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[oti]

Oh hello Czech Republic, 12 points for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L2imZRo6NY

So it's Russia vs. Spain (vs. underdog Ukraine)?

what a weird year

 

[Andrin]

Melodifestivalen is everywhere over here right now, which made me go through a bunch of older numbers at random to see what I still remember from growing up.

This one from 2009 has been all but completely forgotten, which is criminal, because it's so Eurovision it hurts. It's fabulous, sparkling trash and it is absolutely glorious.

Also, this year's winner is kinda boring, but he was still a lot better than most of the competition.

 

[oti]

Melodifestivalen is everywhere over here right now, which made me go through a bunch of older numbers at random to see what I still remember from growing up.

This one from 2009 has been all but completely forgotten, which is criminal, because it's so Eurovision it hurts. It's fabulous, sparkling trash and it is absolutely glorious.

Also, this year's winner is kinda boring, but he was still a lot better than most of the competition.

Alla was better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VXs7rOfTdA

12 points from Greece and Cyprus and at least 8 points from Germany etc. your loss Sweden

 

[Lovely Salsa]

Oscar zia didnt win

Instead we send this :/

Oh well, atleast this years melo was pretty good with not that many bad songs

 

[jorma]

Sweden had a pretty mediocre field, with a lot of decent songs but no song capable of winning the whole thing.

I do think the right song won.

 

[Andrin]

Alla was better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VXs7rOfTdA

12 points from Greece and Cyprus and at least 8 points from Germany etc. your loss Sweden

That's definitely a better song, yes. But it's not as unapologetically Eurovision. There's just something about the insane campyness of some Eurovision songs that I really like, despite them often being terrible music-wise. It is the competition of glitter vampires, volcano hairdo's, rapping astronauts and grannies baking cookies after all.

 

[Nere]

Excuse my English but isn't the correct way to say "If I was sorry?" and not "If I were sorry?" Maybe my english skills just suck but that is how I knew it was always.

I was
you were
he/she/it was
we were
you were
they were

 

[Mr Swine]

Man that guy that won in Sweden was hilariously bad at singing :/

 

[BigAl1992]

Excuse my English but isn't the correct way to say "If I was sorry?" and not "If I were sorry?" Maybe my english skills just suck but that is how I knew it was always.

Yes and No. Yes, "If I was sorry?" is the correct pronounciation. No, "If I were sorry?" is still acceptable, even though it's not exactly correct. If it had been "If I were...?" and a different word used instead of "sorry" or "If I were to be sorry?", it'd be a lot better in normal conversation.

 

[oti]

looooooooool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI1JQX8mAc4

 

[SecretMoblin]

yall better stan Velvet and Sofia

So many great Melfest songs through the years.....



"If I Were Sorry" isn't a Eurovision-winning song but whatever, the Swedes seem to like it. It's pretty clear now that the later heats have a clear advantage. I wasn't a big fan of Oscar's song but the results should be heartening for him and hopefully he comes back again. At least Kizunguzungu made the finals.

Russia looking stronger by the day :/

 

[Spyware]

"If I Were Sorry" isn't a Eurovision-winning song but whatever, the Swedes seem to like it.

Nah. They mostly just like Frans it seems.

Also not a big win like most of the wins/top three. It's clear there was no "great song" that spoke to the masses and the votes got extremely spread out.
In 2014 it was a close race with the winner (Undo) getting 122 points from the televotes while the runner up got 113. Third place was not even close with 48. Lowest score was 12.
In 2015 Heroes got 166 points from the people and the runner up "only" 88 points. Lowest was a mere 4 points.
This year... only 68 points for the winner! Right before 45 for the runner up and below that were two songs that got 43 points. The lowest was 28!
That's a huge difference.


I don't dislike the song. It's just not my style and I find it repetitive.

 

[Elepsis]

Excuse my English but isn't the correct way to say "If I was sorry?" and not "If I were sorry?" Maybe my english skills just suck but that is how I knew it was always.

I was
you were
he/she/it was
we were
you were
they were

If I were is correct. It's the subjunctive mood: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/07/

 

[Elider]

Excuse my English but isn't the correct way to say "If I was sorry?" and not "If I were sorry?" Maybe my english skills just suck but that is how I knew it was always.

I was
you were
he/she/it was
we were
you were
they were

It's the subjunctive mood, as Elepsis said. Are you Swedish? "If I were" means "om jag vore", so it essentially calls for a different form of the word. Of course, the subjunctive is as good as extinct in both languages bar a few exceptions such as this one. Compare If I Were A Boy and If I Were A Rich Man.

