#sorry no citi zēni this time

[lookninjas]

Pick a SPOOKY Song (with only a bad description!)

It's been a while since I've done this, so hopefully my bad descriptions aren't that terrible.

Same rules as always. Pick a song that appeals to you based on my really bad descriptions. Some of the songs you might be able to guess what they are, others probably not so much. If you want to know what a song is and don't want to wait a week, send me an ask and I will tell you!

At the end of a week, I will take the poll results and make a playlist in that order, from the song that gets the least votes to the song that gets the most votes. Should there be ties, then I'll pick the order of those songs, but I always kind of feel like that defeats the purpose of having the poll in the first place, so please please reblog this poll. I know trying to get proper sample size on social media isn't gonna happen, and that's fine. I just don't want to have another six-way tie situation.

If you would like to be notified when the playlist is posted, please leave a comment or put it in the tags -- I will keep a list so I can @ you when the time is right.

Playlist will be posted in a week, which works out brilliantly because that's Halloween.

And that's it! See you guys in a week! (except not because I'll reblog it a few times; I always do.)

[invece-sto-sdraiato]

🕯random joker out manifestations🕯

first things first - the backstage episode. I need it pls and thank you

ngvot (kris version) - enough things have been said about this, again I WILL lose my shit if this happens

jan doing backing vocals - just imagine... hearing that sultry voice (it's already doing things to me)

that wedding photo shoot thingy that bojan and jure did but - instead with jan and nace (hehehe I know what will happen if this happens)

a spanish cover of any of their songs, or a cover of a spanish song. or maybe even an original song in spanish but that would be too much to ask for (what do you think @da-proti-toku-grem ?)

a collab. artists that i wish for are: käärijä (obviously), mrfy, lps, alessandra (would slay), monika liu (they themselves have mentioned it), jet black diamonds, citi zēni (just imagine the amount of chaos) pls do tell if y'all have any wishes for collabs too!

kris doing an interpretive dance routine - i know this is very random and will never happen, but tell me he doesn't at least look like he could slay at ballet? or even figure skating (hi @sparkles-oflight !)

kris singing in dutch: no commentary necessary (also i can't keep watching the wiwibloggs interview in which he translates and sings something in dutch, a hundred times in a week)

nace wearing that overall he wore in a photoshoot on stage (pls it was so cute!)

jure in a princess dress. screw it, all of them in a princess dress (customized for each of them) god it's killing me just to imagine it

if you read the whole thing, thanks and i'm sorry. here's a pic of Nace for your trouble

[teamrocketmemes]

[ ESC 2022 SENTENCE STARTER ] - PART 3

Lyrics chosen from all 40 of the official chosen songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Feel free to change any pronouns where necessary.

Die Together – Amanda Tenfjord

“Doesn’t seem like you’re all fine.”

“And when we cry we do it on our own.”

“It’s been a lovely year for us.”

“But if we die together now.”

“I will hold you ’til forever.”

“That’s the only way we can get out of this hell we made.”

“Take my heart, rip it out.”

“Bring it to the other side.”

Með hækkandi sól – Systur

“All but covered in deep wounds of sorrow.”

“A deep longing burns within.”

“In the twilight you can see beautiful freedom moving closer.”

“The darkest winter, waits for the sun.”

“With growing hope for brighter days.”

“The ice and shadows will give way…”

“The darkest winter, waits for spring.”

That’s Rich – Brooke

“Ain’t you gettin’ bored of your reflection.”

“I’m tired of dodging all your calls.”

“Hey stupid, that’s rich.”

“You think I dress up for you?”

“Think maybe you should please yourself.”

“I think it’s funny how you miss me.”

“You were a lazy lover.”

“You see me now, you want me.”

I.M – Michael Ben David

“Sometimes love can bring you down.”

“You can say that I’m stunning.”

“Tell me if we can take it to the floor.”

“I’m the fire, the power.”

“I’m gonna take the crown.”

“I’m shameless and I’m spotless and I’m flawless.”

“‘Cause no one brings me down.”

Brividi – Mahmood & BLANCO

“I dreamed of flying with you.”

“Sometimes I don’t know how to express myself.”

“And I’d like to love you but I’m always wrong.”

“And you, you are the opposite of an angel.”

“And you run away from here, leaving me like this.”

“And I would like to steal you a sky of pearls.”

