Does this week's line-up contain the winner? Possibly. Or then again, maybe not !?!
Alcazar: "Blame It On The Disco": It's the return of Stay The Night! Only with a weaker verse, and it's probably a weaker song than we would expect from the 'Zar. But there is a glitterball, and they will give it their all. It will be all about the 'show' on Saturday night and this is always their ace card. And their outfits are fab-u-lous.
I.D.A.: "Fight Me If You Dare": being second in the running order means you know what to expect by now (although last week's song by EKO is definitely an exception to the rule) so I didn't expect much from this song, and can see it propping up the scoreboard this week.
Josef Johansson: "Hela Natten": not really sure what's going on with his hairdo, but I'm happy to report that this electro-ballad is actually rather good and might just steal a qualifying place.
Ammotrack: "Raise Your Hands": I was looking forward to them but this is a very average rock song, nothing to get excited about.
Janet Leon: "Hollow": death by choreography. What is it with Sweden that they must have stupid 'lyrical' dancers? Unfortunately this song isn't good enough to rise above the bad dancing,
Linda Bengtzing: "Ta Mig". Another much-loved Melo-veteran making her comeback this year. This one was pretty hard to judge on the 1 minute clip and I need to hear more of it
Ellinore Holmer: "En Himmelsk Sång". Yes there is one of these slow songs every week, usually towards the end of the running order, with no choreography or faffing about. Can't see this qualifying.
Anton Ewald: "Natural": cashing in on all the goodwill which he picked up during last year's contest, Anton returns in the mythical 'pimp slot' which has predicted him as this year's winner. I will probably be shot down in flames for saying this, but Anton is a dancer who sings, rather than a singer who dances. His voice sounds very weak here, and if he is to make it to Copenhagen, there will be no recorded backing vocals to hide behind.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Melodifestivalen 2014 Week 3: hitting new lows in Gothenburg
It would appear that I'm not the only one who's unimpressed with Melodifestivalen this year. Ratings figures published last week show Sweden's most popular TV event is in freefall, and viewers are switching off by the week. Then there's the Swedish media whose knives are out for presenters Anders and Nour. So what's gone wrong?
Wind machines ahoy! We are now in the "death by fashion" section of the evening. Recent song contest history has shown how styling can make or break a song's chances. Shirley turns out to be the Moje 3 of Heat 3.
- The presenters. When Anders Jansson and Nour El-Refai's names were announced as this year's presenting duo, I thought they were a strange match. I still feel that way; they do not appear to have much charisma or chemistry. The Swedish media have also highlighted a drop in the quality of their scripts compared to previous years.
- The songs. It's called Melodifestivalen, but just how many memorable "melodies" have we heard this year? I'm not advocating the return of schlager, far from it, but some good tunes would be nice!
- The interval acts/sketches: tiresome.
Would this week change my mind about any/all of the above. Mmmm.....no.
But let's get on with the proceedings in Gothenburg's Scandinavium. Here at EuropeCrazy HQ, mum continues to lose the will to watch a below-average internet stream. Unfortunately our internet connection isn't up to the job of watching it in HD quality.
The stream then crashes/freezes and by the time it has recovered, Nour and Anders have swapped clothes. So that is supposed to be funny? They are becoming increasingly annoying by the week.
One other annoying thing this year is the paint-postcards; neither of us can warm to them at all.
Outtrigger: "Echo"
Very smart staging here, with the band members all in individual cages and the singer kicking off the song as Hannibal Lecter then freeing himself from his straitjacket and his cage. This is an assured performance and a very good start to the show. The song isn't too bad (apart from the screaming) and I might listen to it again.
M: Are they well-known?
L: They did a cover of last year's Melodifestivalen on YouTube which impressed the songwriters so much that they wrote this song for them.
By the end of the song:
M: Don't like this. Thankfully he's stopped "singing".
Off topic, I'm about a year behind the rest of the world as I've just discovered Haim, who were one of those 'next big thing' bands touted by the critics last year. What does this have to do with Melodifestivalen, I hear you ask. The next act, EKO, walk the catwalk to a Haim song, so it's a good start. Unfortunately the group are in that "spot of death" which as in Eurovision guarantees only failure.
EKO: "Red"
M: She looks like Toyah!
L: (!)
This song has a very 80s electro feel and we both rather like it. I think this is going to be one of the very few songs this year that will make it onto my iPod playlist.
Mum is no fan of Anders. "Who is he? He looks like a politician. Was he a politician in a past life?" I explain how in recent years, the male presenter of Melodifestivalen has been younger and reasonably easy on the eye. Unlike Anders.
M: He's even too old for me!!
Next on stage, the foregone conclusion of the night.
Oscar Zia: "Yes We Can"
Another song by Mr Smug himself Fredrik Kempe. It sounds like one of Max Martin's leftovers and conjures up memories of N*Sync, and it's staged like an Eric Saade cast-off. Oscar won't be saying bye bye bye to the contest though. Can he make it to the final? Yes he can.
M: He'll get votes because of his looks.
L: It's a bit bland and generic for me, nothing special about it.
Shirley Clamp: "Burning Alive"
Wind machines ahoy! We are now in the "death by fashion" section of the evening. Recent song contest history has shown how styling can make or break a song's chances. Shirley turns out to be the Moje 3 of Heat 3.
M: She is a good singer but that dress....ugh. Worst looking thing ever.
L: This is a fashion nightmare.
We spend the rest of the song talking about how bad the dress is. Probably the whole of Sweden is doing the same, and not actually listening to the song. Therefore, this is not qualifying.
State of Drama: "All We Are".
M: That painting (the postcards) is annoying me. L: This is nowhere near as good as the song they did last year.
