Yodel It!” wins this round. Listening to it always make me happy, and you’ve got to give them credit for making the unholy combination of yodelling and rapping work, and work well on top of that.

Russia: You are the only one vs Flame Is Burning - I’ve got to admit, I was kind of pleased that I didn’t have to sit through “Flame Is Burning” with the travel ban and everything. Now, let’s hope Russia wasn’t serious when they said they are sending it to Portugal next year... On the other hand, while “You are the only one” is very dated as a song in and out itself, Sergey and the Russian production team definitely performed the hell out of it.

San Marino: I didn’t know vs Spirit of the Night - Because “I didn’t know” is slightly more tolerable.

Serbia: Shelter vs In Too Deep - Another easy pick. “Shelter” is both local and contemporary, and carries a message that packs an emotional punch and connects with you on a humanitarian level.

Slovenia: Blue and red vs On My Way - Because “Blue and red,” while average, is at least not annoying.

Spain: Say yay! vs Do It for Your Lover - Surely this one requires no commentary or explanation? Just give each song a listen.

Sweden: If I were sorry vs I Can’t Go On - Time to be honest: I hated both songs upon first listen. The thing is though, “If I were sorry” actually grew on me little by little, to the point that now I’m only ambivalent about it, whereas “I Can’t Go On” simply got worse with each repeat.

Switzerland: Last of our kind vs Apollo - Timebelle wins this hands down, even after they traded the gorgeous red dress and classy staging of the national finals with that bizarre Belle meets Big Bird meets Hercules eyesore. Now, I actually do think I would have liked “Last of our kind” a lot were it sang by a more competent singer, but Rykka’s vocals were grating at best. And the less said about those weird movements she made on stage, the better.

Ukraine: 1944 vs Time - Heartfelt ballad that touches you to the core vs clear sign Ukraine doesn’t want us back next year, to borrow Graham Norton’s words? No contest here.

United Kingdom: You’re not alone vs Never Give Up on You - If you asked me this question before rehearsals started, I would have said “You’re not alone,” hands down. But Lucie Jones (and the BBC production team) made “Never Give Up on You” shine, to the point where you (almost) forget it’s nothing more than a paint-by-numbers ballad that’s been done to death already.

The Tally:

Class of 2016 - 21 vs. Class of 2017 - 20 (1 draw not included)

#eurovision #eurovision 2017 #eurovision 2016 #personal opinion

1 note · View note

usstatesofsong · 8 years ago

Text

Countdown to #Eurovision - Yearly Reviews - 1987

We’re a little under two months away from the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, and while we’re counting down the days toward ESC 2017, we’re going to revisit Eurovision song contests from the past and rank our favorites in each contest. (At least, through 1989... all the songs are out now!)

-------

Breaking the barrier, for a moment, between the Eurovision bubble and non-virtual reality. During the 1980s, and more recently, Belgium has been one of my favorite Eurovision countries, mostly because they don’t follow the middle path of typical pop music entries. They follow trends, or they go a bit avant-garde; they send flops, or they send gold. Their sole win in ESC history came in 1986, and thus, the European world tuned into Brussels in 1987 to watch the second-most 80’s-tastic contest the decade had to offer. The challenge was knowing who would “host” since Belgium alternates between the Walloon (French) and Flemish broadcasters for song entries. RTBF (the broadcaster of the winning artist, Sandra Kim), hosted the grand event, while BRT got to choose the singer.

First off, take a look at that logo. After viewing it a few times I finally realized it spells “87.” I’d love to meet the person who designed that logo… they chose the most 80’s-tastic colors. Even the hostess was in special 80’s form, and Brussels has my douze points for the most 80’s-tastic stage of the decade. It just kind of disappears into a dark abyss, which makes for some interesting antics during the performances. Speaking of the hostess, she was a statuesque woman by name of Viktor Lazlo. Sounds like a man’s name? That’s because her real name is Sonia. She’s my second-most favorite host of the decade, for many reasons! But I digress… the contest itself is memorable for bringing forth the real look of the decade, and not shying away from some 80’s-tastic tunes, as well. Some of my favorite entries of all time come from this contest - for better, or for worse. And all 22 (usual) countries participated! No excuses, no holiday boycotting, no mistakenly reentered songs - we have a full contest to swim through.

Another Eurovision blogger that I admire really detests the ‘87 contest, for reasons that I don’t completely agree with, but am willing to accept. There are some doozies, after all, that will make you question your true sexuality. Also, “Deeeeeee melodie!”

Alright, I’ve buffered this blog with all that I can muster. Let’s get to it, shall we?

youtube

1. NORWAY - Kate Gulbrandsen - Mitt liv (9th, 65 pts)

Well, she’s definitely on a mission! And not with just the hair… or the clothes… or the boots. You know what I’d really like to see? Someone taking on that combination in 2017. They’d earn a gold medal for braveness, because I think that style was dead by 1988. The song has a power to it, a developing force, trudging through tough times and overcoming the challenges of the world. It wouldn’t be out of place as the theme song of a movie. Although the song is titled “my life,” I imagine the way she describes her life in Norwegian is supposed to be relative. There’s just a bit of an empty feeling to this song, and the stage. All in all, not a bad start to the contest.

2. ISRAEL - Datner & Kushnir - Shir Habatlanim (8th, 73 pts.)

Lulz. So many lulz. What else do I need to say here? Lulz!!!! Israel, you loving bunch. Europe loves you right back. The fame of this song, and the legacy it holds because the Israeli Prime Minister of Culture or something like that wanted to resign if this song was sent… really?? Get the stick out of your butt. If anything, people love Israel more for songs like this. So, if you compare the ESC version of the song to the national final, this really comes alive and can be… somewhat understood as a legitimate entry. The orchestration sounds great in that big stage, and the little dances are so damn entertaining. There’s a 1950s vibe to the composition, but the singing is so unlike anything. It’s pure theatrics. Props to RTBF for cutting to the next shot as Avi’s in mid-air jump! WE NEVER KNOW IF HE COMES BACK DOWN!!! :D :D Such happy! Also, featuring the first song/performance to feature a handstand. And sunglasses (maybe). And hand-shimmies. And an abandoning of the microphone only to turn right back around on the last bar and jump and shout “Hah!” The Dutch broadcaster described it as “Blue Brothers”... and that sounds about right.

3. AUSTRIA - Gary Lux - Nur noch Gefühl (20th, 8 pts.)

I don’t remember this song making much of an impression on me during my first listen of the program. Years later, there’s more of an understanding of the sentiment and the feeling associated with the composition. Gary was a seasoned veteran of Eurovision by this point, so the performance was flawless… until the almost-end, when his voice cracked. Sigh… I wonder if that moment haunted him for many years after, because we wouldn’t see him again for nearly five years. Or maybe someone finally told him he needed to give it up, as it were. Who knows. All I know is that the song itself is lovely. It fits the mold of the decade of music I love nicely (as does his jacket - I hope it stayed there.) And while it probably was never going to win the contest, I have to wonder if it could have got more points.

4. ICELAND - Halla Margret - Hægt og hljótt (16th, 28 pts.)

It’s the end of a long night in downtown and it’s time to head on home… the bar is closing, the last drink has been drunk, and once again you’re alone. Nobody except the piano man, slowly and lightly playing away. That’s what this song makes me think about, and songs that make me think rank highly in my final points chart. This is one of my annual favorites, as it again could not have happened in any other decade than the 80’s, and because Halla is one hella good lookin’ nordic woman. Actually, it’s more that “anus in the, anus in the air” lyric that the English language cannot put to death. This is such an odd composition, as it never was going to go places with the juries. But it’s sweetness, kindness, lightness and brightness shine through. The most you could say about it is “boring,” but eff you. :P

5. BELGIUM - Liliane Saint-Pierre - Soldiers of Love (11th, 56 pts)

Wait a second, did you see the way Liliane looked in that postcard?? And also, how about the host country’s conductor not being Jo Carlier, but rather the other broadcaster’s conductor… conducting for the other broadcaster’s host entry... Okay, whatever. I’m fully aware of the confusion Belgium causes (I made a map about it in college). We desperately needed some kind of upbeat pop or rock number in this contest, and the host country delivered nicely. There’s a bit of an older vibe that I get from Liliane, but her dress is beyond epic, and so are the militaristic dance moves. I have to wonder if those gun-shaped guitars would be allowed on an airplane flight in today’s world. Definitely in the upper half of entries from 1987.