 

[oti]

Man that guy that won in Sweden was hilariously bad at singing :/

which is a bid of a theme this year

Ireland, Norway, Switzerland and I'm sure a lot more once they have to sing live... it's bad

 

[Kinokou]

which is a bid of a theme this year

Ireland, Norway, Switzerland and I'm sure a lot more once they have to sing live... it's bad

I haven't really heard Agnete outside of when she and Blacksheeps won MGP Junior in Norway, but everyone was praising her vocal talent and was sure she would be our most talented female singer in the future.

Do you think it's her personally or the song being a bad fit that makes it bad? I haven't listened to it yet since I'm waiting for the big show to hear any (most) entries.

 

[oti]

I haven't really heard Agnete outside of when she and Blacksheeps won MGP Junior in Norway, but everyone was praising her vocal talent and was sure she would be our most talented female singer in the future.

Do you think it's her personally or the song being a bad fit that makes it bad? I haven't listened to it yet since I'm waiting for the big show to hear any (most) entries.

I only know that one live performance of Ice Breaker and her singing was unbearable.

 

[evilpigking]

Azerbaijan song is pretty nice, chorus is a little weak though but I generally like what they send even if I'm in the minority.

Updated France song is strong too.

Tops for me atm are probably Russia, France, Latvia, and of course the eventual winner San Marino (>_>);

Worst remains Austria, that won't change

 

[SecretMoblin]

Yeah another year, another Swedish song for Azerbaijan, and again it's pretty good. Not a winner but if her voice is good live it could be fun.

The updated Eurovision/English version of the Albanian song is atrocious, it guts everything that gave the song impact. I have no idea what's wrong this year with so many countries trashing their ok songs. Spain is a victim, and I actually liked the Sanremo version of "Nessun Grado Di Separazione", but the video version is just boring sludge.

 

[oti]

Azerbaijan song is pretty nice, chorus is a little weak though but I generally like what they send even if I'm in the minority.

Updated France song is strong too.

Tops for me atm are probably Russia, France, Latvia, and of course the eventual winner San Marino (>_>);

Worst remains Austria, that won't change

Azerbaijan sounds like a Melodifestivalen song.

 

[evilpigking]

The updated Eurovision/English version of the Albanian song is atrocious, it guts everything that gave the song impact. I have no idea what's wrong this year with so many countries trashing their ok songs. Spain is a victim, and I actually liked the Sanremo version of "Nessun Grado Di Separazione", but the video version is just boring sludge.

Funny you should mention Italy I gave the video another listen last night cause I thought I was gonna put it on my top list but when I listened it wasn't as good as I recalled from the San Remo so it got cut for Latvia

 

[oti]

Malta changed their song to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J7O5BGqPDk

It is soooooo close to greatness it's frustrating. How can your chorus be the worst part of your song? How is that possible?

Anyway, only song not published as of now is Bulgaria. Once that is done I'll update the OP.

 

[oti]

SAN MARINO JUST LOST THE CONTEST
https://youtu.be/KYKFKgwVbV4
They're ditching the original version (aka best song ever in the history of humankind smashing rocks together to produce sound) in favour of this disco version.

Music is dead.

 

[NumberThree]

SAN MARINO JUST LOST THE CONTEST
https://youtu.be/KYKFKgwVbV4
They're ditching the original version (aka best song ever in the history of humankind smashing rocks together to produce sound) in favour of this disco version.

Music is dead.

We definitely need more versions of this song.

 

[SecretMoblin]

despite the downgrade it's still easily one of the ten best songs in that semi.

I'll pray for it.

 

[oti]

Updated all the songs in the OP.
Only Italy's official video is missing so I will have to add that later.

Feel free to discuss your favourites, who you want to reach the final, worst song, best looking

Spoiler

my vote goes to the Czech Republic

or whatever else you want to talk about.

 

[SecretMoblin]

Ok I'll put my list together:

Top 10 faves for ESC 2016, subject to change rapidly:

1.

Justs - Heartbeat (Latvia)

Not really a perfect song, but offers something distinct from the other entries this year and has some slick production and vocals. Also I'd love to see the contest back in Riga; Latvia deserves success for the way it's handled the contest the last few years.

2.