M: I'm not interested in hearing about 'last year's song', that is in the past. This one is annoying.
L: The repetitive chorus is really getting on my nerves. Extremely annoying.
Ace Wilder: "Busy Doin' Nothin'"
Another song by the Debs - it's a very busy night for them - and Melodifestivalen debutant Ace is walking the catwalk to Hollaback Girl. Which sets her up nicely for what surprisingly turned out to be one of the surprises of the night. Although she's still a bit iffy vocally, and the sentiments of the song a bit dodgy in places, this has grown on me and I think I'd listen to it again after the contest, even if it is clearly "influenced" by Icona Pop's I Love It.
Dr Alban and Jessica Folcker: "Around The World" .
They look good in their white outfits, and it's not as car-crash as the 1 minute clip, however the good Doctor fails to prescribe a top class performance. Jessica is great though and it's a pity that she's dragged down by the substandard 'singing'.
Mum returns in time for the recap and the rest of the show. The interval act this week, "Sochi The Musical" may have had the best intentions but went right over my head. There are people on stage in gold skin-suits; mum thought they were naked ("nothing would surprise me about this show"). There was some good old fashioned Sweden-Norway rivalry, and Gustafsson is back again, dressed in a gold siamese-twin Olympic skinsuit with Nour. And then he goes and does something very, very stupid indeed. One word - #gropegate.
Top 5 time, with Outtrigger, Ace Wilder, State of Drama, Oscar Zia and Dr Alban and Jessica Folcker going to the next round of voting. Shirley 6th place, Cajsa-Lisa is 7th, and the song which probably impressed me most this week, "Red" by EKO, finishes last.
There is a silly football-themed sketch, a guy peeing, and a big wheel out of control. Quite frankly, you have lost me by now.
M: What's this got to do with anything?
Then there is a little tribute to Alice Babs, who passed away a few days ago.
As expected, Oscar Zia is on his way direkt till Friends.
M: It's his looks what won it!
L: As I said earlier, it's like a wee Max Martin cast-off.
M: Sounds like a lot of other songs. Pretty ordinary.
It's the two rock bands, Outtrigger and State of Drama, who go to Andra Chansen.
M: "All We Are" is sh*te. And you can put that in your blog post.
But who's going to the final? Only Ace Wilder! Dr Alban and Jessica's car-crash number ends up in 5th place. Mum missed "Busy Doin' Nothin'" when it was performed earlier, but she's quite amused and likes Ace.
M: Chain-gang onesies! This is alright. Very modern.
Heat 3 was hailed as a triumph for pop over schlager and rock, and the most obvious evidence yet of a shift in the voting demographic for Melodifestivalen. It will probably be the last time that we see Shirley Clamp at the contest, as she is yet another of the 'veterans' to fall victim to televoting, and the rise of the contest's new generation. Melodifestivalen needs new blood, but it would be nice to have a mix between the old and the new in the contest. It doesn't bode well for my beloved Alcazar this weekend :(
When it comes to presenters, Melodifestivalen also needs new blood. Bin the comedians and give the gig to, say, Lena Philipsson or Sarah Dawn Finer. It's a song contest after all, not a comedy night! (although that's debatable a lot of the time...!)
State of Drama: "All We Are".
M: That painting (the postcards) is annoying me. L: This is nowhere near as good as the song they did last year.
M: I'm not interested in hearing about 'last year's song', that is in the past. This one is annoying.
L: The repetitive chorus is really getting on my nerves. Extremely annoying.
M: Probably only took them about 2 minutes to write.
L: They seem a lot more arrogant this year than they were last year. Getting a bit full of themselves now. Next!
Cajsa-Stina Åkerström: "En Enkel Sång".
I'm not familiar with her work but I'm guessing that like many of the 'older' artists in Melodifestivalen, she's not in it to win it but to use it as a shop window for her new material. Cajsa-Stina walks the catwalk to "Wild World" which gets mum's approval. She looks like a blonde Sandie Shaw, and performs her 'simple song' on the satellite stage. Very well staged with everyone waving little lights and a ticker-tape finale.
M: That was quite nice and might do well.
L: I think there's too many other potential qualifiers tonight though.
Unfortunately, this week's show is dying on its a*se, but look who it is! Only Bjorn Gustafsson to the rescue, hanging from gymnastic rings, and indeed hanging around just a bit too long and overstaying his welcome.
M: Who the hell is this?
L: Remember when Salem was in the final with "Keep On Walking", well, he was the other guy on stage with him. And he once memorably appeared as Swedish jury spokesperson in Eurovision, awarding 12 points to Sweden. He is a very famous comedian in Sweden.
M: Well I don't think he's very funny.
Bjorn is also of course the guy who did the interval acts a few years ago and became very famous as a result. But now the whole thing just looks like a desperate attempt to salvage a very poor show. Bjorn finally flies off, as does Mum who has had enough and is off to gather her thoughts and escape the tedium.
Unfortunately, this week's show is dying on its a*se, but look who it is! Only Bjorn Gustafsson to the rescue, hanging from gymnastic rings, and indeed hanging around just a bit too long and overstaying his welcome.
M: Who the hell is this?
L: Remember when Salem was in the final with "Keep On Walking", well, he was the other guy on stage with him. And he once memorably appeared as Swedish jury spokesperson in Eurovision, awarding 12 points to Sweden. He is a very famous comedian in Sweden.
M: Well I don't think he's very funny.
Bjorn is also of course the guy who did the interval acts a few years ago and became very famous as a result. But now the whole thing just looks like a desperate attempt to salvage a very poor show. Bjorn finally flies off, as does Mum who has had enough and is off to gather her thoughts and escape the tedium.
