Quite a catchy little dance song, innit?  Upbeat, not a lot of tough to understand lyrics, lots of cross-cultural appeal and all that.  I can imagine it doing quite well in Euroclub with the fans.   And 18-year old Ivi is lovely to look at and knows how to work a camera.  In truth she could pass for Idina Menzel’s better looking daughter.

Of course Glee has already stolen that thunder...

Between now and Baku, however, Cypriot organizers will need work with Ivi on her performance and think carefully about how to showcase her.  Ivi lip-synched the national final (a choice that often proves worrysome–as if she may not have the chops to carry off a live performance), and she had some–shall we say awkward–dance moves to go with.

Time will tell how the song itself wears.  There’s not much to it and I’m already starting to suspect the relentless “la la lalala lala la la lalala lala la la” will grate on me after multiple hearings.  That, however, is only a hard core fan’s concern.  At first listen, “La La Love” is catchy and Ivi is cute.  But it’s all for naught if she dances like a truck.

Jen and I are divided over this one. When we watched the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, I said, “She’s the new Anna Bergendahl.” Jen said  she sounds more like Miley Cyrus and that Bergandahl’s song was good enough to win Melodifestivalen. Well, fair enough, but that doesn’t mean the song is any bloody good.

I told her that “Should’ve Known Better” was going to grow on her the way “This Is My Life” grew on me: I liked it okay the first time, but by the third time I hated it as much as I hate being shot in the foot with a nail gun.

Since the final, I’ve since listened to this five or six times (all for you, gentle reader!), and now it reminds me even more of “This Is My Life.” It just doesn’t go anywhere and it’s got this sing-songy hook that gets real old real fast. The crowded lyric only adds to that sing-songiness. Also, “Now I miss you like Sahara missed the rain” is going to make this year’s worst lyrics post. (See last year’s!)

On top of that, Samay’s vocal was grating, and shaky to the point where she does that goat-bleating thing  Bergendahl did at her most nervous. This doesn’t give the confidence that she can pull it together when she is performing on the big stage.

I’ll ignore the staging, because they may lose the “General in Love’s Army” outfit and singers on the couch and the Red Sox cap on the cellist. I won’t ignore this, tho: the way she pronounces Sahara as “So-horror” is really, really annoying.

As far as unmolded lumps of clay go, this one is fine we suppose.  Poking around on YouTube and listening to some of her older performances it’s clear Rona has a powerful voice and appealing stage presence.  ”Suus” is a big, dramatic ballad and Rona can bring to it a sense of danger.  But a little danger goes a long way.  Will she blow us out of the water with her power and intensity or will she miss the mark and sound like a cat in heat?   At Festivali, her big notes were juuust shy of pitch. Assuming they fix her styling, work on her vocal, rework the arrangement, and translate it into English, what I expect we’ll be left with is a safe ballad from a charismatic singer.

Of note: Nishliu is the first person from Kosovo to represent Albania. So if you want to imagine what Kosovo’s first Eurovision entry will sound like, here you go.

And even Nika & Eva’s presence is understandable. Although Nika is a pretty weak singer compared to Eva, they do possess a kind of loopy charm (granted, it is sort of like a cross between Lena and Jedward). They also know how to perform for the cameras. Comparing their two performances on Sunday to Manuela Brecko’s, it was pretty obvious who the jury were going to keep around. Manuela is a good singer, but she brings nothing more to her songs than a pretty voice. While Nika & Eva’s version of “Bubbly” (is that what that’s called) offered no surprises, their version of “Forget You” at least allowed them to display the skills that got them as far as they have.

We had pegged Eva Boto as a contender as far back as her audition for the show, and it’s hard for us to think that either Nika & Eva or Nika Zorjan have a shot at keeping her out of Baku in May. While her version of “What a Feeling” was doing the best what what she was given and embracing the song’s datedness, her version of “Use Somebody” was just stellar. You compare how she interpreted that song to how the other three acts sang their numbers and you can’t help but think she’s miles ahead of her competition.

Misija Evrovizija is off for a couple of weeks, with a big Eurovision tribute planned for the next episode on January 1st.  You can get caught up on the entire show at RTV SLO’s website.