Sergey Lazarev - You Are The Only One (Russia)

Traditional euro schlager with a modern feel. He has a great voice live and the performance will be a big production. This was also the Russian Eurovision team's subtle way of taking a swipe at their government; two of the songwriters were outspoken critics of anti-LGBT legislation in Russia.

3.

Poli Genova - If Love Was A Crime (Bulgaria)

Fun, contemporary pop, and it manages to avoid the slogging, dour feel of most of the other songs this year. Chorus is weak but whatever.

4.

Francesca Michielin - Nessun grado di separazione (Italy)

I hate the ESC version but the song is cute.

5.

Samra - Miracle (Azerbaijan)

Paint-by-numbers Swedish pop. If her voice is good live and there's solid staging it could be a top 5 song.

6.

Nina Kraljić - Lighthouse (Croatia)

Not a huge fan of the song but I like her voice a lot.

7.

Dami Im - Sound of Silence (Australia)

Insultingly bad lyrics from a country where English is ostensibly the native language.

8.

Zoë - Loin d'ici (Austria)

A big gay campy fairytale mess.

9.

Barei - Say Yay! (Spain)

I don't love this like many fans do, but it will provide some much-needed energy on finale night and her dancing is fun.

10.

Jüri Pootsmann - Play (Estonia)

That hook will get old fast but whatever, it hasn't reached that point yet.



I'll do a roundup of the top 20 non-qualifiers from the national finals when I'm less lazy. There were some fantastic songs this year.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

SAN MARINO JUST LOST THE CONTEST
https://youtu.be/KYKFKgwVbV4
They're ditching the original version (aka best song ever in the history of humankind smashing rocks together to produce sound) in favour of this disco version.

Music is dead.

This is even better

Holy shit

 

[oti]

Ok I'll put my list together:

Hold on, you have that utter trash Austria on that list but not Ukraine?

And I thought I liked you.

Edit: Added the official Italian video in the OP.

I continue to not care about it.

 

[Max^Samp]

Finally, Francesca posted her ESC song on VEVO, this is the official entry for Italy

https://youtu.be/TUhKrSPDJ_U

90% in Italian, 10% in English.

So excited for her, I've been following her since the very start. Song is still in top3 in italy(radio) after more than a month...

 

[addik]

Hmm, now I'm rooting for France to take this. I actually really like their song. The Latvian song is also good, but I don't think it's going to win, unless the front contenders (Russia, France, Australia, Croatia, Malta) will actually sound bad live.

Also, I'll probably be in France next year so I want to be caught up in the Eurovision hype when I'm there. (So yeah, selfish reasons, lol)

 

[oti]

I think it'll be a battle between Spain and Russia.

I'm rooting for Ukraine.

 

[SecretMoblin]

I actually kind of like Ukraine's, but I'm not sure she'll pull off the performance live.


Would love to see the contest in Kiev again.


Also sort of surprising that there are only 3 songs without a word of English this year. I think that's a record, or at least close to a record for the modern contest.

 

[oti]

I actually kind of like Ukraine's, but I'm not sure she'll pull off the performance live.


Would love to see the contest in Kiev again.


Also sort of surprising that there are only 3 songs without a word of English this year. I think that's a record, or at least close to a record for the modern contest.

She sang it live during the Ukrainian final and it was fine. Speaking of live, I really hope some nations can pull off their studio versions live. Croatia could be terrible for instance. Or Armenia. I really like the song but I have no idea how it will sound live and how to present it outside of a fast cut music video. It'll be a challenge for sure.

 

[SecretMoblin]

OK, now that I'm done watching all of the national finals, here are the top 20 non-qualifiers, from pretty good to best:

20. Stella Christine - Ain't Got Time For Boys (Finland)

Not the strongest in its style but gives off a really strong 90s pop/R&B radio vibe, which I liked quite a bit.

19. Elly V - I'll Be Around (Bounce) (Austria)

A really cool song that for some reason isn't one of the big preseason hits, but it still gave an acceptable outlet to the people who just cannot stand Zoë.

18. Lisa Ajax - My Heart Wants Me Dead (Sweden)

Modern Swedish pop with a bit of an attitude. The performance/staging wasn't all there but it was a stronger song than it got credit for.

17. Maxine Pace - Young Love (Malta)

It's a bit Junior ESC and it flies a bit too close to the Meghan Trainor sun but ultimately it's a fun, catchy song that recalls one of the better non-qualifiers from recent years, Timebelle's "Singing About Love" from Switzerland's 2015 contest.

16. Marta Grigale - Choices (Latvia)

OK yeah the performance was really bad but it's still great.