Ace Wilder: "Busy Doin' Nothin'"
Another song by the Debs - it's a very busy night for them - and Melodifestivalen debutant Ace is walking the catwalk to Hollaback Girl. Which sets her up nicely for what surprisingly turned out to be one of the surprises of the night. Although she's still a bit iffy vocally, and the sentiments of the song a bit dodgy in places, this has grown on me and I think I'd listen to it again after the contest, even if it is clearly "influenced" by Icona Pop's I Love It.
Dr Alban and Jessica Folcker: "Around The World" .
They look good in their white outfits, and it's not as car-crash as the 1 minute clip, however the good Doctor fails to prescribe a top class performance. Jessica is great though and it's a pity that she's dragged down by the substandard 'singing'.
Mum returns in time for the recap and the rest of the show. The interval act this week, "Sochi The Musical" may have had the best intentions but went right over my head. There are people on stage in gold skin-suits; mum thought they were naked ("nothing would surprise me about this show"). There was some good old fashioned Sweden-Norway rivalry, and Gustafsson is back again, dressed in a gold siamese-twin Olympic skinsuit with Nour. And then he goes and does something very, very stupid indeed. One word - #gropegate.
Top 5 time, with Outtrigger, Ace Wilder, State of Drama, Oscar Zia and Dr Alban and Jessica Folcker going to the next round of voting. Shirley 6th place, Cajsa-Lisa is 7th, and the song which probably impressed me most this week, "Red" by EKO, finishes last.
There is a silly football-themed sketch, a guy peeing, and a big wheel out of control. Quite frankly, you have lost me by now.
M: What's this got to do with anything?
Then there is a little tribute to Alice Babs, who passed away a few days ago.
As expected, Oscar Zia is on his way direkt till Friends.
M: It's his looks what won it!
L: As I said earlier, it's like a wee Max Martin cast-off.
M: Sounds like a lot of other songs. Pretty ordinary.
It's the two rock bands, Outtrigger and State of Drama, who go to Andra Chansen.
M: "All We Are" is sh*te. And you can put that in your blog post.
But who's going to the final? Only Ace Wilder! Dr Alban and Jessica's car-crash number ends up in 5th place. Mum missed "Busy Doin' Nothin'" when it was performed earlier, but she's quite amused and likes Ace.
M: Chain-gang onesies! This is alright. Very modern.
Above: winners Ace and Oscar celebrate reaching the final.
When it comes to presenters, Melodifestivalen also needs new blood. Bin the comedians and give the gig to, say, Lena Philipsson or Sarah Dawn Finer. It's a song contest after all, not a comedy night! (although that's debatable a lot of the time...!)
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Who cares about the Brits, when you've got the Swedish Grammis?
Two awards shows taking place on the same evening: one from a country once celebrated and renowned for musical innovation and now scraping the barrel with fly-by-night winners who will probably be forgotten about 12 months from now...
...and the other from a small country with a never-ending pool of musical talent and diversity. You can't really measure that by Swedish award shows of course, which remain under Mr Hellström's spell; however while we got James Corden (is there no beginning to the man's talents?) Sweden got Ray Cokes. Yes, the legendary Ray Cokes, Mr 'Most Wanted' himself.
Oh, and my all-time favourite Swedish artist, Salem Al Fakir, got an award for best composer. And even if all my other favourites didn't win, things are still always better in Sweden.
Tonight's winners:
Årets jazz: Tonbruket
Årets nykomling: Linda Pira
...and the other from a small country with a never-ending pool of musical talent and diversity. You can't really measure that by Swedish award shows of course, which remain under Mr Hellström's spell; however while we got James Corden (is there no beginning to the man's talents?) Sweden got Ray Cokes. Yes, the legendary Ray Cokes, Mr 'Most Wanted' himself.
Oh, and my all-time favourite Swedish artist, Salem Al Fakir, got an award for best composer. And even if all my other favourites didn't win, things are still always better in Sweden.
Tonight's winners:
Årets rock: Håkan Hellström
Årets elektro/dans: Icona Pop
Årets låt: Håkan Hellström – ”Det kommer aldrig va över för mig”
Årets hårdrock/metal: Ghost
Årets textförfattare: Håkan Hellström
Årets artist: Avicii
Årets pop: Veronica Maggio
Årets hederspristagare: Sven-Bertil Taube
Årets album: Jenny Wilson – ”Demand the impossible”
Årets video: Jenny Wilson och Daniel Wirtberg ”Autobiography”
Årets klassiska: Karin Rehnqvist
Årets producent: Jenny Wilson
Årets barnalbum: Jazzoo
Årets hiphop/soul: Stor
Årets dansband: Elisa's
Årets innovatör: The FoooÅrets jazz: Tonbruket
Årets nykomling: Linda Pira
Årets kompositör: Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare och Magnus Lidehäll
Årets folkmusik/visa: Tomas Ledin
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Just a minute...of this week's Melodifestivalen songs
It's been described as the most musically diverse of the four heats, but will heat 3 in Gothenburg finally light up what's been (for me) an underwhelming Melodifestivalen so far? Hmmmm.....
By the way, I'm reviewing the minute-clips rather than the studio versions: I've had the rare but welcome opportunity to work overtime today and therefore am now on the catch-up!
Outtrigger: "Echo"
Now I'm partial to a bit of rock but I prefer it to be more melodic rather than all the screaming death metally stuff. Outtrigger first came to our attention of course with that "You" cover. My mum isn't going to like the screaming. Bits of this aren't too bad though - it's going to qualify, I just don't know what to.
