Okay, here's one more Eurovision-themed blog post. All of you who are suffering from post-Eurovision depression will surely be happy to know that a whooping 12 songs from this year's contest have charted on the UK singles chart, four of which even entered the top 40! How amazing is that? The highest-peaking song was the Netherlands' entry "Calm After The Storm" by The Common Linnets which made it to the top 10, peaking at #9. Phew! Conchita Wurst's winning anthem rose like a phoenix (sorry, too puntastic a song title to ignore) to #17, while the UK's own representative Molly charted at #23 with her song "Children Of The Universe". Last entry to chart among the top 40 was Sweden's Sanna Nielsen's "Undo", which finished 3rd in the contest.
Yet another eight songs made it to top 100, and they are as follows:
#46: Basim - "Cliché Love Song" (Denmark)
#70: Pollapönk - "No Prejudice" (Iceland)
#82: Firelight - "Coming Home" (Malta)
#85: Sebalter - "Hunter of Stars" (Switzerland)
#88: Aram MP3 - "Not Alone" (Armenia)
#89: Twin Twin - "Moustache" (France)
#93: Softengine - "Something Better" (Finland)
#97: Carl Espen - "Silent Storm" (Norway)
(On a side note, I'm very pleased to see that not only were all the Nordic entries among the top 15 in the Grand Final, but they've also all charted in the UK!)
Furthermore, "Rainmaker" by previous year's winner Emmelie de Forest (the theme song of Eurovision Song Contest 2014) charted at #73.
And that's not all: the winning song "Rise Like A Phoenix" has entered the iTunes charts in top 3 in 14 different countries, them being Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland, and made it to #9 worldwide!
Very nice, good job everybody - this certainly proves that the Eurovision is still every bit as relevant as ever! And here's the winning entry one last time:
Showing posts with label ESC 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ESC 2014. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Eurovision Grand Final recap
Well, it took me a while to survive from my Eurovision hangover but now that that's done, let's do a bit of a recap - the Eurovision-themed article series wouldn't be complete without one! (For previous posts, click the following links: Semi-Final 1, Semi-Final 2, Grand Final.)
So, the dark horse of the contest (or more precisely, the dark horse number one) turned out indeed to be Austria's bearded drag queen, Conchita Wurst. Delivering the possibly most solid performance of the night, Wurst rightfully claimed the victory in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, held in Copenhagen. The Bond-esque number rose like a phoenix and conquered the hearts of Europe across geopolitical borders and cultural divisions, earning a grand total of 290 points, besting the runner-up by 52 points. Garnering votes even from Eastern Europe, the song "Rise Like A Phoenix" received points from 32 countries out of 36 and was awarded with the coveted 12 points a whooping 13 times, resulting in Austria's first win since 1966.
Most fundamentally, Wurst's success served as a powerful message of tolerance from Europe which definitely had an impact in the voting. This was fittingly reflected in Wurst's acceptance speech: "This night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. You know who you are. We are unity, and we are unstoppable!" Would the song have still won even without the controversy? Perhaps, perhaps not. The song is powerful and dramatic enough to stand out on its own, but of course it wouldn't have done as well if sung by your average Eurovision crooner in a pretty dress. Nonetheless, the anthemic "Rise Like A Phoenix" is an amazing tune and still worthy of winning, delivering an important message as well.