Lisa Canadian 1 month ago
it is not even a song, it is the real shit!!!

15. Laura - Supersonic (Estonia)

The mangled English lyrics ("You must have to choose", "jumping to dreams", etc.) just make it more endearing. The song is modern, interesting, and reflects Estonia's recent efforts.

14. Simone - Heart Shaped Hole (Denmark)

A pretty good Sia facsimile from a Dansk MGP veteran.

13. Eini - Draamaa (Finland)

Pure schlager camp turned up to 11 with a nod toward Sweden and I am HERE FOR IT.

12. Raquel - Flashing Lights (Malta)

The faux-dubstep verses sound like ass but the song is pretty strong and I love her voice when she's hitting her notes right.

11. DVINES - Set It On Fire (Latvia)

The song is just ok but the production makes this an absolute banger.

10. Robin Bengtsson - Constellation Prize (Sweden)

Shameless to the point of near-parody and that infamously embarrassing title but whatever, it's a bop.

9. Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz - We Agree (Georgia)

Georgia picked their band internally and then the songs were voted on by the public/jury. This was the best, a really fantastic throwback hazy 90s jam.

8. Keøma - Protected (Germany)

I'm always a fan when legit bands enter national contests just for the hell of it, and this was a great way to shake up the typical German ethos when it comes to selecting a song for ESC.

7. Laila Samuels - Afterglow (Norway)

Melodi Grand Prix was astoundingly terrible this year, but this was the only song worthy of MGP's reputation as it actually sounds something like contemporary Norwegian pop. Losing the weird shirtless dancer and focusing on more closeups on her with the neat laser projection stuff would have helped, but alas the Norwegian public has proven to be hopeless these last few years.

6. Würffel - I'm Facing North (Estonia)

Didn't even make the Eesti Laul finals but I thought it was a really neat take on the modern synthpop revival that all the kids are going crazy for these days.

5. Margaret - Cool Me Down (Poland)

A song so powerful it caused the bookies to favor Poland as this year's Eurovision winner before it even won the Polish selection... and then it lost.

4. Wiktoria - Save Me (Sweden)

Divided a lot of Melfest regulars but I thought (and still think) it was an incredibly strong song/performance. It's schtick but it's really really smart schtick, and one that will make her a guaranteed star whether or not she competes in Melfest again.

3. Karmapolis & Szécsi Böbe - Hold On To (Hungary)

The chill vibe and under-the-sea performance really sold this, along with the great vocals and smart production. Another song that was dead in the water when it showed up for Hungary's contest, but is overall a good thing for ESC. Not a big fan favorite but I really got into it.

2. Raiven - Črno bel (Slovenia)

Could have been this year's "Love Injected" with its slick production, repetitive chorus, and ice queen performance. A damn shame it just barely lost to that awful song Slovenia is sending this year.

1. Mick Pedaja - Seis (Estonia)

Perhaps the best entry in any national final in a few years. Really smart use of the 3 minute window, and a gorgeous, pulsating, very Estonian song. Was never going to make it to Eurovision but he made a statement nonetheless.

IMO another pretty strong year for national finals, and as usual some countries inexplicably sent their weaker/weakest entries. I hope some of the better entrants return next year.

 

[Kinokou]

OK, now that I'm done watching all of the national finals, here are the top 20 non-qualifiers, from pretty good to best:

20. Stella Christine - Ain't Got Time For Boys (Finland)

Not the strongest in its style but gives off a really strong 90s pop/R&B radio vibe, which I liked quite a bit.



19. Elly V - I'll Be Around (Bounce) (Austria)

A really cool song that for some reason isn't one of the big preseason hits, but it still gave an acceptable outlet to the people who just cannot stand Zoë.



18. Lisa Ajax - My Heart Wants Me Dead (Sweden)

Modern Swedish pop with a bit of an attitude. The performance/staging wasn't all there but it was a stronger song than it got credit for.



17. Maxine Pace - Young Love (Malta)

It's a bit Junior ESC and it flies a bit too close to the Meghan Trainor sun but ultimately it's a fun, catchy song that recalls one of the better non-qualifiers from recent years, Timebelle's "Singing About Love" from Switzerland's 2015 contest.



16. Marta Grigale - Choices (Latvia)

OK yeah the performance was really bad but it's still great.




15. Laura - Supersonic (Estonia)

The mangled English lyrics ("You must have to choose", "jumping to dreams", etc.) just make it more endearing. The song is modern, interesting, and reflects Estonia's recent efforts.