“And I’m sorry if I fuck it all up.”

“This poison that we spit every day.”

Eat Your Salad – Citi Zēni

“Instead of meat I eat veggies and pussy.”

“I ride my bicycle to work instead of a car.”

“The karma comes for free and so does luck.”

“All the signs are there, let’s go organic.”

“Being green is sexy as fuck.”

“Forget the hot dogs ‘cause my sausage is bigger.”

“If you want your man’s dong longer than a gecko’s…”

Sentimental – Monika Liu

“At night, it’s knocking at my heart.”

“Why are you laughing like a clown??”

“Moments spinning around in my head.”

“A million roses like sentiments.”

“The restless sea is murmuring.”

“That it – he’s never coming back.”

“I remember standing in the middle of the dunes of Nida.”

I Am What I Am – Emma Muscat

“Remind me who I am.”

“Take it or leave it.”

“I’m gonna take command.”

“Bending backwards trying to fit in.”

“It’s time I shut you up.”

“I’ll make them understand.”

[danielfuckingricciardo]

Because I’m in the Eurovision mood I thought I’d share my favourite song from each country (past and present!)

1. Albania 🇦🇱

2022 - Sekret // Ronela Hajati

2. Andorra 🇦🇩

2006 - Sense Tu // Jennifer

3. Armenia 🇦🇲

2014 - Not Alone // Aram MP3

4. Australia 🇦🇺

2015 - Tonight Again // Guy Sebastian

5. Austria 🇦🇹

2014 - Rise Like a Phoenix // Conchita Wurst

(This song makes me feel emotions every time damn it!)

6. Azerbaijan 🇦🇿

2021 - Mata Hari // Efendi

7. Belarus 🇧🇾

2014 - Cheesecake // Teo

(Underrated tune fr)

8. Belgium 🇧🇪

2015 - Rhythm Inside // Loïc Nottet

9. Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦

2011 - Love in Rewind // Dino Merlín

10. Bulgaria 🇧🇬

2017 - Beautiful Mess // Kristian Kostov

11. Croatia 🇭🇷

2023 - Mama ŠČ! // Let 3

12. Cyprus 🇨🇾

2018 - Fuego // Eleni Foureira

13. Czechia 🇨🇿

2019 - Friend of a Friend // Lake Malawi

(Was very hard to choose between this one and Lie To Me. It’s a very close second)

14. Denmark 🇩🇰

2021 - Øve Os På Hinanden // Fyr Og Flamme

(Was robbed in the semi-finals imo)

15. Estonia 🇪🇪

2015 - Goodbye to Yesterday // Elina Born + Stig Rästa

16. Finland 🇫🇮

2022 - Jezebel // The Rasmus

(Should have done so much better imo)

17. France 🇫🇷

2016 - J’ai Cherché // Amir

18. Georgia 🇬🇪

2011 - One More Day // Eldrine

19. Germany 🇩🇪

2011 - Taken by a Stranger // Lena

(Better than Satellite for sure, but Satellite slaps too)

20. Greece 🇬🇷

2008 - Secret Combination // Kalomira

21. Hungary 🇭🇺

2018 - Viszlát Nyár // AWS

22. Iceland 🇮🇸

2020 - Think About Things // Daði og Gagnamagnið

(Basic I know but it’s just such a good tune)

23. Ireland 🇮🇪

2011 - Lipstick // Jedward

(Not sorry about this one it slaps and Jedward are my kings)

24. Israel 🇮🇱

2015 - Golden Boy // Nadav Guedj

25. Italy 🇮🇹

(Gonna have to do a top five because I have such a thing for Italy in Eurovision I can’t pick just one oop)

2017 - Occidentali’s Karma // Francesco Gabbani

2015 - Grande Amore // Il Volo

2018 - Non Mi Avette Fatto Niente // Ermal Meta + Fabrizio Moro

2021 - Zitti E Buoni // Måneskin

2019 - Soldi // Mahmood

26. Latvia 🇱🇻

2022 - Eat Your Salad // Citi Zēni

(As a vegetarian and a bisexual I approve this message)

27. Lithuania 🇱🇹

2021 - Discotheque // The Roop

28. Luxembourg 🇱🇺

1988 - Croire // Lara Fabian

29. Malta 🇲🇹

2022 - Je Me Casse // Destiny

30. Moldova 🇲🇩

(My second favourite Eurovision country so here’s a top three)

2022 - Trenulețul // Zdob şi Zdub & Advahov Brothers

2018 - My Lucky Day // DoReDos

2017 - Hey Mamma // Sunstroke Project

31. Monaco 🇲🇨

1964 - Où Sont-elles Passées? // Romuald

(When I say I have an obsession with this song I mean it. PS Monaco plz come back we miss you!!)