6. SWEDEN - Lotta Engberg - Boogaloo (12th, 50 pts.)

And now for something completely different! I have to give credit to Sweden for ditching the schlager route, as was common practice for the Scandinavian countries, and risking … tropical calypso? The bright colors of the outfits and the happy, upbeat, sunshiney atmosphere the song creates really helps you forget, if just momentarily, how dark and expansive that stage is. I’m not sure this is something I would want to listen to outside of the contest itself, but I appreciate the song for what it is, and Sweden has certainly sent worse. At the end, the “guitarist” throws his guitar in the air, and I’d have to wonder what kind of world we would be living in now if he failed to catch it and the guitar broke.

7. ITALY - Raf & Umberto Tozzi - Genti di mare (3rd, 103 pts.)

Welcome back (again), Italy, the perennial skippers of Eurovision, as it suits them. They would remain for quite a few years, possibly because this was one of their more successful streaks in the contest itself. To celebrate their return, the Italians sent arguably their two biggest male stars, which would never happen these days! This one had a big impact on me the first time I listened to the contest, having ranked it at my top until I had heard “Mr. Eurovision” sing later on - we will get to that. There’s a uniqueness to this composition, the beginning lyrics almost sounding like waves washing on the shores, for the “genti di mare,” and as it builds into a proper song (I wouldn’t quite call it a ballad), the anthemic quality of it all is awesome. Umberto is definitively one of the strongest singers of the contest, and carries this song into ‘contender’ territory for the title.

8. PORTUGAL - Nevada - Neste barco à vela (18th, 15 pts.)

I really like the beginning of this one, with the way the violins and guitars (?) play, but I’m sorry, it’s ruined the moment he starts singing. It’s just… I’ve never felt as though a baritone voice can carry a song to victory in Eurovision. Also, nice librarians that you hired as backup singers there. I suppose this is okay, but I’ve been spoilt with such thematic songs up to this point that fit the mold of the decade, and this song does not. But hey, they beat Spain in ‘87! Small victories.

9. SPAIN - Patricia Kraus - No estás solo (19th, 10 pts)

Oh. Goodness. Certainly, she’s had a bit of coffee before walking out to that stage! One wonders what it’s like to be squeezed to death at the waist while literally shouting some of the lyrics. Or that she smeared some lipstick on her cheeks and decided to leave it there. Terry Wogan calls her “challenging,” and that’s an adequate summation. Admittedly, this is another one where I’d say it starts out good, but Patricia ruins it with the way she sings. I get the feeling like this is supposed to be a song of declaration, a pronouncement, and she tries to oversell it, thus ruining herself in the process. Also, “Oh yay!” appears about twenty times too many during the song. Finally, she destroys any opportunity of redemption on that last note. It’s too bad; I think this really could have been a good song!

10. TURKEY - Seyyal Taner & Lokomotif - Şarkım Sevgi Üstüne (22nd, 0 pts.)

This one, on the other hand, makes Spain look like a masterpiece. I could go on for hours about this. When I watched a recap of worst performances during the most recent Norwegian hosting of ESC, this was the first highlight, as it were, and I became infatuated with the songs featured in that recap. It’s baaaaad, folks. But it ventures into the “so bad it’s good” territory, thankfully. What particularly is bad is hard to say, since everything about it is so over-the-top - from the constant movement, to the white clothes, to the male singer’s solo fail, to the “Deeeeeeeeee melodi” theme, or perhaps even those clunky cowbell keyboard sounds. This has not aged well, and I think this song’s existence was 20 years too early. The fandom has certainly come around to this one, but this must have been looked down on back in the day, since it received nul points. Turkey always gets treated like poop, but thankfully everyone enjoys their poop these days. Mercy me.

11. GREECE - Bang - Stop (10th, 64 pts)

And now, the Greek George Michael. They certainly knew what they were doing, those Greeks… anyways, this has an old-fashioned charm to it that most sounds like Wham!’s single, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” but perhaps without the soaring vocals. However, Thanos’ vocals didn’t really need to be soaring for this number, and I like the bopping energy of this one. Greece wasn’t usually known for sending dance numbers, so this was a breath of fresh air. What I really want to know, though - which of those backup singers is Mariana! I can’t tell!

12. NETHERLANDS - Marcha - Rechtop in de wind (t-5th, 83 pts)

It kinda sounds like two songs combined into one! Marcha couldn’t decide whether she wanted to sing a ballad or a pop hit at Eurovision, so she took both. It’s not all that bad; she looks knock-dead gorgeous (I mean, not just by 80’s standards), and this has a very contemporary feel to it. The only problem, I would say, is that I have very little else to say about it. For being such a contemporary song with a strong beat and jamming melody, there’s nothing to latch onto. She comes on the stage and she does her thing; she owns it. The juries love that stuff, yo, thus why the Dutch scored a rare Top 5 with it.

13. LUXEMBOURG - Plastic Bertrand - Amour, amour (21st, 4 pts)

It’s all good and well in these types of reviews until you’re introduced to something from the left-most edge of the left field. What do you think audiences back then thought about this song? Because I can tell you plenty about what people think about it thirty years later. M. Bertrand is an… unique, engaging fellow. And if there was any one person who worked the stage that night in Brussels, it was him. He’s wearing a godddamn pink suitjacket, for heaven’s sakes! But guys, sexuality aside, unless you absolutely love new wave music, you’re probably not going to like this one. My fondness of this song stems from the style of music combined with the over-the-top appeal, but even then, I can’t award it too highly. And they destroyed some of the original quality when it transferred over to the orchestra. All that aside, though, this is a Eurovision classic; a must-watch.

14. UNITED KINGDOM - Rikki - Only the Light (13th, 47 pts.)

This was the poop-bird of Britain’s hot streak; perhaps a strong representation that you can’t always win just because you sing in English. And it started from (almost) the first note, with Rikki’s vocals as he shouts “Woahhhh!!!” above everything else going on. I’d almost think that the composition itself backfired upon the band, because there’s so much energy in the performance and in the dance moves, and when Rikki isn’t trying to smooth-move sooth you there’s an element of strength to the song.

15. FRANCE - Christine Minier - Les mots d'amour n'ont pas de dimanche (14th, 44 pts.)

The words of love are not some Sunday? Well, okay. Sure. Okay, past that point. This just comes off as a really average-sounding pageant song. Like the kind of thing you’d sing in Miss Universe. I give credit to actually using the orchestra for the song, which most of the other acts didn’t do that night. But that’s as far as I can go with this - she’s not even that vocally strong of a singer. Next.

16. GERMANY - Wind - Lass die Sonne in dein Herz (2nd, 141 pts.)

A couple things here - how sad for this group to have come 2nd place twice!?! Just so that Johnny Logan could win twice… Also, freakin’ half of Milli Vanilli! Why is he there?? Like, this must be pre-MV fame, and he was a “fake” singer, so … what is he doing there? Was he just like, the poster-boy for German pop music? What would have Wind done if they had won? Would we still have had Milli Vanilli, or would he have become an honorary member of Wind and gone on to great Eurovision success? Was it about the image? A Caribbean look, which admittedly is what this song tries to provide? I do have to say I like this more than their 1985 attempt, because the vocals are spot-on! But it also has a somewhat empty feeling to it, just like the UK did. I can award some points to Germany for this breath of fresh air, but it’s not the true winner of the evening.