More on Misija Evrovizija at Eurovision Lemurs

• Misija Evrovizija initial impressions

The Swiss national final turned out to be a microcosm of recent contest trends. Swiss televoters selected from a diverse group of entries that reflected Eurovision’s distant past, immediate past, and emerging present.  In making their choice, Swiss voters were confronted by a set of philosophical questions about how they can best get votes from other countries, and by extension, what the contest should be: should it remind us of our shared Eurovision history?; should it reflect current music trends?; or should their song simply play to the least common denominator, such as by offering a pop ballad or an idealistic call for a better world?  Tip of the hat to the Swiss, who this year decided to look forward.  In selecting Sinplus, Swiss voters seem to have chosen the song that was most consistent with the emerging sensibilities of Eurovision voters, eschewing kitsch and sentimentality for commercial appeal.  It’ll be interesting to see if the risk pays off for them in May. Here’s the first confirmed song for ESC 2012, Sinplus with “Unbreakable”.

The top 3 vote getters were Sinplus (#12), Ivo (#8), and Chiara Dubey (#3).  Former, first ever contest winner Lys Assia (#13) finished 8th.  This was our play-by-play of the 2012 Swiss national final, including our thoughts about the winning entry:

1. Patric Scott feat. Fabienne Louves, “Real Love”. Amiable enough power ballad from two nubile youth who have found love.  They really wanted you to understand their love has force.   I don’t know how much I know about the ESC, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a good idea to enter a song that reminds us of last year’s winner (right down to the “oooh ooohs”).
2. Emel, “She”.  “She” features the Latin, flamenco backbeats we are accustomed to hearing in Red Shoe Diaries or other high budget porn.  The performance featured plenty of seductive arm waving, but Emel’s wispy vocal made little impression and her poor sense of pitch didn’t help.
3. Chiara Dubey, “Anima Nuova”.  Foreshadowing Lys Assia, Chiara Dubey was another artist offering a strong homage to the past–in this case Cat Stevens and the folksy ballads of the 70s.  Portugal loves this kind of song.  I enjoyed her pure vocal tone, but the poor dear was visibly nervous.
4. Guillermo Sorya, “Baby Baby Baby”.  Do people get paid to write these lyrics?  What is this “Baby”?  Guillermo attempted to bring Tom Jones’s stage presence while laying down a Prince-inspired R&B vibe.  Sexy!  I suppose the piece might have had impact if Guillermo been able to figure out what key it was in.  I did enjoy the dissonant harmonies that accompanied the “Baby Baby Baby” refrain, and the steel drums in the arrangement almost redeemed it.  Unfortunately the most entertaining part of the entry was the intro segment where we learned he made a video where he was in bed with a camel.  Other than Sinplus, this is the only one we anticipate watching again, due to its glorious awfulness.
   
5. Macy, “Shining”.  Macy has an 80s, post-punk vibe using a guitar/synth mix similar to the Killers.  I didn’t have a huge issue with their contemporary yet accessible rock song.  However, we were underwhelmed by lead singer Cyril Mauderli’s indistinctive voice and pathetic vocal.  Wardrobe cautionary tale: No rock singer looks credible in a teal polo shirt.
   