EKO: "Red"
From Echo to EKO. They won the Svensktoppen contest thing, the new version of the webbjoker. Does that automatically entitle you to the "spot of death" in every heat? Looks like it here. She is very striking with her long red hair - I have to show some solidarity here with my fellow long-red-haired girls, (although I've briefly abandoned it for a brief brunette phase) anyway this is very unusual and atmospheric and it may grow on me - but it's not a qualifier.
Oscar Zia: "Yes We Can"
Silly sha-la-la-la-la lyrics in the chorus but that won't matter as Saade 3.0 - or is it Ewald 2.0? - will win over all the girls (and boys) who have probably found a new pop boy to love. The song is rather genetic and average though on first listen.
Shirley Clamp: "Burning Alive"
OK, first impressions - you know what we all say when we hear a new Shirley song? "well it's not Min Karlek, is it?" Get past that though and this is a decent enough ballad although I'm imagining a dance-remix of it in my mind already. The piano line is a bit "Grenade" isn't it, if we're looking for musical reference points? The key change goes all Quedate Conmigo on us, and that's a good thing!
State of Drama: "All We Are"
Big ol' hands in the air rock anthem, although the verses don't really fit the chorus. It may make more sense when I hear the full version, although it doesn't really sound special enough to stand out and I don't like it as much as their 2013 song. It sounds as if it should be soundtracking an advert or something.
Cajsa-Stina Akerstrom: "En enkel sång"
A simple song, and it is too. A country ballad performed by a lady with a warm and mature voice. I'm not familiar at all with any of her music, however this could 'do a Hoffsten' (as no-one's calling it) and qualify as it taps into the same market as the dead fish woman. It's a bit on the boring side, but I think I prefer this to the dead fish.
Ace Wilder: "Busy Doin' Nothin'"
I think this will divide people, this one. Icona Pop and their fans will probably find it the sincerest form of flattery, but it's far too messy, chaotic and amateurish to progress any further. Maybe I need to hear it again to really make up my mind.
Dr Alban and Jessica Folcker: "Around The World"
Based on the rehearsal clip, I think this will be very popular tonight at EuropeCrazy for all the wrong reasons. Jessica's vocals are fine, but the vocals/rapping of Dr Alban - the legendary Dr Alban! - are in the so-bad-it's-good camp. Good draw position, but if he doesn't up his game he won't be going to Stockholm, never mind 'around the world'!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Melodifestivalen 2014 Week 2: underwhelming in Linköping
So yet again we've got the old HDMI cable wired up to the telly, but problems quickly emerge with the SVT stream and don't really resolve themselves for the remainder of the show.
The opening act - "Congratulations" sung in Swedish! - is clearly some kind of 1974/1984 anniversary commemoration of Abba and the Herreys winning Melodifestivalen.
And now on to the songs!
JEM: "Love Trigger".
Oh look, it's G:son! Now you never see him in any national finals, do you?? Unfortunately a blurry stream results in a prolonged conversation about how grandad in Mrs Brown's Boys always reminds me of Mr G:son. Yes peeps, it's that kind of night. There is something about this which is reassuringly amateurish, yet there is a Will.i.am and Britney feel to this which is very contemporary indeed. Apparently they were on Swedish X Factor, which may possibly be a good thing for them.
The Refreshments: "Hallelujah".
So on first glance the singer looks as if he's dressed as the flag of FYR Macedonia. The song is pretty hideous, they've got what looks like Sheila's Wheels on the backing vocals and mum is distracted by the splits-guy's boots. She's not as excited about the song though.
M: They must have written that in about 5 minutes.
L: This is utter pants. Next!
Manda: "Glow".
Mum is not used to watching internet streams, whereas I'm happy to put up with pixellation in the name of Melodifestivalen. We may not be able to see Manda properly but her nails are a big talking point here. As for the song, it has definitely grown on me and I think it would do well if sung by a more famous singer rather than the unknown Manda.
Panetoz: "Efter Solsken".
Their catwalk music is Magic System and I tell mum all about 'Dansa Pausa' and how it was a massive hit in Sweden. Mum is impressed by the fact that in Sweden, hit artists are not afraid to enter the contest and risk failure. This song has a very catchy chorus although, for me, the verses don't measure up.
Pink Pistols: "I Am Somebody".
This one's my favourite of the night so far. I didn't realise till tonight that the girls weren't girls after all!
Mum: Not a bad song. I like the name - Pink Pistols!
L: Yes I like this. Although the song title could have been more prominent in the song. It's more like an afterthought at the end of the chorus.
Sanna Nielsen: "Undo".
AKA the one 'influenced' by Wrecking Ball. I tell mum about Sanna's numerous appearances in Melodifestivalen. Mum is not impressed.
M: She's boring.
L: I've never been a fan - I could never warm to her.
M: I just don't like this type of singing or this type of song.
Little Great Things: "Set Yourself Free".
Mum gets a little summary of the 'family tree'.
M: Nepotism!
I liked the sound of this on the Thursday night clip, however was less impressed tonight. The lead singer's voice grated on me and the whole thing was vocally ropey at times. Which is a shame as I usually enjoy the rock songs in Melodifestivalen.
And cheekily, the organisers of the contest have drawn LGT next to mama Nanne's nemesis...
Martin Stenmarck: "När Änglarna Går Hem".
L: Martin used to have a lovely head of hair. You fancied him the year he was in Eurovision.
M: Did I?
L: Yes. And so did I. He still looks alright.
The chorus is in the "Tell The World I'm Here"-anthemic vein, however the verses are unimpressive and forgettable. There are too many flashing lights and effects, obscuring Martin much of the time.