32. Montenegro 🇲🇪

2015 - Adio // Knez

- Ranking Morocco doesn’t really feel fair because they only participated once lol -

33. The Netherlands 🇳🇱

2016 - Slow Down // Douwe Bob

(Hehe 33 Max Verstappen number it’s fate fr)

34. North Macedonia 🇲🇰

2012 - Crno I Belo // Kaliopi

35. Norway 🇳🇴

2009 - Fairytale // Alexander Rybak

(Listen I know it’s a basic choice but this song is iconic for a reason y’know? It slaps)

36. Poland 🇵🇱

2022 - River // Ochman

(King of the vocals fr brings me to tears every time)

37. Portugal 🇵🇹

2021 - Love is On My Side // The Black Mamba

38. Romania 🇷🇴

2010 - Playing With Fire // Paula Seling + Ovi

39. Russia 🇷🇺

2016 - You are the Only One // Sergey Lazarev

(Listen I’m a Sergey Lazarev stan first and human second. Between 2016 and 2018 I almost exclusively listened to his back catalogue and nothing else)

40. San Marino 🇸🇲

(Underrated country fr no one gets them like I do so they also get a top three)

2022 - Stripper // Achille Lauro

2021 - Adrenalina // Senhit + Flo-Rida

2019 - Say Na Na Na // Serhat

41. Serbia 🇷🇸

2023 - Samo Mi Se Spava // Luke Black

- Also not counting Serbia and Montenegro because they don’t have an emoji flag and they only participated twice -

42. Slovakia 🇸🇰

2010 - Horehronie // Kristina Pelakova

43. Slovenia 🇸🇮

2023 - Carpe Diem // Joker Out

44. Spain 🇪🇸

2019 - La Venda // Miki

(When I say this song was robbed I mean it. One of the biggest injustices faced in Eurovision was Miki coming 22nd)

45. Sweden 🇸🇪

(Sweden get a top three because they’re Sweden… they always slay)

2015 - Heroes // Måns Zelmerlöw

2012 - Euphoria // Loreen

2017 - I Can’t Go On // Robin Bengtsson

46. Switzerland 🇨🇭

2021 - Tout l'Univers // Gjon’s Tears

47. Türkiye 🇹🇷

2010 - We Could Be The Same // maNga

(Türkiye come back we miss you!!)

48. Ukraine 🇺🇦

(Another slay country so here’s a top three)

2018 - Under the Ladder // MELOVIN

2007 - Dancing Lasha Tumbai // Verka Serduchka

2021 - Shum // Go_A

49. United Kingdom 🇬🇧

(In the name of patriotism, of which I have very little, let’s do a top five + an honourable mention)

2012 - Love Will Set You Free // Engelbert Humperdinck

2022 - SPACE MAN // Sam Ryder

1981 - Making Your Mind Up // Buck’s Fizz

1968 - Congratulations // Cliff Richard

1976 - Save Your Kisses for Me // Brotherhood of Man

+ my honourable mention, Freaks // Jordan Clarke which should have been our song for 2019 but the British general public have no taste. I firmly believe this is why they no longer trust us to hold a national selection anymore lol

50. Yugoslavia *insert flag here*

1989 - Rock Me // Riva

(Basic choice I know, to pick their only winning song, but it slaps)

And that’s everyone!! Feel free to judge me hard for my tastes lol 😂

[ragazza-paradiso]

well, we are 7 hours away from the very first eurovision show of this year, so i might as well make a ranking of semi 1, based on all the footage of rehearsals we’ve seen so far….

i find this semi final to be much stronger than the other one, and a lot harder to rank tbh. whatever happens i’m gonna lose at least some of my faves 💔

17. 🇳🇴 “Give That Wolf a Banana” by Subwoolfer: i’ve already been over so many times that i don’t like this song and the rehearsals haven’t changed that for me, so yeah.