17. CYPRUS - Alexia - Aspro mavro (7th, 80 pts)

Say it isn’t so! Cyprus went the schlager route in 1987, as if it wasn’t bad enough that some Scandinavian countries couldn’t get their heads out of the sand to send something outside the genre around this time. Appropriately she’s wearing black and white, and she’s go the sweet little side-step dances to go with it. Delaying for time and for critique, because this is not really my cup of tea and I find Alexia’s voice a bit grating at times; a bit nasal. Like, the song does get stuck in my head ever so slightly, but my reimagining of her voice in my head is less than complimentary. We’ll see where this lands at the end.

18. FINLAND - Vicky Rosti & Boulevard - Sata salamaa (15th, 32 pts.)

I think the only real crime to this is that it finished with less points than France. But if you’re going to do anything with schlager, this is one route you can go where you don’t immediately lose all credibility with me. It also helps if you’re a redhead (I have a thing for redheads…) Vicky combines the glam rock from that decade with a pop-infused schlager tune, and while it’s not my favorite thing of the night, I don’t forget the song so quickly, either. And that’s a good thing for this contest, all things considered! I also like the way she rolls her ‘r’s. I wish I could do that...

19. DENMARK - Anne-Cathrine Herdorf & Bandjo - En lille melodi (t-5th, 83 pts.)

This is basically the ‘87 version of Spain ‘84, or Germany-87-lite. It’s called “A little melody” because there’s only a little bit of melody to this, otherwise it again sounds so empty and lost during the chorus parts. It picks up a little bit on the start of the second chorus, but that’s literally just me trying to latch onto something. But, of course, this is something that the juries would fall for back in those days. Sigh...

20. IRELAND - Johnny Logan - Hold Me Now (1st, 172 pts)

Really the only deserved winner of the evening. Everything just comes together really well, from the orchestrated composition (I swear Ireland is the only nation that uses the french horn appropriately), to the lyrics, to the vocals, and to the contemporary feeling of the single. This comes alive so much more than the demo version, which tries too desperately to fit in the era of 80’s ballads. And Johnny always knows how to finish on a fantastic note. I can’t really criticize this if I tried. So, three cheers for the orange, green, and white. With St. Patrick’s Day upcoming, I award you with the only true score deserved for this piece of Eurovision history - nobody else has ever won twice.

21. YUGOSLAVIA - Novi Fosili - Ja sam za ples (4th, 92 pts)

It’s weird how most of the schlager of ‘87 got all sandwiched towards the end of the presentation! But this is another one I can tolerate, as it is more of a throwback to the 50’s and 60’s era of pop dance, rather than just big-band poppity trash waste. And the lead singer really sells it, too, with her constant moving and … umm, hiccups? I don’t know how else to describe those sounds. This group is so Slavic, and yet, it all comes together. It’s a precursor to 1989, that’s for sure, and the country earned another Top 5 finish for the boys and girls back home.

22. SWITZERLAND - Carol Rich - Moitié, moitié (17th, 26 pts)

Gosh, she’s a little fireball of energy, isn’t she? Apparently the Swiss didn’t even need a conductor, as hostess Lazlo awkwardly cuts to Rich running from off-stage right to demand a tap of the foot or two. I’d love to know what the thought-process was for the outfitting of her (American stars on top, Australian stars on bottom?) and the group, with headbands and guitar accessories, who are alarmingly reminding me of Sweden’s profession to mediocrity from the year before. In all honesty this is too streamline for my tastes, and apparently I wasn’t alone in that deduction as the juries didn’t buy into it either.

As I said previously, Logan won for the second time. And it was against a field of random hullabaloo, just like in 1980. I’m reminded how this song elevates in comparison to “What’s Another Year,” and in comparison to everything else sent that year. Yeah, I suppose this wasn’t the grandest of editions musically, but there’s still a lot here that I adore, and I think when there’s a grander variety of music, the joyful feelings illuminate the memory and make the contest so much more interesting. I award the actual winner the 12 points, and I drop a big fat zero on the senorita who got lost in her own world. Greece was the only country to award her points, after all - otherwise she would have finished with nul points, just like the musical travesty that was Turkey! Anywho, there was a serious upgrade in sophistication, technology, and harmony in 1987; what would we get out of the Irish in ‘88?

My votes:

12 – Ireland 10 – Iceland 8 – Italy 7 – Austria 6 – Israel 5 – Yugoslavia (Croatia) 4 – Germany 3 – Belgium 2 – Finland 1 – Luxembourg

The “Big Fat 0” award: Spain Honorable Mention: Sweden, Greece Worst Dressed: Switzerland

And here is the overall count of points since beginning these reviews with the ‘80 contest. It’s a best-of-best race, as Germany is now within one point. Israel and Ireland gain some ground, and it will be pretty interesting who we finish out with on top by the end of the decade. How would your rankings look?

1st - 45 – Belgium (1986) 2nd - 44 – Germany (1982, 1983) 3rd - 36 – Israel 4th - 35 – Ireland (1980, 1987) 5th - 31 – Austria 27 – Turkey 24 – Norway (1985) 21 – Portugal 20 – Italy (1984) 20 – Luxembourg 20 – Sweden 18 – Finland 18 – Greece (1981) 17 – France 16 – Spain 14 – United Kingdom 12 – Netherlands 11 – Denmark 11 - Iceland 9 – Croatia 9 – Cyprus 6 – Switzerland

-50SS

#eurovision #esc 1987 #eurovision 1987 #eurovision song contest #hold me now #ireland eurovision #1987

6 notes · View notes

elanchana · 8 years ago

Text

Eurovision 2017 first impressions!!!

I’m trying a different approach this time - no numerical ratings, just a few comments. At first I wanted to do a positive and a critique for every song, but I had... limited success with that. Reviews under the cut!

Semi 1 Albania: I like it. Great, satisfying rock production, though the chorus could use more direction writingwise. Armenia: Pretty good. I'm not sure about the static chord progression, but it's still a good listen. Australia: Not as powerful as last year, but I still like it. Azerbaijan: Good power pop sound. I could barely understand what she was saying. Belgium: Relaxing uptempo is a weird but nice combination. Her voice makes me enjoy it a bit less. Cyprus: Production gives it a good groove... but this is the first time G:son has disappointed me with writing. Czech Republic: This might have been one of my favorites with a different singer. Finland: I think I have my first favorite! This is a really beautiful song. Sadly I can't see it winning, but it's going to get a lot of plays for me. Georgia: Pretty powerful. Doesn't go all the way for me, but it's a good song. Greece: This is one of those songs that makes me really happy. It feels like it's missing something but I don't know what. Iceland: Another good pop song. The writing for the chorus is a bit awkward, which keeps it from being a favorite. Latvia: Great energetic production, not a good voice. Moldova: Epic sax is back for round 2! I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's catchy and I could see it hitting the charts, but the music video definitely rubs me the wrong way. Montenegro: That was... very gay. And a bit uncomfortably dirty. Catchy though. Poland: Good song, good voice. Another one that feels like it's missing something. Portugal: Nice bit of nostalgia - this sound was all over Eurovision in the early years. Not sure how it will hold up this year, but it's pretty. Slovenia: This is a pretty well-written power ballad, although it would probably be more at home in the 80s, so it's not one of my favorites. Sweden: The Swedes have done it again with the radio-ready catchy pop. It's pretty generic and bland, and I'm not sure what I'll think of it onstage, but it's going to get a lot of plays.