Resultat time. Sanna, Refreshments (ugh), JEM, Panetoz and Martin to the next round of voting. Little Great Things miss out in 6th place, Pink Pistols 7th and Manda 8th.
Whether or not Panetoz qualify, I think their song will probably become the biggest hit from this week's contest.
Mum does not like Melodifestivalen, much as I try to convert her.
M: I can't get into all this. The difference is that you're familiar with all these singers and songwriters and presenters but I'm not. And I can't watch that blurry picture.
L: (laughs wickedly) And there's 4 more weeks of it to go!
M: Oh no....
They're advertising the Lilla Melodifestivalen thing again. Yes, you too can appear in big Melodifestivalen if you start off on the kiddie version.
Nour received some criticism last week for her nervy performance, but she seemed more relaxed and confident this week, dressed in a wine-coloured jumpsuit (or whatever the young folks call them these days). Mum is unimpressed by Anders, for purely aesthetic reasons: "All those good-looking Swedish young men and they pick him!?!"
Both presenters however are about to be upstaged by a little girl named Sigrid with her blue and pink hair and a drawing of Yohio. She stole the show and did the splits. But can she sing? Lilla Melodifestivalen beckons.
Two weeks in, there is still something missing from this year's contest, which is lacking sparkle and the event-quality which long-term Melodifestivalen fans have come to expect. The quality of the songs is average rather than spectacular. The Swedish media is blaming the poor scripts, but for those of us non-native speakers, the presentation just appears dull, the postcards useless, and the whole thing has a going-through-the-motions feel.
So if you remember, there was no interval act last week and we all complained about it. But be careful what you wish for - because this week we got one. Sean f****** Banan, with his take on what for me is one of the worst ever Eurovision winners of all time.
M: I remember that Diggiloo Diggiley. It was rubbish. If that's the interval act, you're better off without one! It was a rotten song the first time round and it's still rotten!
Banan gives way to the real Herreys. There is something pretty second-hand about all this, as they appeared in last year's brilliant DMGP final as part of a previous-winners segment.
But now it's time for the result. No surprise that Sanna is direkt till Friends. Which means that she gets to reprise the song. This one started off as 'ok' with me but it becomes worse with repeated listening.
JEM go to Andra Chansen and I'm quite happy about that as it's a more contemporary song, but they still need to polish some of the rough edges. Martin also goes to AC - the second week in a row that the Swedish public has sent a message that just because you're either a Eurovision or Melodifestivalen winner, don't take it for granted that you're an automatic qualifier to the final.
So who else is going to the final? Panetoz! Or, as mum now calls them, Pantyhose :))
(all of the above photos courtesy of either SVT or Aftonbladet)
The opening act - "Congratulations" sung in Swedish! - is clearly some kind of 1974/1984 anniversary commemoration of Abba and the Herreys winning Melodifestivalen.
And now on to the songs!
JEM: "Love Trigger".
Oh look, it's G:son! Now you never see him in any national finals, do you?? Unfortunately a blurry stream results in a prolonged conversation about how grandad in Mrs Brown's Boys always reminds me of Mr G:son. Yes peeps, it's that kind of night. There is something about this which is reassuringly amateurish, yet there is a Will.i.am and Britney feel to this which is very contemporary indeed. Apparently they were on Swedish X Factor, which may possibly be a good thing for them.
The Refreshments: "Hallelujah".
So on first glance the singer looks as if he's dressed as the flag of FYR Macedonia. The song is pretty hideous, they've got what looks like Sheila's Wheels on the backing vocals and mum is distracted by the splits-guy's boots. She's not as excited about the song though.
M: They must have written that in about 5 minutes.
L: This is utter pants. Next!
Manda: "Glow".
Mum is not used to watching internet streams, whereas I'm happy to put up with pixellation in the name of Melodifestivalen. We may not be able to see Manda properly but her nails are a big talking point here. As for the song, it has definitely grown on me and I think it would do well if sung by a more famous singer rather than the unknown Manda.
Panetoz: "Efter Solsken".
Their catwalk music is Magic System and I tell mum all about 'Dansa Pausa' and how it was a massive hit in Sweden. Mum is impressed by the fact that in Sweden, hit artists are not afraid to enter the contest and risk failure. This song has a very catchy chorus although, for me, the verses don't measure up.
Pink Pistols: "I Am Somebody".
This one's my favourite of the night so far. I didn't realise till tonight that the girls weren't girls after all!
Mum: Not a bad song. I like the name - Pink Pistols!
L: Yes I like this. Although the song title could have been more prominent in the song. It's more like an afterthought at the end of the chorus.
Sanna Nielsen: "Undo".
AKA the one 'influenced' by Wrecking Ball. I tell mum about Sanna's numerous appearances in Melodifestivalen. Mum is not impressed.
M: She's boring.
L: I've never been a fan - I could never warm to her.
M: I just don't like this type of singing or this type of song.
Little Great Things: "Set Yourself Free".
Mum gets a little summary of the 'family tree'.
M: Nepotism!
I liked the sound of this on the Thursday night clip, however was less impressed tonight. The lead singer's voice grated on me and the whole thing was vocally ropey at times. Which is a shame as I usually enjoy the rock songs in Melodifestivalen.
And cheekily, the organisers of the contest have drawn LGT next to mama Nanne's nemesis...
Martin Stenmarck: "När Änglarna Går Hem".
L: Martin used to have a lovely head of hair. You fancied him the year he was in Eurovision.
M: Did I?
L: Yes. And so did I. He still looks alright.
The chorus is in the "Tell The World I'm Here"-anthemic vein, however the verses are unimpressive and forgettable. There are too many flashing lights and effects, obscuring Martin much of the time.