14. Simone - Heart Shaped Hole (Denmark)

A pretty good Sia facsimile from a Dansk MGP veteran.



13. Eini - Draamaa (Finland)

Pure schlager camp turned up to 11 with a nod toward Sweden and I am HERE FOR IT.



12. Raquel - Flashing Lights (Malta)

The faux-dubstep verses sound like ass but the song is pretty strong and I love her voice when she's hitting her notes right.



11. DVINES - Set It On Fire (Latvia)

The song is just ok but the production makes this an absolute banger.



10. Robin Bengtsson - Constellation Prize (Sweden)

Shameless to the point of near-parody and that infamously embarrassing title but whatever, it's a bop.



9. Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz - We Agree (Georgia)

Georgia picked their band internally and then the songs were voted on by the public/jury. This was the best, a really fantastic throwback hazy 90s jam.



8. Keøma - Protected (Germany)

I'm always a fan when legit bands enter national contests just for the hell of it, and this was a great way to shake up the typical German ethos when it comes to selecting a song for ESC.



7. Laila Samuels - Afterglow (Norway)

Melodi Grand Prix was astoundingly terrible this year, but this was the only song worthy of MGP's reputation as it actually sounds something like contemporary Norwegian pop. Losing the weird shirtless dancer and focusing on more closeups on her with the neat laser projection stuff would have helped, but alas the Norwegian public has proven to be hopeless these last few years.



6. Würffel - I'm Facing North (Estonia)

Didn't even make the Eesti Laul finals but I thought it was a really neat take on the modern synthpop revival that all the kids are going crazy for these days.



5. Margaret - Cool Me Down (Poland)

A song so powerful it caused the bookies to favor Poland as this year's Eurovision winner before it even won the Polish selection... and then it lost.



4. Wiktoria - Save Me (Sweden)

Divided a lot of Melfest regulars but I thought (and still think) it was an incredibly strong song/performance. It's schtick but it's really really smart schtick, and one that will make her a guaranteed star whether or not she competes in Melfest again.



3. Karmapolis & Szécsi Böbe - Hold On To (Hungary)

The chill vibe and under-the-sea performance really sold this, along with the great vocals and smart production. Another song that was dead in the water when it showed up for Hungary's contest, but is overall a good thing for ESC. Not a big fan favorite but I really got into it.



2. Raiven - Črno bel (Slovenia)

Could have been this year's "Love Injected" with its slick production, repetitive chorus, and ice queen performance. A damn shame it just barely lost to that awful song Slovenia is sending this year.



1. Mick Pedaja - Seis (Estonia)

Perhaps the best entry in any national final in a few years. Really smart use of the 3 minute window, and a gorgeous, pulsating, very Estonian song. Was never going to make it to Eurovision but he made a statement nonetheless.





IMO another pretty strong year for national finals, and as usual some countries inexplicably sent their weaker/weakest entries. I hope some of the better entrants return next year.

Wow thanks for your effort! I'll give them a listen

 

[bjaelke]

That's some dedication. Will give them a listen later.

 

[eerik9000]

1. Mick Pedaja - Seis (Estonia)

Perhaps the best entry in any national final in a few years. Really smart use of the 3 minute window, and a gorgeous, pulsating, very Estonian song. Was never going to make it to Eurovision but he made a statement nonetheless.

Let me introduce you to the obvious inspiration for "Seis":

"Nimetu" by Sven Grünberg and "Tulen kord jälle" by Sven Grünberg.

Sven Grünberg also happened to be in the Eesti Laul jury and praised Mick, so the love is mutual.

 

[SecretMoblin]

Let me introduce you to the obvious inspiration for "Seis":

"Nimetu" by Sven Grünberg and "Tulen kord jälle" by Sven Grünberg.

Sven Grünberg also happened to be in the Eesti Laul jury and praised Mick, so the love is mutual.

thanks! I've heard some of Grünberg's stuff before but never really explored his discography.

I'm happy with what ERR has been trying to do over the past few years with Eesti Laul. It helps make the ESC preseason worth watching, and thankfully it's very easy to follow for a foreigner who has no clue how to parse Estonian.

 

[oti]

Oh man, hearing the Giant Bombcast talking about Eurovision in their latest podcast... what if they decide to watch this year live... a year with no real "EUROVISION!!!" song (besides GOAT San Marino, but I doubt they'd watch the semis)

 

[Tregard]

Joe & Jake were on Graham Norton last night.