Semi 2 Austria: This is a really good feel-good song! It probably wouldn't be one of my favorites a few years ago, but it is now. Belarus: This one surprised me, because I don't normally like folky entries as much as I like this one. It's really well written and the harmonies are great. Bulgaria: Really good modern pop "ballad" with ethnic sounds. I like this one a lot. Croatia: I really WANT to like this, but the cheesy 80s sound doesn't do it for me. Also, the first two phrases are identical to There You'll Be by Faith Hill (which, incidentally, I first heard as an Italian cover by Sarah Brightman called Sarai Qui). Denmark: I can't find anything I really don't like about this song. It's well-written with solid production and a great voice. Another favorite! Estonia: Pretty good pop song, and I like that it's a duet. Not a favorite, but a great song. FYR Macedonia: Another great pop song, and I love the funkyness. This will get a lot of plays. Hungary: I always like when ethnic pop goes to Eurovision. I think this song needs some more variety, but it's got a good sound. Ireland: I think this song is a really well-written ballad. I don't love his voice, but it doesn't detract from the song. Israel: I started dancing as soon as the song started. This one's well-made, though nothing extraordinary. Lithuania: I tried really hard to find a studio version, but I had to make do with the NF performance, so I can't judge her voice at its best. There's a lot to like about this song, but I'm not sure about all the "yeah yeah"s. Malta: This is a pretty ballad. It's just missing that extra push to make it really memorable. Norway: I like the catchiness, but there's something about the production that doesn't feel right. Interested in how they're going to do all those effects live. Romania: The yodeling gimmick really turns me off. This would be a much better song if they wrote a normal chorus rather than doing that. Russia: This is a pretty song and a typical Russian pop ballad. She has a good voice, but it's really hard to understand her - I hope that's from her disability and not from limited knowledge of English. San Marino: Well, Valentina is back with a VENGEANCE! This is a fun song, though it's not up there with my favorite dance tracks. Serbia: I love the beat of this, and the writing is really good too. I feel like the production is missing something. Switzerland: Another favorite! Solid, satisfying production and very strong pop writing. I could hear this on the radio. Netherlands: I really hope they can replicate those tight harmonies live! This is a great and uplifting song in every way and it's now a favorite.

Auto-final France: I like that this is another French song with an English chorus, though I liked J'ai cherche more. The Latin elements are nice. Excuse me while I cry about not being in Paris. Germany: This song has great production and it's really uplifting. The writing sounds a bit dated. Italy: The writing and the production make this sound like a good song, but the music video and the most prominent lyrics seem like a joke entry. I hope it's not. Spain: This is a good, cute song, but it's not really my type of sound. Another song with vocal effects that I'm wondering how they're going to do live. Ukraine: Good to hear some more rock. I like the sound of this but not the writing as much. UK: Great ballad, great voice. The last chorus is pretty satisfying, though I could use some of that power earlier in the song.

Overall: Probably the best year yet. Not a single song I actively dislike! The only downside is that there's a ton of English. Initial favorites: Finland, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands Least favorites: Romania, Italy

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Eurovision 2017 #Eurovision reviews #ENTRY DAY!!!!!!

1 note · View note

johnlockismyreligion · 8 years ago

Text

EUROVISION 2017

This is my personal ranking of all the entries of the competition. Mind that this is just my opinion, based on my personal music taste and the fun level of the song, because I think that at Eurovision having fun is important, so all the boring ballads won’t be in my top ten, sorry.

It’s not even a ranking about “who I think will win the competition”, but rather of my favourite songs (Clearly, I don’t think that Cyprus has chances to win, but I like the song).

Where available, I put a link to the live version of the song as, you know, they’ll sing live in Kiev, and this is quite different from the recorded version of the song. Some singers are good on record, but haven’t a voice powerful enough to impress on stage.

Under a cut, ‘cause this post is very long and I don’t think you want my musical rant on your dash.

I wanted to be fair, so I didn’t included my Country, Italy, in the ranking, but honestly I think we have a good chance this year, even if the cut version is worst than the original one (Francesco’ song is 3’38’’ long, and the limit for Eurovision is 3’). Besides, I’m really proud that Francesco will sing in Italian in a sea of English songs… C’mon people, shouldn’t it be a festival to celebrate diversity? So why are y’all singing in English?

42) Lithuania - Fusedmarc, Rain Of Revolution Ugh. I tried to listen to this song. I swear I tried, but to me it’s the biggest nope of the year. Her voice is quite weak, too.

41) Malta - Claudia Faniello, Breathlessly I don’t listen to this often, ‘cause I risk to fall asleep on the desk.

40) Spain - Manel Navarro, Do it for your lover I tried to count how many times he says “do it for your lover”, but I lost my mind after ten: it’s so repetitive that it becomes obsessive. Besides, it sounds “old” to me and not in a nice way: it would have been good if heard from a juke box on the beach in 1986.

39) Slovenia - Omar Naber, On My Way Ugh, ballads. Ballads are boring.

38) Armenia - Artsvik, Fly with me I’ve listened to this song several times, but I can’t keep it in mind and memorize the melody or the lyrics. Nothing special.

37) Russia - Julia Samoilova, Flame is burning I suspect that Russia aims to self-boycott, because this song is similar to other 1k ones and leaves you the impression you’ve already listened it somewhere. Even if she has a beautiful voice, here it’s totally wasted.

36) Ireland - Brendan Murray, Dying to try I’m dying to not hear any more ballads.

35) Georgia - Tamara Gachechiladze, Keep The Faith Another great voice wasted on a plaintive ballad. Pity.

34) Australia - Isaiah, Don't Come Easy Another romantic ballad. Dull.

33) Germany - Levina, Perfect Life The first time I pressed play, I thought that I’ve selected by mistake Titanium by SIA. To me half of this song is a plagiarism (but feel free to disagree), and I don’t like the half that isn’t.

32) Serbia - Tijana Bogićević, In Too Deep Forgettable. Not bad, but not good either.

31) Austria - Nathan Trent, Running On Air It seems the song of a boy band from the ‘90s. Not a bad song, but I’ve never loved too much boy bands.

30) Bulgaria - Kristian Kostov, Beautiful Mess Did I mention that I don’t like ballads?

29) The Netherlands - OG3NE, Lights and Shadows Average pop song. Nice, but not my cup of tea, sorry.

28) Czech Republic - Martina Bárta, My Turn When I saw that she’s a jazz singer, I was excited: she has a terrific voice and jazz is wonderful, I was dying for a touch of jazz at Eurovision… instead she chose a ballad. Not a bad song, but why? Disappointing.

27) Iceland - Svala, Paper Indifferent, nothing special.

26) Denmark - Anja, Where I Am Generally it’s an appreciated song, but it doesn’t speak to me.

25) United Kingdom - Lucie Jones, Never Give Up On You When I first heard the song, I thought she was singing a cappella, as the musical accompaniment was non existent. The new version revamped the song a bit, but I still think that music is weak. Nope.

24) San Marino - Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson, Spirit Of The Night A song that leaves me indifferent even if many people are loving it. I don’t wanna say it’s a plagiarism, but sure it remembers me of some other similar dance songs of the past.

23) Albania - Lindita, Botë I quite like the Albanian version, the song has something epic in it, but she will sing in English, so she lost many point in my ranking.

22) Croatia - Jacques Houdek, My Friend Another song that leaves me puzzled. I love a lot the part where he sings opera (god, what a voice), but I don’t think it blends perfectly with the other vocals. I still hope to see him in the final.

21) Israel - Imri Ziv, I Feel Alive I was expecting something better from him, but the refrain has a good beat.

20) Sweden - Robin Bengtsson, I Can't Go I don’t understand why people go crazy on this song. Nice, but it has nothing special to me.

19) Finland - Norma John, Blackbird This song would be good in the soundtrack of a fantasy movie. But is it Eurovision winning material? I fear it isn’t. Perfect to listen if you want to relax, tho.

18) Poland - Kasia Moś, Flashlight The only ballad I really like, it has a dark touch (especially in the verses, less in the refrain) and she has beautiful voice. Good luck Poland!