Resultat time. Sanna, Refreshments (ugh), JEM, Panetoz and Martin to the next round of voting. Little Great Things miss out in 6th place, Pink Pistols 7th and Manda 8th.
Whether or not Panetoz qualify, I think their song will probably become the biggest hit from this week's contest.
Mum does not like Melodifestivalen, much as I try to convert her.
M: I can't get into all this. The difference is that you're familiar with all these singers and songwriters and presenters but I'm not. And I can't watch that blurry picture.
L: (laughs wickedly) And there's 4 more weeks of it to go!
M: Oh no....
They're advertising the Lilla Melodifestivalen thing again. Yes, you too can appear in big Melodifestivalen if you start off on the kiddie version.
Nour received some criticism last week for her nervy performance, but she seemed more relaxed and confident this week, dressed in a wine-coloured jumpsuit (or whatever the young folks call them these days). Mum is unimpressed by Anders, for purely aesthetic reasons: "All those good-looking Swedish young men and they pick him!?!"
Both presenters however are about to be upstaged by a little girl named Sigrid with her blue and pink hair and a drawing of Yohio. She stole the show and did the splits. But can she sing? Lilla Melodifestivalen beckons.
Two weeks in, there is still something missing from this year's contest, which is lacking sparkle and the event-quality which long-term Melodifestivalen fans have come to expect. The quality of the songs is average rather than spectacular. The Swedish media is blaming the poor scripts, but for those of us non-native speakers, the presentation just appears dull, the postcards useless, and the whole thing has a going-through-the-motions feel.
So if you remember, there was no interval act last week and we all complained about it. But be careful what you wish for - because this week we got one. Sean f****** Banan, with his take on what for me is one of the worst ever Eurovision winners of all time.
M: I remember that Diggiloo Diggiley. It was rubbish. If that's the interval act, you're better off without one! It was a rotten song the first time round and it's still rotten!
Banan gives way to the real Herreys. There is something pretty second-hand about all this, as they appeared in last year's brilliant DMGP final as part of a previous-winners segment.
But now it's time for the result. No surprise that Sanna is direkt till Friends. Which means that she gets to reprise the song. This one started off as 'ok' with me but it becomes worse with repeated listening.
JEM go to Andra Chansen and I'm quite happy about that as it's a more contemporary song, but they still need to polish some of the rough edges. Martin also goes to AC - the second week in a row that the Swedish public has sent a message that just because you're either a Eurovision or Melodifestivalen winner, don't take it for granted that you're an automatic qualifier to the final.
So who else is going to the final? Panetoz! Or, as mum now calls them, Pantyhose :))
(all of the above photos courtesy of either SVT or Aftonbladet)
Thursday, February 06, 2014
Just a minute...of this week's Melodifestivalen songs
J.E.M.: "Love Trigger" - so this is like we're now now rocking with Will.i.am and Britney...anyway there's a cheerfully amateurish quality to this.
The Refreshments: "Hallelujah" - on first hearing this is really vile, I can't find any other words to describe it.
Manda: "Glow" - she's obviously going for that Kelly Clarkson/Katy Perry song style but we will probably spend the whole song being distracted by the violinists in the sky high frocks. This is quite nice but I'm not sure about her voice.
Panetoz: "Efter Solsken" - their catwalk music is going to be Premier Gaou which is pretty cool, as I liked that song a few years ago. Panetoz would probably aspire to be a Swedish version of Magic System, but this sadly goes nowhere and doesn't have the addictive quality of their summer hit Dansa Pausa.
Pink Pistols: "I Am Somebody" - I want to love this but on the 1 minute clip it's not going anywhere. There will be lots of strutting and hand gestures by the looks of it though...
Sanna Nielsen: "Undo"- hopefully she will not come in like a wrecking ball. Or indeed, on one. I'm not a fan of hers but this sounded pretty ok. It needs a big ol' dance remix though.
Little Great Things: "Set Yourself Free" - these are Nanne's boys of course and on first hearing I liked what I heard. I think this could be one of the songs from this year which I'll listen to after the contest.
Martin Stenmarck: "Nar Anglarna Gar Hem" (sorry for the lack of umlaut type things but my Character Map isn't working tonight) - now you know I'm partial to this kind of anthemic Coldplayish kind of song and Martin does it pretty well. The down side is that he seems to have offended the stylist for some reason.
Will the full versions change my mind on Saturday? Hope so! In the meantime, I'll predict 4 qualifiers for this week: Sanna, Martin, Little Great Things and the dreaded Refreshments...
The Refreshments: "Hallelujah" - on first hearing this is really vile, I can't find any other words to describe it.
Manda: "Glow" - she's obviously going for that Kelly Clarkson/Katy Perry song style but we will probably spend the whole song being distracted by the violinists in the sky high frocks. This is quite nice but I'm not sure about her voice.
Panetoz: "Efter Solsken" - their catwalk music is going to be Premier Gaou which is pretty cool, as I liked that song a few years ago. Panetoz would probably aspire to be a Swedish version of Magic System, but this sadly goes nowhere and doesn't have the addictive quality of their summer hit Dansa Pausa.
Pink Pistols: "I Am Somebody" - I want to love this but on the 1 minute clip it's not going anywhere. There will be lots of strutting and hand gestures by the looks of it though...
Sanna Nielsen: "Undo"- hopefully she will not come in like a wrecking ball. Or indeed, on one. I'm not a fan of hers but this sounded pretty ok. It needs a big ol' dance remix though.
Little Great Things: "Set Yourself Free" - these are Nanne's boys of course and on first hearing I liked what I heard. I think this could be one of the songs from this year which I'll listen to after the contest.