   Cyril went golfing after the show

6. Sosofluo, “Quand Je Ferme les Yeux”. The Swiss-French dialect translates to Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry”.  Sadly, this was the best vocal so far on the evening.
7. Atomic -Angels, “Black Symphony”. They’re not No Angels, but they were pretty close.  The low point of the night.
8. Ivo, “Peace and Freedom”.  A heavy handed anthem that does what it says on the label, complete with gospel backing harmonies.  I could have gone without the images of Martin Luther King and Gandhi in the background, but a part of me would have loved to see Switzerland handing out a big FU in Azerbaijan.  The first plausible candidate on the night, and indeed it eventually did finish in the Top 3.  Just back from Occupy Zurich, Ivo tragically had no chance to wash his hair.
9. Ze Flying Zezettes Orchestra, “L’autre”.  In the interest of promoting global communities, the band invited an Incan pan flutist to join in. They were doing South American folk music sung in French, and I really didn’t know what to make of it.  Their sound was pleasant, but I had a hard time imagining an appropriate venue for this band. Certainly not the ESC. More like street artist at Downtown Disney.
10. Raphael Jeger, “The Song in My Head”.  Ok, picture Alexander Rybak, but a massive douchebag.  Rybak is a douchebag, you say?  Douchier.  This song was paint by numbers and evocative of the worst imaginable Danish entries.
11. I Quattro, “Fragile”. Because pop-opera worked so well for France last year.   Il Divo isn’t our thing, Il Divo knock offs aren’t either.
12. Sinplus, “Unbreakable”.  We liked this song.  Alt rock with some intense energy, a compelling front man, and a good hook.  I just hope The Bravery doesn’t sue.   Maybe Sinplus can use the Eurovision platform to get their music featured on Gossip Girl.  I suppose we should root for these guys because they got their start in the San Diego music scene.  An interesting choice for Swiss voters, because it’s really current and not what would I would have thought was Eurovision appropriate.  But these days who knows what’s Eurovision appropriate?
13. Lys Assia, “C’etait ma vie”.  Going in we wondered if Swiss voters would jump at the chance to send the ESC’s first ever winner back to Baku.  After all, shouldn’t attention be paid?  To her credit, for an 87-year old, Lys (note: or should we be using the formal Ms. Assia?)  was in excellent voice.  Unfortunately, if this song were sung by anyone else we would dismiss it as a dated ballad from the French Riviera or Monaco during Grace Kelly’s days.  We moved past this style of music 30 years ago.
14. Katherine St.-Laurent, “Wrong to Let You Go”. Generic modern pop ballad from a former Canadian Idol contestant.  It was heartfelt and had a key change in the right place.  You couldn’t be safer if you used a condom.

Another thing we learned thanks to Die grosse Entscheidungsshow: Berberis is sold by spice vendors on the streets in Baku.  Berberis  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis] =  Zereshk (Iran) = dried barberries.   Try it with chicken!  Here’s a recipe.

We’re posting this here since we hadn’t mentioned it on the blog and wanted to make sure everyone got the information they’re looking for. (I’m a librarian. It’s my job.)

Also, you should totally follow us on Twitter.

Granted, a lot of times our initial impressions are correct: “Shady Lady” and “Visionary Dream” were hits with us from the start. Kabát’s “Malá Dáma” was a sludgy mess from first spin to semifinal fizzle, although we couldn’t predict the success of the “HE’S POINTING” drinking game we invented during their live performance.

You! Over there! I'm POINTING!

But there always seems to be a song that either leaves no impression on us initially or that we hate from the start, but then grow to love. There are two songs in particular that I’d like to highlight, both from 2007.

Finland hosted Eurovision that year, coming off of Lordi’s epic win in 2006. The Finns selected Hanna Pakarinen to represent them next, and her song “Leave Me Alone” was a hard rock song that gave the impression Finland was going to go the Swedish route of never letting go of the sound that won them the competition.

Jen and I were both harsh on this one: I called it “Evanescence lite, and tedious to boot“, while Jen said, “On the opening riff you think the song is going to be cool. Then it isn’t“. Even during the live show that year, I called it “mediocre“.

Since then, we’ve watched the 2007 final more than a few times, and damn it all if “Leave Me Alone” doesn’t linger as a highlight every time. When you watch her performance now, you see that she really delivers:

Moreover, “Leave Me Alone” has a lot more going for it than labeling it “Evanescence lite” would show. That opening riff is monster, and the lyrics have a lot more depth than we credited them for at the time. (Although that “I gotta go crazy just to stay sane” line makes me cringe every time.)

The key is to separate “Leave Me Alone” from “Hard Rock Hallelujah”. Lordi loomed large over Eurovision 2007, nowhere more than over Finland’s own entry. We didn’t give Hanna her due at the time, but she came through under difficult circumstances.

The other song from 2007 that confounded us at the time is now one of the songs we listen to the most: “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”. Of course, we listen to it all the time because our son Kieran adores it. He even sings along. If you’ve ever heard a three-year-old say, “Okay, here’s the end — bink!”, you can understand why we want to hear this one over and over again. (That’s not the actual lyric, but are you going to argue with a toddler?)