17) Norway - JOWST, Grab The Moment Interesting. Not in my top ten, but surely a nice, good song with a personal touch. Better than Sweden, to me.

16) Greece - Demy, This is Love This song is clearly a clever points catcher, with a tad of ‘90s eurodance touch. Smart move, but after some listening, it loses appeal.

15) Latvia - Triana Park, Line Talking about dance/pop/electropop/whatever-you-call-it songs, I think that there are better competitors this year, but I love their psychedelic, energetic staging.

14) Hungary - Joci Pápai, Origo I hope he will sing in Hungarian, because I fear that an English version would be a disaster, as melody and words are closely linked, here. If you’re searching for something different, listen to this song: it’s captivating, with almost a Middle East touch.

13) Belarus - Naviband, Historyja majho zyccia This is one of the first song I heard this year and I still find it great, it makes me smile and the tune is original. I really hope they’ll keep it in their native language.

12) Estonia - Koit Toome and Laura, Verona A ‘90-ish and classic song. It has a catchy tune, they’re a well-matched pair on stage, so I’m sure it will do great.

11) F.Y.R. Macedonia - Jana Burčeska, Dance Alone Not bad, not bad, a good dance song with a pretty cool refrain, a song that grows on you.

10) Ukraine - O.Torvald, Time Another very underrated song from my point of view: okay, they aren’t Muse or something, but this is the only rock entry of the competition, ffs! And their staging and makeup is cool, I want to see it again.

9) Romania - Ilinca ft. Alex Florea, Yodel It! A rap yodel. No, seriously, it is. And it’s funny af. Plus, her shrill vocals are impressive.

8) Portugal - Salvador Sobral - Amar Pelos Dois Aw, my little snowflake! This song generally received bad comments and a low position in many rankings, and I can’t understand why: it has a retro touch that distinguishes it from all other entries. Plus, he’s singing in his native language. If Finland song would be great in the OST of a fantasy movie, this one should be the main track of a nice romantic movie.

7) Azerbaijan - DiHaj, Skeletons Talking about dance music, to me this is the best entry of Eurovision, with a cool mystery/dark atmosphere. It has a great beat.

6) Moldova - Sunstroke Project, Hey Mamma I effin love this song: it’s bright, happy, makes your body move. And, hey, Epic Sax Guy is back!

5) Montenegro - Slavko Kalezić, Space At first, it didn’t seem too good to me, but it gradually grew on me. I love the lyrics, I love that it’s gay af, and I believe that Slavko will surprise Europe with a sumptuous staging. As I said, to me Eurovision means also having fun, so of course he’s one of my favourite.

4) Belgium - Blanche, City Lights At first I would say that this kind of song is not in my comfort zone, but the tune is mesmerizing and she has a particular voice that catches attention. I’m sure it will do very well in the grand final, but it need a great staging, too.

3) Switzerland - Timebelle, Apollo One of the first songs that I have heard and which has remained in my heart all the time. The lyrics don’t make much sense to me, but the melody is beautiful and she has a great voice.

2) France - Alma, Requiem I don’t agree with her choice to sing the refrain in English, to me she ruined a perfect song. It’s still winning material because the song is very beautiful, but the all French version is better.

1) Cyprus - Hovig, Gravity This song had me from the first hearing: fresh, catchy, with a good rhythm, and Hovig has a powerful voice. Absolutely my favourite, even if I don’t think it’ll win. I hope he’ll valorize it with a good staging.

#Esc2017 #Eurovision ranking #Eurovision top songs #Eurovision #Kyiv 2017

1 note · View note

haroldgross · 7 years ago

Text

New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on http://literaryends.com/hgblog/oscars-2018-final-call/

Oscars 2018 (final call)

The gap between nominations and now has afforded me some time to think and to catch up on a few films I hadn’t been able to get to. My opinions of who should win hasn’t changed much, but a few shifts in the predictions of who I think will win has in a few notable places.

I’ll say again, no matter the winners this year, I can’t say I’d be too upset with any one of the nominations. It was a strong year for entertainment.

So this is my final update, which I will follow with a report on my accuracy. I did about 87% on the nominations for this year. Politics and one (happy) surprise dropped me below the 90s, but, again, no one unworthy is in any list.

THE MAJORS (or what we all care about)

Actress in a Leading Role Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) Meryl Streep (The Post)

My Choice: Sally Hawkins remains my first choice, but she’s been losing to Frances McDormand consistently for the big awards leading up to Oscar. McDormand’s is an amazing performance as well, but I don’t think it is as challenging as Hawkins’ was. However, the grit and more understandable emotion appeals to many. I think if Saoirse Ronan had more momentum, she would have split the vote more, but she appears out of the running entirely at this rate. I’m an not going to weep if McDormand wins, I just thought Hawkins skills were put more to the test. Likely Winner: Frances McDormand

Actor in a Leading Role Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread) Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.)

My Choice: Gary Oldman has swept every award and his performance is an astounding melting of actor into a role. Likely Winner: Gary Oldman

Actress in a Supporting Role Mary J Blige (Mudbound) Allison Janney (I, Tonya) Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird) Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water)

My Choice: Laurie Metcalf is still my choice in this very, very tough field of talent, but I think she lost momentum and Janney has yet to be so honored, despite years of amazing work and nominations. Her work here is stellar, even if I don’t think it tackled the same level of challenge from a craft point of view. I can see the vote going her way. Likely Winner: Allison Janney

Actor in a Supporting Role Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World) Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

My Choice: Richard Jenkins remains my favorite performance in this batch. His role was quiet and subtle, but utterly solid and heartbreaking. But Rockwell has the momentum and his part was, for lack of a better word, louder. Likely Winner: Sam Rockwell

Directing Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk) Jordan Peele (Get Out) Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread) Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water)

My Choice: Guillermo del Toro. This is one of those times where you wish they’d divide out the category so more people could be honored. Gerwig and Peele had amazing first films. But, overall, del Toro had the biggest challenge and delivered the most nuanced movie of the three. Likely Winner: Guillermo del Toro

Best Picture Call Me By Your Name Darkest Hour Dunkirk Get Out Lady Bird Phantom Thread The Post The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

My Choice: There are so many ways to argue this one. Part of the challenge is that this award is preferential ballot (looking at the top few choices for all ballots) which can allow surprises when a film is the consistent second or third choice for a huge majority.

I think it is a death match between Shape of Water, Get Out, and Three Billboards. Lady Bird could slip up between all of them if it is everyone’s second choice, but these other three have the lead going in.

Shape of Water, however, has one major advantage, beyond its 13 nominations, DGA, and other wins. Shape is about all the things that the other films are about, all rolled into one, rather than as a single, primary theme. So I’m going with The Shape of Water, but I won’t be surprised by something else taking this home, especially after Three Billboards BAFTA win. Likely Winner: The Shape of Water

Animated Feature Film The Boss Baby The Breadwinner Coco Ferdinand Loving Vincent

My Choice: Vincent has an incredible art story to tell, both in the script and in the making of it. And Breadwinner has some nice politics to buoy it’s possibilities. However Coco has more of a populist heart and some gorgeous work in it, and was able to reach a larger audience. Just looking at them as films, it was also the best. Likely Winner: Coco

Foreign Language Film A Fantastic Woman (Chile) The Insult (Lebanon) Loveless (Russia) On Body And Soul (Hungary) The Square (Sweden)

My Choice: No real clue, to be honest. I have somehow missed all of these so far, though I will pick them up as I am able later. The Square has the most name recognition, but there are many topical options. On a whim, I’m going with the most fringe of the films for the win… Likely Winner: A Fantastic Woman (Chile)

THE MINORS (or what the rest of us care about)

Documentary Feature Abacus Faces, Places Icarus Last Man In Aleppo Strong Island

My Choice: Again, lack of access to the films makes this more about reading other’s opinions and news for me. Likely Winner: Icarus