16. 🇨🇭 “Boys Do Cry” by Marius Bear: the song is boring with a message we’ve heard 1000 times before and the staging is cringe i’m sorry but this is not it. plus the melody is…. eerily similar to what a beautiful world.

15. 🇧🇬 “Intention” by Intelligent Music Project: the staging is actually pretty good and definitely elevates the song but the actual song is just too weak to go anywhere for me. doesn’t deserve all the hate it’s gotten from eurofans though.

14. 🇦🇹 “Halo” by LUM!X ft. Pia Maria: the studio cut is good but from what i’ve seen the staging’s not that great and pia maria’s vocals just aren’t what they need to be for a song like this. dance songs like this are always very difficult to do right at esc and i don’t think they’re perfected it enough unfortunately

13. 🇩🇰 “The Show” by REDDI: i do like this song but i tend to forget it when i’m considering the whole line up which is a shame! but once again the staging just hasn’t really elevated it enough for me

12. 🇦🇱 “Sekret” by Ronela Hajati: i’ve been on such a journey with this song; i LOVED it in FiK and it was one of my faves, then she released the revamped version partly in english and the new beat and it slid down a little in my ranking because i preferred the old version, but i still liked it. and then the stage performance… i love ronela so much still and i really hope she qualifies because it seems like she has put so much effort into eurovision, but honestly this performance is not great. i think they got the colour palette wrong and it looks very messy from what we’ve seen. i wish she had just kept the base of the FiK performance and adjusted it slightly for esc but oh well 😭

11. 🇸🇮 “Disko” by LPS: another song i actually really love, but i can’t squeeze it into my top 10 😔 the staging looks good but not amazing - that’s the only reason it’s not qualifying for me

10. 🇲🇩 “Trenulețul” by Zdob și Zdub & Frații Advahov: this is so fun and yes, while i may be disappointed there is no train on stage, i can’t ignore the pure energy this entry has. it’s why it has to be in my top 10.

9. 🇱🇻 “Eat Your Salad” by Citi Zēni: another entry that has this infectious kind of energy - pure good vibes and it’s quirky in an actually organic & funny way (take notes norway).

8. 🇺🇦 “Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra: i really love this song, it’s catchy and incorporates traditional instrumentation which i love, but the staging hasn’t really clicked for me yet. idk it feels a bit messy. but maybe it will come together in the live shows

7. 🇭🇷 “Guilty Pleasure” by Mia Dimšić: i know, i know, this has maybe a 2% chance to qualify, and i am going to be devastated when i lose it this evening, but…. here i am. i love this song, i love mia, i like the staging (controversial opinion?) and i just think this doesn’t get nearly as much love as it deserves.

6. 🇦🇲 “SNAP” by Rosa Linn: this was a bit of a meh song for me before rehearsals, but the staging… wow. one of the best stagings this year for me. she’s an amazing singer too, literally sounds the same as the studio track. the lyrics have grown on me a lot too. girlie will sail to the final.

5. 🇮🇸 “Með hækkandi sól” by Systur: this is so magical, i love the way they’ve choreographed it and the camera shots are amazing. their voices together are so enchanting. i REALLY hope this qualifies, they deserve it!

4. 🇱🇹 “Sentimentai” by Monika Liu: this is the biggest grower for me this year, she is amazing and charismatic on stage, the camera shots are great and i love her costume. just so good.

3. 🇵🇹 “saudade, saudade” by MARO: this song is so beautiful, so from the heart. i love the staging, it’s so intimate, and i love that maro brought along other festival da canção artists with her. they seem to have a really close bond and you can tell from the performance.

2. 🇳🇱 “De diepte” by S10: i’ve loved this since the beginning and i’ve never stopped. her voice is amazing and the instrumentation is haunting but beautiful. the lyrics are exactly the same. you feel the pain she feels. i’m so happy S10 decided to take part in esc this year.

1. 🇬🇷 “Die Together” by Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord: i got goosebumps when i first listened to this song and again whenever i see her perform it since. she is breathtaking, the staging looks beautiful too. i love the acapella beginning and the explosion of noise at the end. my winner this evening

[an-esc-flowery]

It’s Supernova Season!!

Dear God, is it 2022′s first ever Super Saturday so soon? February 5th really couldn’t come fast enough tbh. It’s going to be an interesting day as the fandom implodes over any fate Mahmood and FriendTM has at Sanremo, wails at the Eesti Laul qualifiers, and gawks at Hasta La Vista somehow winning the 4th MGP semi final...