You can definitely tell their vocals have improved, and I'm interested to hear about how they're planning on staging the performance.

 

[Spyware]

Finally listened to all the songs thanks to the finnish program De Eurovisa (it's in swedish actually, with finnish subs). They posted all 5 parts online at the same time which was very nice. Never watched the finnish version before so it was interesting. I felt they were a bit too nice at times, but it was refreshing to feel that they respected the contestants.
Last year's panel in SVT's Inför Eurovision basically mocked every contestant or song besides Måns and it was horrible to watch. No idea how it's gonna be this year but we'll see on April 26. No high hopes since Björkman is still in... ugh.
Tonight I'm gonna watch my fav version of this type of program, NRK's Adresse Stockholm. They always manage to be professional about it, even when "bashing" a song. It never feels condesending, just honest "I dislike this because of reason X and Y". There's almost always someone that feels completely different about a song so they have nice discussions about it. Just a really good program.

So, the songs... I've had a fav for a while because I randomly listened to 2-3 songs earlier. One of them was J'ai cherché and it just clicked. So France is my clear fav. The only other song in De Eurovisa that sort of clicked with me was Play from Estonia. The rest were completely forgettable. Can't remember a thing :O
Gonna see if they manage to latch on when I hear them again in Adresse and Inför (if I manage to watch that one this year).

 

[Red Arremer]

Oh yeah, Eurovision is happening soon. I'll gladly make the proper OT for it again this year, unless someone really would want to take over from me.

Gonna have to listen to all the songs if I have some time.

 

[Playsage]

Oh hello Czech Republic, 12 points for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L2imZRo6NY

If anybody is interested, she's one of the singers from Ken Tamplin's Vocal Academy!https://youtu.be/CQ2uov7HpHw
She's got pipes! There's more videos of her in the channel, mostly covering famous rock hits.

 

[Red Arremer]

My thoughts for the already qualified finalists:
France sending a French Måns Zelmerlöw, lol. What's up with the German pick? That seems like a really poor entry. Also Sweden making sure they don't host twice in a year, hehe. UK is alright.

Italy once more delivering the quality. Man I'm so damn glad they came back to the contest. There has only been one year so far where I didn't enjoy the song they sent since their comeback (last year's - though 2013's also was a bit boring even tho not bad ).

Wow, Spain abandoning their tradition to sing in Spanish only? That only leaves Portugal sticking only with their own language with every entry (shame they're not participating this year ). Song is pretty good though!

And my finalists for semi 1:
Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Malta, Russia, The Netherlands

lmao at San Marino. And Bosnia with the mid-song rap within a typical Balkan song. That'll go well. Fairly weak semi overall, I only really like about half of the songs I picked as finalists.

Semi 2:
Albania, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Israel, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland

This semi is realllllly strong, wow. Why couldn't several of these great songs be put into semi 1 instead? And Belarus is seriously surprising me this year, holy cow; never expected them to send an actually GREAT song.

I couldn't really pick a clear winner here. Honestly half of semi 2 is in my top favourites, along with Finland.

Random personal fact: This is the first year ever I actually like all 3 Caucasus entries (Armenia is a bit of a filler pick admittedly, but it's alright; Azerbaijan and Georgia are fantastic tho), while none of the Baltic countries - who usually get at least one in there - made my finalists.

Edit: The more I listen to it, the more I really really REALLY like Bulgaria's entry. Think that might be developing into my personal favourite.

 

[Tregard]

After giving the whole set a listen at once, I can't help but feel like this is a really weak year in comparison to the last few. Hopefully there are a few growers amongst the pack, but I dunno, doesn't feel like anything stands out as spectacularly catchy or entertainingly terrible. I like Belgium's song that sounds a little too much like Fleur East, and obviously I'm a sucker for the UK entry, but everything else at the moment is a bit...eh.

 

[oti]

obviously I'm a sucker for the UK entry

why? because it sucks?

And yeah with not even the Dutch sending trash what is the point, really.

 

[oti]

Romania got disqualified due to financial reasons.

 

[DECK'ARD]

Joe & Jake were on Graham Norton last night.

You can definitely tell their vocals have improved, and I'm interested to hear about how they're planning on staging the performance.

This should do alright actually.

I don't think we'll be challenging for nil pois like last year anyway.

 

[Red Arremer]

Romania got disqualified due to financial reasons.

Normally I'm sad if something like this happens but you know what. Romania's entry this year was shite anyway, so whatever.