Documentary Short Subject Edith and Eddie Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 Heroin(e) Knife Skills Traffic Stop

My Choice: Total guess. Likely Winner: Heroin(e)

Animated Short Film Dear Basketball Garden Party Lou Negative Space Revolting Rhymes

My Choice: Another dice roll (and some research). Likely Winner: Negative Space

Live Action Short Film Dekalb Elementary The Eleven O’Clock My Nephew Emmett Silent Child Watu Wote (All Of Us)

My Choice: The only showing for all these shorts (animated and live action) was for Fri and Sat just before Oscar Sunday. You’d think Amazon or Netflix would seal up a short license to show them off at this point, but no. So again, basing my choice on the eyes of others. Likely Winner: Dekalb Elementary

Adapted Screenplay “Call Me by Your Name” James Ivory “The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber “Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green “Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin “Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

My Choice: Molly’s Game may still pull this out based on love for Sorkin and little else to gift him this year. And it was a solid directorial debut for him too. However, the Scripter Award (from USC) went to Call Me By Your Name and they’ve correlated to Oscar 7 out of 7 times over the last 7 years. That’s probably a few too many 7’s to ignore. And it picked up the WGA as well. Likely Winner: Call Me By Your Name

Original Screenplay “The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani “Get Out,” Jordan Peele “Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig “The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh

My Choice: Shape of Water even though it has run into some controversial headwinds. I think it will survive those. Should it falter, Get Out may just slip up through the split votes that would ensue. Get Out’s WGA win certainly will help it. And Three Billboards’ BAFTA confused the field. However, much as my reasons for Best Picture, I think Shape covers a lot of the same ground as Get Out, Three Billboards, and then some, which may help it with a broader base. However, there has been late momentum and love for Get Out, so it could be an interesting upset. Likely Winner: Shape of Water

Original Song “Mighty River” (Mudbound), Mary J. Blige “Mystery of Love” (Call Me By Your Name), Sufjan Stevens “Remember Me” (Coco), Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez “Stand Up for Something” (Marshall), Diane Warren, Common “This Is Me” (The Greatest Showman), Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

My Choice: This is Me though I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Remember Me slipped in here given Coco’s huge audience base and its multiple renditions during the film. Problem is, it is just a boring song to my ear. And, in today’s political climate, This is Me is right on the money for the times. Likely Winner: This is Me

Original Score Dunkirk Phantom Thread The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

My Choice: Dunkirk, but I’ve still no faith others will see/hear the brilliance of it against the ground swell for Shape of Water, whose score was magical in its own way and whose BAFTA win certainly could be indicative. Likely Winner: Shape of Water

THE CRAFT & TECHNICAL (or what we should all care about)

Cinematography Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049) Bruno Delbonnel (Darkest Hour) Hoyte van Hoytema (Dunkirk) Rachel Morrison (Mudbound) Dan Laustsen (The Shape of Water)

My Choice: Dunkirk has a great shot here; Nolan is nothing if not a brilliant framer and Hoytema’s work and challenges were huge given the various environments he had to navigate. However, for beauty and support of the story, Shape of Water and Blade Runner beat him out. Deakins, in particular, had to both create his own language as well as match the original enough to evoke the connection, which has me picking Blade Runner 2049 as my choice. Originally, I thought Dunkirk would pull this one out, but after Blades’s BAFTA and American Society of Cinematographers top honors this year, and Deakins’ previous 13 (and no win) nominations, I’m going to switch my expectation for the Academy, even if ASC winners correlate to Oscar less than 50% of the time. Likely Winner: Blade Runner 2049

Costume Design Beauty and the Beast The Darkest Hour Phantom Thread The Shape of Water Victoria & Abdul

My Choice: Typically, this would go to a period piece (like old period). That thinking would put Victoria & Abdul in the front. But this year’s cadre are all over the place on era’s. Phantom Thread boasts some incredible 40s/50s creations by Mark Bridges. Beauty, fantastical imagination. Shape of Water, a range of clothing, much like Darkest Hour. For me, the invisibility of the costumes in Shape of Water is the most impressive of the lot. Basically, this is a crap shoot with a lot of worthy winners (with Durran up for two: Beast and Darkest Hour). Likely Winner: Phantom Thread

Makeup and Hairstyling The Darkest Hour Victoria & Abdul Wonder

My Choice: Though Wonder has some impressive make-up, Oldman’s transformation is jaw-dropping and seamless. Going with The Darkest Hour. Likely Winner: The Darkest Hour

Production Design Beauty and the Beast Blade Runner 2049 The Darkest Hour Dunkirk The Shape of Water

My Choice: Wow, you could just hit your head against a wall for ages trying to pick one here. Each film created solid, believable worlds. For complexity, Shape of Water and Darkest Hour had the most difficult challenges. While Darkest Hour brought the 40s back to life, Shape of Water did similar for the 50s but also added a hint of magic to it. And Blade Runner 2049 had to recreate a world and, as mentioned before, and still do something unique on its own. My pick on this is Shape of Water for riding both the real and fantastical lines down to the tiniest detail. Likely Winner: Shape of Water

Film Editing Baby Driver Dunkirk I, Tonya The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

My Choice: I, Tonya and Dunkirk shared the honors at the ACE awards this year. I still think I, Tonya is the better choice, if I were handing out the statue, but suspect Nolan has more wind at his back in the Academy. Likely Winner: Dunkirk

Sound Editing Baby Driver Blade Runner 2049 Dunkirk The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi

My Choice: Editing and mixing are often the most troublesome picks to make. Each movie here had its challenges, but Baby Driver delivered one of the most interesting results in both categories. So Baby Driver for me on this one. For the win, however, I have low confidence….suspect Dunkirk takes it after its Motion Picture Sound Editors win. Likely Winner: Dunkirk

Sound Mixing Baby Driver Blade Runner 2049 Dunkirk The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi

My Choice: Baby Driver again here for me, Even more so than editing, the movie had to navigate a lot of layers and not lose us at the transitions. More confident the Academy will see that in this case than the previous despite Dunkirk’s Cinema Audio Society win in this category. Likely Winner: Baby Driver

Visual Effects Blade Runner 2049 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Kong: Skull Island Star Wars: The Last Jedi War for the Planet of the Apes

My Choice: Lots of choices here, but War of the Planet of the Apes, for all its accolades, has few opportunities and this is likely going to be the one folks would give it. It also picked up the VES Award. The seamless world Apes created out of our own probably beats out the broader worlds that are more obviously CGI. However, BAFTA and others have started a roll for Blade Runner 2049 that is hard to ignore (and also deserved). Likely Winner: War of the Planet of the Apes

#Movie Review

0 notes

unibrowzz · 4 years ago

Text

My 2020 reviews

All the cool kids were doing these so now I finally dragged my ass into doing them too lmao.

Albania- Fall from the Sky

A song I swear cursed this whole contest from the moment it won Festivali i Këngës. Like with the shitshow this song caused I just knew the whole year was fucked. With half the fandom whining they didn’t get their first club song of the year to the other half smugly shoving it as their winner despite no other songs being around to compare it to, the whole fiasco just left me knowing that 2020 would end in tears, just hopefully not my own. As for the song, it’s lame. It’s a standard ballad with OBSCENE amounts of autotune, which is weird because the girl can actually sing pretty decently without it, so why they decided to make her sound like a damn computer is beyond me. And WHY did they translate it, haven't the past few years proven that Albania's better off leaving their songs in Albanian?

Armenia- Chains on You

A bootleg Ariana Grande song, and a really shit one at that. The kind of song only people who think being young, gay and mean counts as having a personality would say is good.

Australia- Don’t Break Me

One of the few decent Australian entries (but that REALLY isn’t saying much coming from me, I barely care they’re in the contest by this point) but marred by a horribly untidy performance and lacklustre lyrics. At least it’s not fucking pop-opera, that’s all I can say. I’d rather listen to the sound of my face being dragged down the runway at Heathrow airport than be subjected to another Zero Gravity.