...which is why I’m going to ignore all of that and talk about something no one cares about: Supernova!

For my first NF season like ever, I’m pleasantly surprised with this year’s Latvian selection, given its subpar reputation (and I kinda ranked 2018 to back that up, though I feel like I saw it more negatively due to my own health issues, yet I digress).

Even though the current fandom conversation around this selection can basically be boiled down to Team Salad vs Team Aminata, I feel like there are lots of gems that EVERYONE IS SLEEPING ON ahem, deserves some more love, so here I am giving a review of the 17 Supernova semifinalists!!! 

We’ll go down according to the semifinal running order, soooo let’s stop dragging this on and go to eurofan enemy #1:

1. Citi Zēni - "Eat Your Salad"

Man I gotta say, that is one hell of an opener. This jazzy, upbeat track with a tight progression, lyrics chock full of sexual innuendos, and a strong environmental message sure spells “daring”. And the “Other Boys” of Latvia took that as a challenge. Many describe this as a joke entry, the epitome of jury poison, a destined flop; and I’m here smh-ing so hard my neck is gonna snap. With previous stage experience from Muzikālā Banka, an obnoxiously colourful staging, and a clear “calling out to the bros” charisma, Citi Zēni is sure to keep jurors’ and televoters’ attention fixed on them. And that is where they shall infect everyone with the song’s hypnotically groovy beat, though don’t be fooled by the frat-boy exterior of the track: I believe that having the balls to submit something like this to national television means they’re bent on infecting audiences with a genuine go-green message as well. Also, who can’t resist some veggies and p*ssy?

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10 

2. Miks Dukurs - "First Love"

I hate to say this but oh my god this is the perfect song for the death running order slot. Miks Dukurs gives us a very stripped back, simple ballad about a first love, and honestly I wish he would just... do something in this song. His vocals do lend to the tragedy in his heart and are commendable, but apart from that I don’t feel like this song is doing anything at all, really. And sometimes that works (see: Aminata pre-revamp), but this is on another level of “I would’ve forgotten this completely if I hadn’t looped the Supernova playlist 8 times”. Sorry Miks, I sure hope that your staging can save this, though it can be a bit hard to win me back, specifically.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

  3. Linda Rušeniece - “Pay My Own Bills"

Did somebody order a sassy girlbop? Because Linda is here to drop some pop perfection, and she did not come to disappoint. A run-of-the-mill song about realising your own confidence, Linda puts her own spin on the basic pop formula with some snazzy vocals and saxophones, trumpets, and cymbals in the instrumental to match. There’s not much to say about this because really: its only point is making you feel like a bad bitch while paying off your maxed  out credit cards bills, but I’m basic and like basic songs, okay? The better Ralfs Eilands song in this selection, I’m sure the experienced Linda will be able to pull off a cool performance onstage, yassifying the country as any pop diva does.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

4. Elīna Gluzunova - "Es Pabiju Tur" (”I Went There”)

With our only Latvian language song in this entire selection (unless LTV adds Brinumzeme as an impromptu wildcard finalist pleasepleaseplease), this X factor winner brings us a relaxing, calming song about... I’m not really sure; I don’t speak Latvian (yet). What I do know is that Elina’s sweet voice compliments the soft, tender melody well, painting a hopeful picture in everyone’s minds with this tune. Donning an elegant black dress with opera gloves to match from teasers, Elina will undoubtedly bring a classy performance, compensating for the fact that this song feeling kind of boring on first listens. 

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

5. Raum - “Plans”

Amazing spectacular showstopping never-seen-before magnificent immaculate... (repeat stan Twitter terminology ad nauseam). As a married man with a kid, Raum still knows how to deliver some explosive, teenage energy in this upbeat guitar track about asking someone out for the weekend. I love how he blends his energetic, optimistic singing voice in the choruses with some slick, cool spoken word in the verses, undoubtedly making any subject of his song fall head over heels for him. Reminiscent of 2000s Disney sitcom opening themes with some staging teasers of a similar vibe, the first ever artist to be signed to Warner Music Baltics will surely break more records when he shines on the Supernova stage, giving the audience a nostalgic feel while they dance along to this teenage heartthrob guitar track. 

