(no subject)

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

Having listened again to official, CD-quality versions of all 42 (!) Eurovision entries, my impression is that this is by some distance the worst Eurovision in the last 10 years, maybe even the worst edition of the modern pop Eurovision. My favourite song this year would probably only have been about fourth last year and wouldn't even have made my top 10 in a banner year like 2003.

12: The Ark - The Worrying Kind (Sweden)
10: Koldun - Work Your Magic (Belarus)
8: Serebro - Song No. 1 (Russia)

Nobody else on the planet will like the Belarussian entry but I think it's bloody great. It probably won't even get to the finals. There are dozens of Ark songs better than "The Worrying Kind", of course, the number of which is probably similar to the number of Eurovision 2007 songs that "The Worrying Kind" is better than.

At this stage, the other points from the Jury of Edwardistan would go to Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Moldova, Armenia, Slovenia and Netherlands but that might change a lot.

Favourites, predictions, poptimists. I predict Russia will win this time.

Comments

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Isarael's entry is plain awesome - sounds like Gogol Bordello, has the zeitgeist power of Frankie Goes To Hollywood at their peak, and generally rules.
Then The (ever-excellent) Ark, then Switzerland.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

I HATE the Swiss and Israeli entries. Oh god, I'm so out of step with Europe, they're probably going to both do really well.

[thedruproject.livejournal.com]

I love Israel's entry, too. It's just absolutely fun and slightly ridiculous :P which is what I think Eurovision is supposed to be.

I can't help but admit love for the Belarus entry, though /shame shame/.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

absolutely fun and slightly ridiculous

See, I disagree about the "slightly ridiculous". I don't think it's necessary at all, but since a lot of the most fun entries which are also great pop songs also tend to have an aspect of the ridiculous to them, a lot of bad entries ham up and play up the silliness which means that you notice that rather than anything else.

"Push The Button" i think is very much like the Lithuanian entry last year in that it's one idea that would have made for a cute 90 second novelty song but seems very thin and somewhat annoying when it goes longer. Also, constipated chorus (see also the Andorran entry which is v. guilty of this).