Unsurprisingly, the winner caused an outcry among the more conservative Eurovision countries, especially in Russia, where the contest has been described as "a hotbed of sodomy" and "the end of Europe", while Wurst has been branded as "pervert". Russian politician Vitaly Milonov - the principal sponsor of Russia's anti-gay propaganda law - accused Wurst of turning the Eurovision into a "Sodom show", while more than 15,000 people have requested the Russian state broadcasting company RTR not to air the Eurovision anymore, claiming that "Russia is one of the only European countries that has managed to maintain normal and healthy family values based on love and mutual support between men and women." (Gender- and sexuality-related controversy is nothing new to Eurovision, though - 1998 winner Dana International was openly transsexual, while the Russians themselves were represented by the "lesbian" duo t.A.T.u in 2003.) Communist Party deputy Valery Rashkin stated that the contest's results "exhausted our patience" and went on to propose a "family-friendly" replacement for the Eurovision titled
Meanwhile, others have been more supporting towards Conchita, and she's been praised by the likes of Elton John and former Eurovision winner Lordi. Even ultimate pop diva Cher has expressed her fondness in a very typically Cher way over on Twitter:
"This is NOT SHADE *lightning bolt*"
The other definite dark horse was the Netherlands' representative, The Common Linnets. After qualifying for the final, they climbed the betting lists faster than you could say "hashtag Join Us", overthrowing previous winner favourites such as Armenia and Norway in a blink of an eye. Indeed, scoring 238 points, the duo earned their country's best place since 1975 when they won. I was highly skeptical of their chances but they proved me wrong - good job there. What really pleases me regarding this year's results is that the highest-placing entries garnered a surprisingly widespread vote, surpassing the traditional bloc voting. Also, I'm sure that the Netherlands' success with a very unusual ESC entry encourages other countries to send more varying songs next year which would bring more musical range to the contest, as opposed to a majority of the songs being very traditional Eurovision ballads or dance pop songs.
Personally I was also delighted to see the Nordic countries doing relatively well, all placing in the top 15 (Sweden #3, Norway #8, Denmark #9, Finland #11, Iceland #15). And all of this with an exceptionally low neighbour vote - only Denmark gave their 12 points to a fellow Nordic country (Sweden), while other recipients of the Nordic top points were Austria (from Finland and Sweden) and the Netherlands (from Norway and Iceland).
Sweden's Sanna Nielsen delivered her explosive "Undo" just as brilliantly as before, and although there was nothing new to the performance that we wouldn't have seen already, it was still a very solid rendition. A well-earned 3rd place.
Norway's "Silent Storm" sounded even more emotional and touching than before, and in my opinion, that was Carl Espen's best performance of the song we've seen. The build-up to the final climax was especially wonderful.
Denmark's "Cliché Love Song" was my least favourite Nordic entry this year, and even seeing it performed live a while ago couldn't make me warm up to it. Scuba-duba-dab-dab whatever, overly saccharine feel-good songs just aren't my thing. All the same, way to go Denmark - 9th place! I went to Copenhagen to see the final, and as you might imagine, this really got the crowd dancing in the centre where there were several big screens from which the people could watch the show. Alright, I might have been dancing as well. But I blame the atmosphere. And the beers I had. Oh what the hell, I blame nothing, it was fun! (Still don't like the song, though.)
GO FINLAND, GO SOFTENGINE!! I was so freaking proud of the boys as I'm sure the whole country was: young as they are, they earned us our best position since Lordi's victory back in 2006! Singer Topi Latukka's vocals were loads better than they were in the semi-final, and the band did a high-energy take on their song. Finland's success in the Eurovision Song Contest tends to be more on the modest side, but this year's 11th place was an exceptionally good placing and the country received votes from a total of 16 countries. Am I biased? Yes. Do I care? Nope. Excellent guys, just excellent. Let's see if the spotlight they had on them will serve as a springboard for a future career in the international scene of indie rock. Who knows.
And the final member of the Nordic Five, Iceland, also achieved a nice result, placing 15th with their colourful pro-tolerance sing-along number "No Prejudice". A pleasant surprise - before the semi-finals, I was initially expecting them to be eliminated straight away. Way to go!
Two other favourites of mine were Hungary and Italy. I was hoping for Hungary to win (which they obviously didn't do), but they did come 5th in the end so it's still an amazing result and their second best result of all time after their 1994 debut when they came 4th. Hungary's been sending rather good songs lately - songs like "Unsubstantial Blues (2007), "What About My Dreams?" (2011), "Sound Of Our Hearts" (2012) and "Kedvesem" (2013) have all been among the better entries of their respective years and at least some of my personal ESC favourites - and if they keep going like this, I have a feeling that it's only a matter of time before the ESC tourists will find themselves in Budapest.
Italy, however, didn't do quite as well. As a matter of fact, they came 21st which is their first non-top 10 placement since their return in 2011. Such a shame, I really did love the song. She had a great stage presence, although her live vocals were not as good as they could've been, truth be told. Still, it would've deserved a higher result than 21st. Unfortunately, I was right - it did indeed suffer the same fate than France did last year: an eccentric rock-influenced song sung by a fierce woman goes unappreciated by Europe. Too bad.