❀ Rating: 💐 💐 💐 💐 💐 💐 💐 💐 💐 💐 /10 marrymeraum

6. Patriks Peterson - "Can't Get You Outta My Head"

My initial reaction to this song was to think of driving through the city while the radio provides me with inoffensive yet delectable tunes, and I think that’s a good way to sum up this song. Patriks Peterson’s second single ever features a cool, jazzy, cafe-like vibe about obsessing over a crush (with his MV taking that a little too far), with Patriks’s own uniquely deep voice complementing the retro instrumental perfectly. It’s a song that you can play while relaxing, or if you need a soothing bop, or even to dance to! Even though you can boil it down to a generic love song, I can’t help but feel like it stands out on its own in a good way. Is it Patriks’s voice? Is it production choices? Maybe even the general aesthetic the song goes for that’s uncommon in popular music today? Either way, there is no way I can get this song outta my head anytime soon. 

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

7. Mēs Jūs Mīlam - "Rich Itch"

Remember how I called “Pay My Own Bills” the “better Ralfs Eilands song”? Well, here’s the other one! It’s not bad by any stretch: the comedy duo “Mēs Jūs Mīlam” (”We Love You”) wanted to deliver a catchy EDM song about doing whatever you want (side note: Ralfs sure does like writing songs about being a bad bitch. Maybe ‘cause he is one), and they did just that, and it works. It’s a solid pseudo-earworm that gets stuck in your head too many times with an upbeat, cheery atmosphere. My tiny gripe with this is with how cheap the whole song feels. Seriously? Two choruses, some spoken word bridge thing, and another chorus. And the end? The whole thing feels like it was written in under an hour (I mean “Heartbeat” from 2016 was too, but I digress) so the song itself feels lacking. You may disagree, but one thing’s for sure: it’s sure better than Ralf’s 2013 entry at Eurovision. May not be that high of a bar, but oh well.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

8. Katō - "Promises"

Speaking of cheap production, have you heard of Melfest rejects? Then get ready for Chinese Music Rejects, and that is exactly what this song felt like to me early on. With overdone record scratches and chimes prominently displayed in the chorus, “Promises” feels like a theme song for a Hong Kong sitcom that was written in 10 minutes (with an actual theme song to back this up!). Regardless of all that, I can’t deny that the entire thing is just so damn cute. Katō’s cute voice coupled with the generally adorable production of the song just radiates so much positive energy, and as someone who stans Love is Forever to death, I just can’t hate this just awww. I can’t overlook the cheapness of this song, yet I also can’t undermine how cute it is. Makes me wanna marry myself too!

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

9. Miks Galvanovskis - "I'm Just a Sinner"

Latvia couldn’t afford to get Hozier as a guest like Rai did for Sanremo, so they got Miks instead. And boy as a discount Hozier he does not disappoint (Hozier I like your music don’t sue me). This online wildcard winner brings to us a powerful electric guitar track about reconciling the fact that you’ve been a bad, bad boy in the eyes of daddy Jesus. Miks’s impressive vocal belts, coupled with the joining choir and intense instrumentation pulls any listener in and invites them to also pray mercy to God. Even with some odd choices in the song’s structure, you can’t deny it: this bangs so hard.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

10. Markus Riva - "If You're Gonna Love Me"

Oh hello agaiin Mr Riva, nice to see you back on your, I don’t know, 8th attempt at Supernova? You’ll get to Eurovision someday, but probably not with this song. This is another generic love song, but lacking its own edge or uniqueness that other entrants in this selection have that set them apart. It works well as a simple, inoffensive, radio friendly song, I won’t deny that; it just feels very... Melfest? to me? The instrumental and production all feel very overdone and passe, though a step up from some of his other entries, still kind of lacks some sort of oomph. Eh, I guess i’ll just say: this ain’t for me.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻  /10

11. The Coco'nuts - "In and Out of the Dark"

Okay, who let a band called “The Coco’nuts” write something this hauntingly intriguing? While I could sue them for misleading advertising, I’d throw that case out so I could loop this blues/rock track in peace instead. With a melody you’d hear in a tragic flashback of a cop drama or a very suspicious cafe along a rainy street at 9pm, coupled with equally mysterious lyrics addressing the listener directly (What do you do when you go out in the dark?), this song is a true trance: hypnotic, calming; yet also cryptic, chilling. Whether audiences will be entranced enough to vote for this alternative tune is a mystery; though either way, it is still elegant and excellent.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