Austria- Alive

One of those pseudo-jazz dance songs, á la Olly Murs or Bruno Mars (I swear there’s a song like this in every recent contest). I mean, it’s good, but it’s just kinda meh since I’m kinda getting tired of this genre rearing its fedora-wearing head every time a new lineup rolls in.

Azerbaijan- Cleopatra

One of the “better” trashy entries this year, comprised of about five different musical genres, six ancient cultures being appropriated and absolutely zero class. Probably sounds at least 50% better when you’re absolutely steaming drunk and face down on the floor in the middle of a gay bar.

Belarus- Da Vidna

Somehow, this song sounds both very unique and original yet trite and average at the same time. I couldn’t decide whether listening to it was a new experience or if I’d heard it a million times before.

Belgium- Release Me

A song which just drones on till it ends. I would say it’s ripping off the song that won last year, but it forgot that having a chorus stops your song from being three minutes of snooze.

Bulgaria- Tears Getting Sober

A typical breathy mumble-girl song, AKA a genre I can’t fucking stand. Really don’t see the hype with this one, the melody is pretty but the vocals are out for lunch and it’s otherwise completely and utterly boring.

Croatia- Divlji Vjetre

One of the token big dramatic ballads you listen to once, enjoy, then forget about until Darius in the Discord server plays it one night whilst you’re hitting up the radio bot with requests. You’ll find that “nice, but forgettable” is a common theme for this year.

Cyprus- Running

Ironically Cyprus didn’t send a crappy Fuego knockoff for 2020, and I say ironically because a crappy Fuego knockoff would’ve actually stood out this year, and I say crappy because honestly Fuego wasn’t even all that great to begin with. "Running” itself is just one of those edgy tortured soul pop songs which, let’s be honest, would have been paired with an impressive performance which would’ve overshadowed how bland it is. Kind of like “You’re the Only One”. Or even Fuego for that matter.

Czech Republic- Kemama

Standard Afro-pop, a genre we don't often see at the contest so I'll let it pass. I feel like this is the kind of song that’s infinitely better live, and that it would’ve been one of those songs that suddenly became a frontrunner after the semi finals, but I guess we’ll never know eh?

Denmark- Yes

The quintessential mid-10s Eurovision song. It's got guitars, happy people, Scandinavian origins… it’s just a typical radio guitar song, nothing special.

Estonia- What Love Is

I mean it's better than La Forza. Granted, the sound of someone pissing directly onto a microphone installed in the bowl of a toilet would sound better than La Forza but still. Going back to this song, it’s just... a standard Eastern-ballad with some very desperate lyrics. It feels kind of outdated, if I’m honest. Like something about this just reeks of 2011.

Finland- Looking Back

Yet another dreary, forgettable ballad. It comes to something when the best song they COULD have sent was a party song which sounded like it was from the mid 90s. At least that song was memorable. That said, this one at least has some decent lyrics. Bravo for that I guess.

France- Mon Alliée

France decides to say “fuck it” to being an underground fan-favourite and takes a leaf out of the UKs book by sending the same rent-a-Swede schlock they’ve been sending since 2015. I’m just confused as to why anyone in their right mind would choose to follow the UKs example but you do you France.

Germany- Violent Thing

A rehash of Sweden's entry from two years ago, but this time sung by Justin Bieber circa 2008. Kind of alright if you can stomach the singer's whiny voice, but otherwise pretty dull and kinda forgettable.

Greece- Superg!rl

Hello fellow kidz, we are hearing you like the girl power? The super heroes? The t3xt $p3ech? We made you song, please give us the votes *dabs*

Georgia- Take me as I Am

I mean… this sure is a choice. This feels like one of those songs that everyone memes on because the lyrics are kinda janky and the singer’s voice (and accent) take a bit of getting used to, but other than that it’s just one of those NQ songs for hipster fans to declare as their unironic winner at a later date. All in all this just feels like the male equivalent of one of those mid-10s fat acceptance women’s songs, only a lot shoutier and this time he has more flaws than not being skinny.

Iceland- Think About Things

A bootleg George Ezra song, performed by a load of disinterested tumblr users in their pyjamas. Because if there’s one thing that sells me on a song, it’s being given the evils by a bunch of nerds who look like they’ll send me death threats for not agreeing with their Pokémon headcanons. To be fair, the song is kind of groovy since it sounds so 70s, but the performance is very off-putting to people who aren’t in the Eurovision loop. And also people who are, because I sure as Hell don’t see the appeal in this myself and this whole performance just feels like Save Your Kisses for Me without the charm. I feel like this would’ve come second or third, definitely with a lot of televotes but either the jury would’ve dragged it down or it wouldn’t have scored enough televotes to win.

Ireland- Story of my Life

A song that’s at LEAST ten years out of date by this point, think like an early Katy Perry, Jessie J or Avril Lavigne song. I’ll forgive it because even though it sounds like it should’ve been entered in 2013 (at the latest), it at least evokes some nostalgic memories of shitty school discos and holiday parks.

Israel- Feker Libi

The female equivalent of the Czech song. Unsurprisingly, people went wild for it when it was released. I guess only women are allowed to sing Afro-pop at this contest. Like with the Czech song, I’ll forgive it since Afro-pop is a cool genre anyway, and even though this is just another club song I can at least see myself dancing to it.

Italy- Fai Rumore

Well, at least my wish of “Italy sends a typical power ballad devoid of anything the mainstream fandom likes” finally came true. It was pretty refreshing to have a year where people weren’t shoving Italy’s entry up my nose left right and centre. In terms of my actual thoughts I can’t deny that the guy has a tremendous voice, but for some reason the song just doesn’t… click with me. I guess I like my male Italian singers a little more gruff and raspy, if you know what I mean. They gotta sound like they smoke at LEAST five packets of cigarettes a day for me to take notice.

Malta- All of my Love

Listen I am 100% rooting for Destiny Chukunyere to win this contest some day but man was this song a disappointment. It feels so… un-special and generic, like it gets the job done and that’s it. It’s not the stand-up-and-belt-it-out soul anthem I’d hoped for, it’s just… there.

Moldova- Prison

All I remember about this song is that it vaguely reminds me of that one Meccano song about the gypsy who makes a deal with the moon or something. And I’ve TRIED to remember more about what it sounds like, trust me.

Latvia- Still Breathing

The one horrible weird song you get every year which overuses strobe effects to the point it comes with an epilepsy warning. Would be bearable if it wasn't for the singer’s insistence that this is actually some feminist masterpiece when it's really just a self-empowerment club song about the singer fingerbanging herself over the fact she writes music.

Lithuania- On Fire

One of the songs everyone thought was going to win at one point, even though it seems like a surefire non-qualifier to me. It’s one of those weird entries, but not the kind of over the top, batshit insane, you’d-have-to-be-drunk-to-enjoy-it weird, the kind of subdued surreal weird. Like this is weed instead of LSD or cocaine weird. Granted my mom, who I consider to be a "typical" Eurofan, actually really liked this song when she saw it in the recaps, so who knows maybe this would have done well with televoters after all.

Netherlands- Grow

I appreciate this song for how artsy and clever it is with its structure, since it starts off acapella and the instrumental builds up with the song until it stops suddenly, symbolising a person’s growth from a child into an adult, and ending suddenly with their death (Geddit? The song’s called “Grow”). But it feels like the kind of song that would be lost on a Eurovision audience. The juries would have taken note, for sure, but the televote… let’s be honest, they’d have been too busy drunk voting for Russia to care about anything else.

North Macedonia- You

Well, it's better than the miserable dirge they sent last year, but given how I'd rather pleasure myself with a steak knife than listen to that song, that really isn't saying much. Going back to “You”, it really just feels like a diet version of Switzerland’s entry from last year, combined with Sweden’s song from 2018. What I’m saying is it’s your average “I’m a man in a club and I want to dance with and probably fuck this hot girl I just met” song, which I a new genre I just made up. You’re welcome.