The Swiss entry "Hunter of Stars" also stealthily grew on me (despite his quite awkward English pronunciation) and I was happy to see it coming 13th.
In other news, the excessively hyped-up former winner favourite, Armenia's Aram MP3 came 4th, ultimately missing the top 3 by more than 40 points. I still find the song too repetitive and boring (outside of the build-up) but good for them, anyway. (Look at that clip's preview pic, though! Quite unflattering.)
Conchita's victory sent a meaningful message of togetherness, but the community didn't exactly practice what they preached. I was appalled by the horrible treatment that the Russian participants received: they were booed after their performance, they were booed whenever they got points, even the Russian spokesperson was greeted with booing. I do understand people's dissatisfaction with Russia's recent policies and I feel just the same way myself as well, but are the Tolmachevy Sisters really to blame? Imagine how it must've felt for them. Fire shouldn't be fought with fire, and seeing all these people (who elsewhere preach about love and unity) demonising the 17-year-old twins sickens me. Once again, I don't agree with the Russian government a bit, but in that moment I was so ashamed of the Eurovision fans' horrendous behaviour. Is this how you express that peaceful co-existing you so passionately call for? And no, you shouldn't tolerate intolerance but you shouldn't channel your anger into innocent people either. I'm so sad that these two had to serve as a lightning rod for anti-Putinism when they had done nothing wrong.
Furthermore, if we'd love to see a 'Westernised' or a more open-minded and tolerant Russia, I'm sure this is not the way to spread the message. To treat people disrespectfully just because they come from a certain country hardly represents tolerance, does it? On the contrary, that's racism. If you don't approve a country in Eurovision, just don't vote for it - we shouldn't forget our civilised manners that we're otherwise so proud of. Do you think this reaction made the Russians reconsider their stance on gay rights? I definitely don't - if anything, it only widened the rift between Russia and Europe. We can do better than this.
Anyway, in the end they came 7th, while Ukraine came 6th. You could clearly see the effect of the Crimean crisis in the results, as there was clear protest voting on both sides.
There were some surprise flops as well. The UK's Molly, while popular on betting predictions, had to settle for the 17th place...
...the usually successful Greece's club banger "Rise Up" failed to rise further than 20th, even despite the aid of a trampoline (this was actually an all-time low for them, alongside their 1998 result)...
...another all-time low came from Azerbaijan's Dilara Kazimova who came 22nd, resulting the country's first non-top 10 placement since their debut in 2008, and while the song is lovely, the live version was arguably a bit patchy...
(Interestingly enough, this occurred immediately after the EBU tightened measures to make sure the voting doesn't suffer from corruption after the voting scandal of 2013. Coincidental or not? Now, I don't want to make unjustified accusations or anything, I'm just throwing it out there. I do find it interesting.)
...but most hilariously, France flopped completely with their cringeworthy "Moustache", coming last for the first time with a mere 2 points. No douze points for France this year then, just... deux points. A bit awkward, isn't it. And how did the band celebrate it? Well, by appearing stark naked (save for the socks covering their privates) on national TV. How else.
And speaking of voting scandals, we did in fact have one this year: after having the exact same top 8, the Georgian jury vote was annulled and subsequently, Georgia's points were entirely determined by the televote. The 12 points were given to Armenia, while 10 and 8 points went to Austria and Russia, respectively.
Oh, and poor Valentina Monetta of San Marino came 23rd. Well, at least she (and her country) finally made it to the final. Still, "Maybe" was her most forgettable entry out of her three songs so far (yes, even that Facebook song was more rememberable in its horribleness). I do hope there's not going to be a fourth one. No offense, but perhaps it would be time to pass on the torch, maybe...?
Soooooo yeah, that's the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 all wrapped up then! It was a nice journey, there were great songs among the usual Eurovision fluff, and I had a lot of fun. I hope you did too! Now the Eurovision fever will subside for a year, only to rise again (like a phoenix) next year when the contest is held in (most likely) Vienna. Meanwhile, do stay tuned for other music-related stuff! Popheaval's Eurovision series over and out.