12. Aminata - "I'm Letting You Go"

Joining this NF’s (and the whole season’s) laundry list of returnees, the “Love Injected” and “Heartbeat” composer is back to start another Latvian ESC renaissance. Is it working? Varies wildly depending on who you ask. Personally, I don’t find this track anything groundbreaking, but that’s okay. It’s still a heartfelt, emotional piano ballad about letting someone go, and you really can’t go too wrong with those. I’m a sucker for songs like that so I like this, but I feel like it especially shines in its lyricism: it addresses that the two have drifted apart without pointing any fingers, only reconciling feelings, and I find that aspect especially beautiful. Do I want this to win? Not really. Will I be happy if it very probably eventually does? Of course, because that’s one more sad ballad for me to project onto by taking lines out of context. Hope she does well performing this while isolating!

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

13. Bermudu Divstūris - "Bad"

So I sure love it when song titles describe their overall quality so I know what to expect. Bermudu Divstūris, with a member who participated in Eurovision as Musiqq in 2011, presents to us a song I’m convinced plays at every party in Latvia now, from pre-teen birthday parties to underground fratboy raves. An EDM banger, it is good at what it does: hyping up a crowd. And I can appreciate it as a bop. Though honestly, I’m really not that big of a fan of how the song is structured and lyricism (and I know I shouldn’t expect something amazing but dear God). I can dance to this, I really can, and I can see myself raving with some fratboys to this too, though if something else comes on I’d jump at the chance to play that instead.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

14. Beatrise Heislere - "On The Way Home"

What do you get if you put “Pay My Own Bills” and “Promises” in a blender? Well, this. “On The Way Home” is another song about finding yourself and dismissing people not good enough for you, like we’ve seen earlier. This song hits the standard beats of an empowerment bop lyrically, though musically I’m not sure if this was the best choice. With some synths and other productions ripped straight out of 2014, this gives the song the cheap vibes of “Promises” without any of the cuteness to compensate for it. It’s a song I wouldn’t mind coming up on my playlist, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to either. I’m sure Beatrise can change my mind with a confident, star-studded live performance (that is, I assume it will be, because she has teased n o t h i n g of her staging).

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

15. Zelma - "How"

Boy do I love songs that are the musical equivalent of a mental breakdown. A gritty, rough track about bargaining, Zelma doesn’t disappoint with setting a dark, despaired mood for her song. The heavy electric guitars are present throughout, drowning out Zelma’s voice in the process. On one hand, that’s a very cool stylistic choice to represent a very dark space mentally, and I commend Zelma for that. On the other, I cannot comprehend anything she is enunciating. And the guitars can get quite grating at times. But I guess we have to sacrifice some things for art, and that’s going to be my ears and my confidence in them for this case. Nevertheless, it’s still a really good breakdown bop, and I can’t wait to see how she stages this.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

16. Bujāns - "He, She, You & Me"

Ah, hello Party Song #2, I didn’t know you could manage to be worse than a song called “Bad”. Bujāns, featuring 2009 Latvian representative Intars Busulis as one of their members, brings to us a song about... polygamy? I guess? isn’t the entire human race a big family in a way? I digress. Anyway, this song brings to us some “clever” rhymes and phrases, with even more “clever” choices made from a musical and production standpoint. In Twitter terms, the vibes of this are so wack man. I can appreciate it for the quirkiness it presents itself as, but overall it feels kind of unsettling? Once again, like Markus Riva, not for me. 

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10

17. Inspo - "A Happy Place"

Not only do they know how to pick openers, LTV sure knows how to close a show too. The song starts off calm, melancholic, then progressively builds to a climax where the instrumental strips back and the vocalist’s voice becomes tender, almost fragile, and the final leg of the song drops quickly into a moodier, heavier atmosphere. Needless to say, the duo “Inspo” has some serious songwriting chops, with some amazingly emotional vocals to match. Anyone who listens cannot help but feel deep sympathy for the characters in the song; their wishes brimming with bargaining taps deeply into the hearts of everyone before the eventual breakdown.

❀ Rating: 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 /10 Final thoughts before my laptop dies from lagging: I really love this selection, even with its duds, and I can’t wait to see the performances live. Good luck Latvia and hope you don’t flop in the murder semi <3