Martin Stenmarck: "Nar Anglarna Gar Hem" (sorry for the lack of umlaut type things but my Character Map isn't working tonight) - now you know I'm partial to this kind of anthemic Coldplayish kind of song and Martin does it pretty well. The down side is that he seems to have offended the stylist for some reason.
Will the full versions change my mind on Saturday? Hope so! In the meantime, I'll predict 4 qualifiers for this week: Sanna, Martin, Little Great Things and the dreaded Refreshments...
Monday, February 03, 2014
12 Months, 12 Books: "Nul Points" - Tim Moore
Now I'm not one for new year resolutions - they don't work, admit it - but at the beginning of this year I set myself a goal of reading a book every month and then reviewing it at the end of the month on this blog. The first book of the year is actually an old favourite, which I received as one of my Christmas presents in 2006, if I remember correctly. As we're heading into national finals season, there's no better time than to revisit "Nul Points" by Tim Moore.
Moore is the author of several highly entertaining travel books - the most familiar of these for me was "French Revolutions", a very funny book about the Tour de France, which was published back in 2001.
Nul Points is a grammatically incorrect but instantly recognisable phrase which describes all those Eurovision entries over the years which never received a single point. In these days of the mega-contest it's virtually impossible for a song to receive no points, but back in the pre-semi final days of a smaller contest, it was a regular occurrence. Regular enough for Tim Moore to get a book out of it.
The book begins with the ultimate nul-pointer, the legend himself, Jahn Teigen who secured his place in Eurovision history in 1978 and stars on the book's cover in cartoon form. As Tim makes his way round the world to track down numerous nul-pointers, it's a fascinating contrast between the glorious failures such as the triumphant Jahn whose career was boosted by glorious defeat, and the bitterness and regret of subsequent Norwegian nul-pointer Finn Kalvik; or the dark feelings of Portugal's finger-clickingly unfortunate Celia Lawson who claimed: "so many bad things happen to me - and yes, they all began with Eurovision". But for every Finn or Celia there's a Tor Endresen or a Kojo who enjoyed the ride and laugh off the experience.
And we couldn't go without mentioning the UK's very own nul-pointers Jemini who by the time of Tim Moore's interview existed somewhere between pride, denial, embarrassment and defiance :)
It's a fascinating read, and you don't need to be a Eurovision expert to appreciate the book. The best thing about it is that Tim Moore skips the default-setting derision of most British journalists for something a lot more respectful; don't expect a superfan-book either, but just an enjoyable read with lots of genuine empathy and affection for all those guys and girls who've propped up the scoreboard over the years.
Melodifestivalen 2014 Week 1: Yohio and Ellen Benediktson till Friends Arena
After a dull, uneventful January, February finally arrived with the first 'Super Saturday' and the first week of this year's Melodifestivalen marathon. Yes mum, it goes on for 6 weeks (groans from the other side of the living room)
Elisa Lindström – “Casanova”.
I'm rather disappointed that there hasn't been an interval act worth mentioning this week. So at this point I'm engaged in a conversation with mum about going-to-Copenhagen-outwith-Eurovision-week and all the reasons round about that....anyway let's have some results eh????
Firstly: Yohio is direkt till Friends Arena.
Linus Svenning to Andra Chansen, as is (shock horror) Helena Paparizou - we all expected her to go direkt till Friends however she'll have to settle for a slot in Andra Chansen. So who is getting the all-important final spot?
Only....Ellen Benediktson. Which my mum, aka casual Eurovision viewer, clearly predicted.
48 hours later, there's only one song from that line-up still on my brain - "Bedroom"!
It was an underwhelming first week: Anders and Nour were solid rather than spectacular, whilst I'm deducting points for the lack of a real interval act. Therefore here are the marks I'm awarding for week 1:
Songs: 2/5
Postcards: 2/5
Staging: 3/5
Presentation: 3/5
Intro: 3/5
Interval Act: 2/5
Next stop Linköping: hoping that J.E.M., The Refreshments, Manda, Panetoz, Pink Pistols, Sanna Nielsen, Little Great Things and Martin Stenmarck deliver some better songs!
So here it is, Merry Melo, everybody’s having fun. Unless of course you’re in the anti-Melo camp
and were probably watching one of the two finals or the 5 or 6 other
heats/semi-finals of course. As regular
readers will know by now, I manage to persuade my mum to watch the contest with
me every year, and so it was again on Saturday night.
The contest began where Eurovision 2013 left off – in
Malmo. But it's a new presenting team this
year of Anders Jansson and Nour El-Refai.
The opening number is usually a nod to the previous year’s
winner – remember Gina and Danny’s Loreen routine last year? So the 2014 opening sketch was basically
taking a shot at those Only Teardrops penny whistles. It maybe didn’t appeal to everyone, but I
thought it was funny.
Mum (quickly losing patience): “less of the chat, get on
with the songs!”
So let’s get on with the songs.
Yohio – “To The End”.
The writers are introduced, Andreas Johnson is among them. Yohio, the one-man Tokio Hotel returns this year and is hoping to go one better than in 2013.
L: Yohio’s toned down his image this year. I think this might appeal to more people than
his song from last year, but that’s not to say it’s great.
M: It’s a bit forgettable and mediocre.
Mahan Moin – “Aleo”.
M: I’m not impressed by this. Too many changes.
L: It doesn’t really go anywhere, does it?
We talk through the rest of the song, which screams
non-qualifier.
Linus Svenning – “Bröder”.
Guy singing a song about his late brother,
written by uber-smug text-och-musik eminence Freddie Kempe.
M: I don’t really like this and wouldn’t want to hear it
again.