Top image via Eurovision.tv, © Sander Hesterman (EBU)
Saturday, 10 May 2014
Popheaval goes Eurovision: Grand Final
Ahhh this is so exciting! Now we've got the first and the second semi-finals behind us which means it's time for the Grand Final! As you might now, the so-called Big Five (France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK) qualifies automatically as does the winner of the previous contest (Denmark), and now, thanks to the semi-finals, we've got the rest of the finalists figured out as well. Some were foreseeable, some came as big surprises but hey, that's Eurovision for ya.
We have two first-time finalists this year: Montenegro and San Marino made it to the final for the first time since their respective debuts in 2007 and 2008 - congratulations! (In other news, is it just me or have the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Romanian ESC fans been disproportionately ubiquitous and all over the place this year, filling all the freaking comment sections with their spamming? It is highly irritating. If the Eurovision site posts a video or a photo of some specific entry, you don't want 80% of the comments to be people just spamming about their own countries, do you. That's not the way that it should be. Rant over.) Without further ado, let's sink our teeth into the 26 entries that have qualified!
Thursday, 1 May 2014
Popheaval goes Eurovision: Semi-Final 2
I hope you've checked out my comments on the first semi-final already (and if you haven't, do it here). So now that that's done, heeeere's Semi-Final 2!
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Popheaval goes Eurovision: Semi-Final 1
Alright! The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 is just around the corner and it's about time to start making some previews and predictions. Following the country's victory in the previous year, this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark. I'm currently living in Denmark as well so I was initially thinking of getting tickets to the Grand Final but they were a wee big expensive for my personal budget. I guess I'll just have to go there and find a nice bar with a big screen and a proper sound system instead...
Anyway, let's get down to it - join me as I go through the contestants and review their songs, list my thoughts on them etc. So, without further ado, here's Semi-Final 1!
Saturday, 1 February 2014
Popheaval goes Eurovision: UMK14
UMK (abbreviation for Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu or "Competition for New Music") is the Finnish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The UMK final is drawing near (it's on this Saturday night), so the situation is getting quite electrifying!
The competition has basically four rounds. In the first round, the acts perform to the four-member jury and get feedback from them. None are eliminated. Starting from the second round, there is a live audience. The contestants are divided into two heats, from which the entries that have received the most votes go straight to the final. Respectively, the entries with the least votes are eliminated. Both jury and and the audience vote. Third round is the semifinal: only the audience votes and additional two entries are eliminated. Thus, four acts have been eliminated so far, and eight contestants remain in the competition, all eager to seize the victory in the fourth round, the final. The competition is bound to be an exciting one, and here are my thoughts about the national pre-selection entries.
1. Softengine - Something Better
Softengine's "Something Better" won the 1st heat, hence making its way straight to the final. It's a double-edged sword: on the one hand, the band clearly has a lot of support. But on the other hand, the other entries have had one performance more to cement their position in the viewers' heads and grow on them. The song itself is great, a bit Coldplay-ish perhaps with the piano parts and the synths, and it has a nice anthemic feel to it, complete with the obligatory sing-along "wooo-oo-oo-oo" in the bridge. The song could do without the screamo-influenced vocals in the end, though. All in all, it's a good, catchy song and I wouldn't mind if it were to represent Finland.
2. Hanna Sky - Hope
"Hope" was the winner of the second heat, so the song has earned its place in the final. It's quite interesting that both the winner entries of the two heats were placed in the beginning of the running order. The song is decorated with exotic instrumentals, so there is an element of cultural fusion in it. That, along with the lyrical theme of hope, makes me feel that the song tries so hard to be a world-embracing peace anthem, it comes across as a cliché. And we know how they tend to fall flat competitively. It also feels like she's trying to play a bit too evidently with the 'child of nature' image (like last year's winner Emmelie de Forest), ending up trying to emulate Beyoncé gone Elovena.