Norway- Attention

One of those songs you appreciate because it sounds nice and the singer has a good voice, but instantly forget because it’s really not all that interesting. If I sound like I'm repeating myself, welcome to Eurovision 2020.

Poland- Empires

“Rise Like a Phoenix” but sung by a wannabe Adele and not a mascara-wearing Jesus in a dress. Like a lot of other songs on this list, it’s just average across the board, likeable when it’s on, but instantly forgettable as soon as the next song comes on.

Portugal: Medo de Sentir

Pretty, but also similar to their ill-fated 2018 entry, only with a bit more energy and less pink hair. What I’m saying is this would have been another NQ unless the crowd who enjoy subtle ambience music come in to save it like they did with Slovenia's entry last year.

Romania- Alcohol You

See Bulgaria, because this is practically the same song. It’s just as dreary, just as badly sung (if not worse because holy shit this girl sounds like she’s being suffocated), and I suppose you COULD excuse that by saying she’s drunk or hungover… but I don’t want to listen to someone ungracefully mumble into a microphone for three minutes.

Russia- Uno

A classic big camp party song, the kind of song people who haven’t watched Eurovision since 2003 think wins on the regular. I can see why people would like it (especially in this boring year lmao, I applaud Russia for taking the opportunity to loosen their corset and just send a complete mess instead of their usual clinical vote grabs), but it’s just not something I enjoy. It's the song that plays into the misconception that Eurovision is just a clown show for drunk people, like this is just here to be that one flash-in-the-pan meme song that only entertains people who don’t really care about Eurovision until the day before it airs. Kind of like the old ladies they sent in 2012 (remember them?).

San Marino- Freaky!

San Marino, in true Sammarinese fashion, have yet again sent a decade-ambiguous song which sounds like it was either released in 1978 or 2003. I feel like this would have been one of those songs which could have surprised us if it had a really wacky, creative performance (think like Moldova in 2018), but this is San Marino so you know that would never happen.

Serbia- Hasta la Vista

Insert unoriginal joke about a decade wanting their shitty trend back right here. Okay maybe that’s a bit harsh, especially considering how this song is actually, yanno, unique in comparison to the rest of this year. But it still feels weirdly dated, in a way where I can’t decide whether it sounds like it belongs in 1998 or 2018. I suppose girl power ages a song regardless of when it was released.

Slovenia- Voda

Yet another standard Balkan-European power ballad which you appreciate because it’s well sung, but forget the moment it ends because it’s kinda boring. … Does anyone else have a bit of deja vu?

Spain- Universo

For some reason I feel like this song is shilling itself out to someone but I have no idea who. Aside from the horny people voting solely because the singer is moderately attractive even with that wretched Jedward haircut.

Sweden- Move

Imagine soul but… boring.

Switzerland- Répondez Moi

Imagine Arcade but… in French.

United Kingdom- My last Breath

Not the best the UK could have done, but it’s at least a modern offering unlike the residual dregs of the mid-90s that we sent throughout the 2010s. It’s definitely a bit too generic to have done any better than maybe 15th, but hey at least the cancellation means we won’t have to see it not do as well as the BBC thinks it’s entitled to do, prompting a billion clickbait articles about how Brexit somehow affected our performance.

Ukraine- Solovey

At long last we come to something you probably weren't expecting: a song I actually really like. Which is weird because I usually don't care for or don't like whatever Ukraine vomits into the contest, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a song I liked from them in such a weak year. This song isn’t for everyone, it’s white noise singing which is a very acquired taste, but this is honestly the only 2020 song I find myself coming back to over and over. And it’s in Ukrainian too, so you don’t have to put up with their usual mangled English offerings.

#and that conclude's the mods thoughts lmao #eurovision #if this is good i might do this with other years let me know what you think #mod speaks #mod reviews

9 notes · View notes

the-burning-tiger · 8 years ago

Text

Magnus’ Eurovision Soiree

So in honour of Eurovision I thought I’d repost this….hope you enjoy…

or read on A03

Still Alec didn't worry too much.

Alec had started to feel a little trepidation when he had seen the invites which were unsurprisingly very glittery..

Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood

Cordially invite you to celebrate

The musical spectacular that is

The Eurovision Song Contest

Fancy dress mandatory Come representing your favourite European country

He had felt then that things were getting somewhat out of control. But seriously how bad could a singing contest be … Right?

Fireworks…drink Wind machine …drink Costume change…drink Key change…drink

The list was apparently endless.

Alec had started to realise far too late that the situation was getting rapidly out of hand and equally that there was no way to back out now.

Alec leaned back against the bar feeling decidedly tipsy as he sipped on a martini and gazed around the scene before him.

“Fireworks…drink”

“Costume change .. Drink”

“Sweden 12 points…drink” the shout went up

Closely followed by a very drunk Jace, in full Viking regalia, exclaiming loudly that he was Denmark obviously not Sweden but then drinking anyway.

Alec felt someone lean heavily against his shoulder and looking down saw a slightly wobbly looking Lily looking up at him her smile wide and very fangy.

“Great party Alec..” She was slightly slurry and waving around a rather large glass of Bloody Mary… Emphasis on the bloody.

Despite her slightly inebriated state the vampire as always was immaculately dressed in a baby pink skirt suit.

“Hey Lily, missed the memo about fancy dress…” Alec admonished lightly

“It's vintage Coco Chanel darling..” She pouted back

Seeing Alec raising a questioning eyebrow Lilly was soon shouting across the room…

“Bane….. Bane … I love your boyfriend, I really do, but you simply must teach him something about fashion…..”

Magnus who was dancing with a group of Bavarian barmaid seelies looked across grinning broadly..

“Darling… It's a lost cause..” He shouted back winking at Alec.

Lily punched him firmly on the arm..

“So you see it's practically French national costume…”

“Huh”

“Oh you're hopeless..” She huffed “Fine… I'm going to rescue Raphael, at least he appreciates good dress sense”

As Lily sashayed off Alec overheard Maia’s friend and fellow werewolf Bat, who had been roped into DJ duty, announcing that the next one was for all you lovers out there in his most cheesy voice.

“Cheater..”

“Always”

Alec pulled the warlock into a soft lingering kiss.

They rested their foreheads together as they swayed to the music together, Magnus’ ridiculously high platform boots making them almost the same height.

“So much for a quiet soirée ..” Alec murmured

“If I'd told you would you have wanted to do this…”

“Hmmm maybe not…”

“Are you having fun though..”

Alec pulled back a little and smiled at his boyfriend.

“Definitely …”

“I don't think you’re the only one” Magnus nodded his head to the right of them where a pinstriped suited Raj was currently entangled with a very handsome seelie knight.

“Raj.. Really…when did that happen…”

“Ah my boyfriend the trendsetter”

Magnus grinned at him wolfishly.

“We should do this more often …”

“Mags…”

The warlock threw his head back and shouted..

“Same time next year everyone?”

A huge cheer erupted .

“See they agree…” He smirked.

“You're impossible…”

Alec leaned in and kissed the warlock lightly.

“I love you Magnus Bane”

“I love you too.”

“I swear Magnus if you don't stop moving like that I'll have no choice but to drag you out of here and tear that catsuit off you..”

“Now that sounds like an excellent plan..” Magnus breathed starting to manoeuvre them away from the party “I'm sure everyone's far too busy to notice.”

The last thing Alec noticed before they bundled into the bedroom was Jace leering suggestively and giving him thumbs up.

As Magnus dragged him in for a hungry kiss Alec reflected that it had been an awesome night and, he thought it was about to get a hell of a lot better.

#malec #eurovision #my fic #shadowhunters

7 notes · View notes