When we first heard this song, though… man. Jen said, “This song to me sounds subversive. It takes me to a very dark place.” I dismissed it as “a good old-fashioned Eurovision nonsense number.” During our recaps of the live show, I said it was “awful” and Jen said, “I don’t get it.”

However, something Jen also said during her recap became the key for us to finally get “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”: “But, hey, the performance has good energy, and is well sung even though there is a lot of movement.” The amount of work Verka Serduchka and his crew put into their stage show is staggering. If you haven’t watched this one in awhile, check it out, and pay close attention to those back-up dancers:

Obviously, it had immediate impact to viewers: Verka came second, just 33 points behind winner Marija Šerifović. For us, it took repeated viewings for “Dancing Lasha Tumbai” to catch on. Is it still a deeply bizarre song? Yes. Do we dance along every time we hear it? Hell yes.

And thanks to Verka, Kieran is picking up his German numbers.

Interested parties should send an application with note “Project “EuroFest” to the address of Belteleradiocompany (220807, Minsk, Makaenka Str., 9).   Rules and the application form will be published on http://www.tvr.by (section “Projects”).   As of the time of writing, however, the application form and rules were not yet available.  Submissions will be accepted November 1-25.

Lithuania.  In its efforts to keep up with the Baltic Joneses, Lithuania has announced its call for entries.  The window will be open for quite a while as Lithuania is accepting submissions through December 31, 2011.  Perhaps that’ll give Sasha Son and Donny Montell enough time this year to write a duet that doesn’t suck. (Assuming of course that Donny wants to share the spotlight). More information about the selection process can be found here.  Tip of the hat to eurodiena.lt, as information about the contest is easier to find there than at lrt.lv.

Yo, Donny! It is so your year, man.

Special video bonus: Here’s Donny Montell and Robin Juhkental from Malcolm Lincoln at the Purple Night Concert in Vilnius, May 2011. There are no words.

Check out our other Open Call Roundup posts:

Defending Champion Edition
ESTONIA!!!
Desperate Swiss Edition
Íslenska Update
8/30/11 update (with info about Albania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Latvia and Malta)
7/20/11 update (with info about Finland and Switzerland)
7/9/11 (with info about Sweden, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands)
Calling all Slovenians

Unlike other countries, Azerbaijan appears to be seeking performers, not a song.  Couple of things to note from Azerbaijan’s announcement:

“ The participants should have a beautiful voice, a dancing ability and should be quite professional at the stage, which is very important.”  Well, yes indeedy and make no mistake about that.  To prove you have a beautiful voice, dancing ability, and are professional at this stage (which is important), they want 3 photographs of you taken at various angles.

Just like Ell and Nikki, don’t worry about a song.  If you get the nod, odds are the organizers will pick one for you.

Azerbaijan's Winning Formula

Interested participants should fill out this form (which looks like our 3-year-old made it) and submit it to the ITV organizing committee (Sharifizade st., 241, Baku). They want to see an identity card — which indicates to me they’re looking for proof of Azerbaijani residence or citizenship. They’re only accepting entries October 15-25, so you better move fast.

Check out our other Open Call Roundup posts:

ESTONIA!!!
Desperate Swiss Edition
Íslenska Update
8/30/11 update (with info about Albania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Latvia and Malta)
7/20/11 update (with info about Finland and Switzerland)
7/9/11 (with info about Sweden, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands)
Calling all Slovenians

The early episodes of Misija Evrovizija fuse together American Idol-style auditions, where we are introduced to a mix of hopefuls with and without talent, and performances where competitors cover well-known pop songs such as Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb,” Bruno Mars’s “Grenade,” and Audrey Hepburn’s “Moon River” (wait… what?!) .

Biba & Bibitas as Holly Golightly. They went home.

There’s no point in talking about the singers at this point as we were only introduced to 8 of the 32, and half will be eliminated in the early episodes.

But other important information has emerged from this first show:

• “Karaoke” is the same word in English and Slovenian (and Japanese).
• Sola ice tea uses “Ice Ice Baby” in its ads.
• Maja Keuc is tall.  That, or everyone in A Friend In London is short.
• Eurolemur ♥ Klemen Slakonja.

Klemen Slakonja as Bono