3. MIAU - God/Drug
When I heard the fierce 37-second demo preview of the song, I fell instantly in love. Then I heard the song performed in full length, and I was disappointed: the song turned out to be too repetitive for my liking, and it basically took the first two and a half minutes for the group to get to the final climax which is what the song is all about. However, the tables were once again turned by their semifinal performance - while the song might not be the most diverse one out of the bunch, the ballsy girl trio have an incredible live energy and put on one hell of a show. The song has developed and they've added some new vocal tricks to bring variation. And then there's also the batshit crazy backup dancers (who are men, by the way). So, the song and the performance have really kept becoming better and better, and at the moment they are my second favourite contestant in the race. The final chorus of this particular version was actually the only moment of any of the songs to give me the chills.
4. Lauri Mikkola - Going Down
Lauri Mikkola is a skilled singer for sure but song just doesn't work for me. The soulful chorus is pretty much the only interesting thing in the song, and Mikkola's moving on the stage is mostly cringeworthy. I really like the backing vocals though. It's not a bad song, but it's not memorable either, so... I'm sorry to say, but the song is going down.
5. MadCraft - Shining Bright
Has someone given them too much sugar or what? This overly colourful, overzealous group are somewhat entertaining to look at, like the kids skating at the local mall, but there's only so much hyperactivity one can take. In fact, weren't they already skating to this song back in the '90s or is the song just that generic in its genre? Sure, they've brought colour into the UMK mix but that's about it. They've received media attention which is probably what they came for in the first place, and I'm fairly certain the final is as far as they go.
6. Mikko Pohjola - Sängyn reunalla
The original demo of "Sängyn reunalla" ("On the edge of a bed") was rather boring (other than the "kotii-i-i-ii-iin" vocal hook) and didn't get anywhere. The final version, however, features a proper build-up and now sounds much more promising. The emphasis in this song is heavily in the sad lyrics which tell the story of a man who's having an affair with a woman who is already in a relationship. So basically, the storyteller is a total dick but the lyrics describe it beautifully. Now, the thing is, considering Finnish is hardly a widely-spoken language and the song lyrics are translated and subtitled only in Estonia (with the exception of Finland itself), it would be a risky move to send a highly lyrical entry to the Eurovision Song Contest when it won't be generally understood and a large part of the song will remain undelivered. Then again, Ott Lepland's powerful ballad, sung in his native language Estonian, placed 6th in 2012, so universally understandable lyrics are not the automatic key to happiness. If he does win the contest and represents Finland in Copenhagen, please force him to consult with a stylist, though - he looks like he's literally just got out of the bed. Pohjola's song has apparently been the most streamed one on Spotify so who knows what's going to happen.
7. Clarissa feat. Josh Standing - Top of The World
Okay, this one I must've heard already in the '90s. No? Alright, then the song is just an incredibly tacky mixture of musical elements we've all heard far too many times before, with the final part of it even seemingly trying to recycle "Euphoria". The singing's not that impressive either. The duo might be singing about being on top of the world but this song is certainly not taking me there. Interestingly enough, the Finnish Eurovision fan community Viisukuppila has gone bananas about the song. Perhaps it's the campiness of it...? 'Cause I mean, this is the campiest of camp.
8. Hukka ja Mama - Selja
Ah, Hukka ja Mama, how I love this song. Drawing from both indie folk and the Finnish rautalanka rock genre popular in the 1960s, "Selja" is a fascinating mixture of musical styles and dream-like lyrics. (The lyrics describe a situation where a person has fallen in love with someone named Selja because of the dreams the person has had about the titular character.) There's a wonderful contrast between the sincerity and naivety of the lyrics and the vocals and the melancholy of the musical arrangements. The duo is also fun to look at: they for example start the performance sitting on a kind of a sofa you could find at your grandma's, they've bought a sizable wolf plush toy on the stage (the Finnish word 'hukka' can be translated to 'wolf') and singer Martina's hairdo is adorned with giant colour pencils. The songwriting is excellent and Martina makes a captivating frontwoman. The almost magical "Selja" is my personal favourite and I'll certainly be rooting for it here in Denmark - save the best for last, eh? Douze points!
So here's my final verdict:
Definitely yes!
Hukka ja Mama - Selja
MIAU - God/Drug
Not bad at all.
Softengine - Something Better
Mikko Pohjola - Sängyn reunalla
Nah.
Hanna Sky - Hope
Lauri Mikkola - Going Down
Please, no.
MadCraft - Shining Bright
Clarissa feat. Josh Standing - Top of The World
The whole competition has been an enjoyable couple of weeks, and what I really love about the execution itself is how well it takes social media into account, such as in Twitter where they actively scout the hashtag #umk14 asnwering, favouring and sharing tweets. Therefore, the UMK feels like an actually interactive format, and they have received positive feedback about it even from abroad, so good for them!
I'm ending the post with another UMK14 favourite of mine, Lili Lambert's seductive "Let Me Take You There", that was unfortunately the first one to go. While it might have not been the best song here, there was something so instantly infectious about it that I've been listening to it almost daily. (I do prefer the vocals in the demo version, though.) Anyway, the winner and Finland's representative in ESC 2014 will be chosen today, and the broadcast can be streamed live wherever you are over at this link, starting at 20:30 (or 8.30 p.m.) UTC+02:00 so remember to tune in! (And all you Finnish readers, do vote as well - it's all in your hands now.)
What are your own favourites? Let me know in the comment section below!
The competition has basically four rounds. In the first round, the acts perform to the four-member jury and get feedback from them. None are eliminated. Starting from the second round, there is a live audience. The contestants are divided into two heats, from which the entries that have received the most votes go straight to the final. Respectively, the entries with the least votes are eliminated. Both jury and and the audience vote. Third round is the semifinal: only the audience votes and additional two entries are eliminated. Thus, four acts have been eliminated so far, and eight contestants remain in the competition, all eager to seize the victory in the fourth round, the final. The competition is bound to be an exciting one, and here are my thoughts about the national pre-selection entries.
1. Softengine - Something Better
Softengine's "Something Better" won the 1st heat, hence making its way straight to the final. It's a double-edged sword: on the one hand, the band clearly has a lot of support. But on the other hand, the other entries have had one performance more to cement their position in the viewers' heads and grow on them. The song itself is great, a bit Coldplay-ish perhaps with the piano parts and the synths, and it has a nice anthemic feel to it, complete with the obligatory sing-along "wooo-oo-oo-oo" in the bridge. The song could do without the screamo-influenced vocals in the end, though. All in all, it's a good, catchy song and I wouldn't mind if it were to represent Finland.
2. Hanna Sky - Hope
"Hope" was the winner of the second heat, so the song has earned its place in the final. It's quite interesting that both the winner entries of the two heats were placed in the beginning of the running order. The song is decorated with exotic instrumentals, so there is an element of cultural fusion in it. That, along with the lyrical theme of hope, makes me feel that the song tries so hard to be a world-embracing peace anthem, it comes across as a cliché. And we know how they tend to fall flat competitively. It also feels like she's trying to play a bit too evidently with the 'child of nature' image (like last year's winner Emmelie de Forest), ending up trying to emulate Beyoncé gone Elovena.
3. MIAU - God/Drug
When I heard the fierce 37-second demo preview of the song, I fell instantly in love. Then I heard the song performed in full length, and I was disappointed: the song turned out to be too repetitive for my liking, and it basically took the first two and a half minutes for the group to get to the final climax which is what the song is all about. However, the tables were once again turned by their semifinal performance - while the song might not be the most diverse one out of the bunch, the ballsy girl trio have an incredible live energy and put on one hell of a show. The song has developed and they've added some new vocal tricks to bring variation. And then there's also the batshit crazy backup dancers (who are men, by the way). So, the song and the performance have really kept becoming better and better, and at the moment they are my second favourite contestant in the race. The final chorus of this particular version was actually the only moment of any of the songs to give me the chills.
4. Lauri Mikkola - Going Down
Lauri Mikkola is a skilled singer for sure but song just doesn't work for me. The soulful chorus is pretty much the only interesting thing in the song, and Mikkola's moving on the stage is mostly cringeworthy. I really like the backing vocals though. It's not a bad song, but it's not memorable either, so... I'm sorry to say, but the song is going down.
5. MadCraft - Shining Bright
Has someone given them too much sugar or what? This overly colourful, overzealous group are somewhat entertaining to look at, like the kids skating at the local mall, but there's only so much hyperactivity one can take. In fact, weren't they already skating to this song back in the '90s or is the song just that generic in its genre? Sure, they've brought colour into the UMK mix but that's about it. They've received media attention which is probably what they came for in the first place, and I'm fairly certain the final is as far as they go.
6. Mikko Pohjola - Sängyn reunalla
The original demo of "Sängyn reunalla" ("On the edge of a bed") was rather boring (other than the "kotii-i-i-ii-iin" vocal hook) and didn't get anywhere. The final version, however, features a proper build-up and now sounds much more promising. The emphasis in this song is heavily in the sad lyrics which tell the story of a man who's having an affair with a woman who is already in a relationship. So basically, the storyteller is a total dick but the lyrics describe it beautifully. Now, the thing is, considering Finnish is hardly a widely-spoken language and the song lyrics are translated and subtitled only in Estonia (with the exception of Finland itself), it would be a risky move to send a highly lyrical entry to the Eurovision Song Contest when it won't be generally understood and a large part of the song will remain undelivered. Then again, Ott Lepland's powerful ballad, sung in his native language Estonian, placed 6th in 2012, so universally understandable lyrics are not the automatic key to happiness. If he does win the contest and represents Finland in Copenhagen, please force him to consult with a stylist, though - he looks like he's literally just got out of the bed. Pohjola's song has apparently been the most streamed one on Spotify so who knows what's going to happen.
7. Clarissa feat. Josh Standing - Top of The World
Okay, this one I must've heard already in the '90s. No? Alright, then the song is just an incredibly tacky mixture of musical elements we've all heard far too many times before, with the final part of it even seemingly trying to recycle "Euphoria". The singing's not that impressive either. The duo might be singing about being on top of the world but this song is certainly not taking me there. Interestingly enough, the Finnish Eurovision fan community Viisukuppila has gone bananas about the song. Perhaps it's the campiness of it...? 'Cause I mean, this is the campiest of camp.
8. Hukka ja Mama - Selja
Ah, Hukka ja Mama, how I love this song. Drawing from both indie folk and the Finnish rautalanka rock genre popular in the 1960s, "Selja" is a fascinating mixture of musical styles and dream-like lyrics. (The lyrics describe a situation where a person has fallen in love with someone named Selja because of the dreams the person has had about the titular character.) There's a wonderful contrast between the sincerity and naivety of the lyrics and the vocals and the melancholy of the musical arrangements. The duo is also fun to look at: they for example start the performance sitting on a kind of a sofa you could find at your grandma's, they've bought a sizable wolf plush toy on the stage (the Finnish word 'hukka' can be translated to 'wolf') and singer Martina's hairdo is adorned with giant colour pencils. The songwriting is excellent and Martina makes a captivating frontwoman. The almost magical "Selja" is my personal favourite and I'll certainly be rooting for it here in Denmark - save the best for last, eh? Douze points!
So here's my final verdict:
Definitely yes!
Hukka ja Mama - Selja
MIAU - God/Drug
Not bad at all.
Softengine - Something Better
Mikko Pohjola - Sängyn reunalla
Nah.
Hanna Sky - Hope
Lauri Mikkola - Going Down
Please, no.
MadCraft - Shining Bright
Clarissa feat. Josh Standing - Top of The World
The whole competition has been an enjoyable couple of weeks, and what I really love about the execution itself is how well it takes social media into account, such as in Twitter where they actively scout the hashtag #umk14 asnwering, favouring and sharing tweets. Therefore, the UMK feels like an actually interactive format, and they have received positive feedback about it even from abroad, so good for them!
I'm ending the post with another UMK14 favourite of mine, Lili Lambert's seductive "Let Me Take You There", that was unfortunately the first one to go. While it might have not been the best song here, there was something so instantly infectious about it that I've been listening to it almost daily. (I do prefer the vocals in the demo version, though.) Anyway, the winner and Finland's representative in ESC 2014 will be chosen today, and the broadcast can be streamed live wherever you are over at this link, starting at 20:30 (or 8.30 p.m.) UTC+02:00 so remember to tune in! (And all you Finnish readers, do vote as well - it's all in your hands now.)
What are your own favourites? Let me know in the comment section below!
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