L: This is a strange one. It’s like the X Factor. I think the emotional lyrics might win the public over, but I still can’t
really warm to this. The piercings and
the tattoos are a bit too distracting.
I have some more explaining to do to mum about the next
song. In 30 seconds I manage to explain
the concept of schlager and dansband, although it probably goes over her
head.
Elisa Lindström – “Casanova”.
M: She’s not wearing very much, is she?
L: This is total schlager but it’s a bad one and it’s all
over the place.
M: It sounds so old-fashioned, like something from about 40
years ago. Like an old Eurovision
song.
L: So much about this is so wrong.
Alvaro Estrella – “Bedroom”.
L: TFI Bedroom! I
don’t care if the lyrics are mucky, this has brought a bit of life to the show.
M: This is more like it.
A lot more lively and modern, although the lyrics probably waste it.
L: Doesn’t really matter anyway – you can’t really make them
out. He doesn’t have the best voice but
I’d like to hear the studio version of this.
My fave of the night so far. I think this is a qualifier.
I then spend the remainder of the song explaining the
concept of Anton Ewald to mum…!
Ellen Benediktson – “Songbird”.
We go from boom-boom-boom-boom to a bare-bones, less is more song.
We go from boom-boom-boom-boom to a bare-bones, less is more song.
M: I think this has a really good chance of doing well. Sometimes the voters will be fed up with all
the big routines and go for something simple.
L: She’s really
selling this one. I think this is going
to qualify.
I explain to mum how this reminds me of a song which did
well a few years ago (“Trying To Recall”) – I’m feeling the same vibe.
Sylvester Schlegel – “Bygdens Son”
M: Who’s this guy?
He’s not a singer. Maybe it might
have sounded better if a proper singer had sung this.
L: If we’re going to have an ex-member of The Ark on that
stage, I wish it would have been Ola Salo.
This is so not qualifying.
And finally….
Helena Paparizou – “Survivor”.
I give mum a quick briefing on Helena’s past
life as Eurovision winner for Greece. We
are both nodding approval for her lace dress which is our favourite of the
night. Unfortunately, the song falls
short of our expectation.
L: This is far too repetitive.
M: She’s good, but the song should have been better. “Call me a survivor” over and over again –
yes, too repetitive.
The songs are over, the crowd shots begin. Look – there’s Henrik Larsson in the
audience! One of the greatest ever footballers is at Melodifestivalen! You wouldn't expect to see any English premiership footballers in the audience for A Song For Europe, would you? (Well, if we had A Song For Europe, that is...)
We then get some before-they-were-famous clips from Lilla Melodifestivalen including Molly Sanden and Erik Rapp.
So, first set of results: Linus. Elisa. Ellen. Helena. Yohio.
Never mind 'never made it to the bedroom' - poor old Alvaro never made it to the final or Andra Chansen either. He came 6th, with Mahan 7th and Sylvester 8th.
We then get some before-they-were-famous clips from Lilla Melodifestivalen including Molly Sanden and Erik Rapp.
So, first set of results: Linus. Elisa. Ellen. Helena. Yohio.
Never mind 'never made it to the bedroom' - poor old Alvaro never made it to the final or Andra Chansen either. He came 6th, with Mahan 7th and Sylvester 8th.
Firstly: Yohio is direkt till Friends Arena.
Linus Svenning to Andra Chansen, as is (shock horror) Helena Paparizou - we all expected her to go direkt till Friends however she'll have to settle for a slot in Andra Chansen. So who is getting the all-important final spot?
Only....Ellen Benediktson. Which my mum, aka casual Eurovision viewer, clearly predicted.
Above: Yohio and Ellen celebrate.
48 hours later, there's only one song from that line-up still on my brain - "Bedroom"!
It was an underwhelming first week: Anders and Nour were solid rather than spectacular, whilst I'm deducting points for the lack of a real interval act. Therefore here are the marks I'm awarding for week 1:
Songs: 2/5
Postcards: 2/5
Staging: 3/5
Presentation: 3/5
Intro: 3/5
Interval Act: 2/5
Next stop Linköping: hoping that J.E.M., The Refreshments, Manda, Panetoz, Pink Pistols, Sanna Nielsen, Little Great Things and Martin Stenmarck deliver some better songs!
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Just a minute...of this week's Melodifestivalen songs
Yay! February is here at last, and we're all glad that January is finally out of the way.
Of course we are now presented with a new challenge: how to keep up with all those heats, semi-finals and finals which have been packed into this new month, and fit in the Winter Olympics as well!
Tonight is the first "Super Saturday" including the Finnish and Swiss finals. I'll probably catch these later as I had a listen to the songs and found them pretty underwhelming. It would be nice to see Softengine's "Something Better" making it to Copenhagen although I can't see it winning. Switzerland is all a bit 'meh' but they might go for that "Hunter of Stars" song by Sebalter which is at least quite quirky.
There's heats and semi-finals going on tonight in Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary, and let's not forget Iceland. A Magni-free Iceland this year :(((((( it just won't be the same for me!
However tonight at 7.00pm UK time, the laptop will be connected to the TV and it will be time for the first of six weeks of Melodifestivalen madness. Bad news mum....!
As usual, SVT posted one-minute clips of rehearsal performances to give us an opportunity to hear what the songs sound like. So here are my foolish predictions about who's qualifying and who isn't. I'm not even going to guess if it will be the final or Andra Chansen!
YOHIO: "To The End".
I have a real problem with YOHIO, because he seems to have built up this whole image and myth around himself when in fact he's just a pretty average singer. This is an anthemic and lively opener by the Johnson/Kvint team however it just sounds like a lot of other songs and there's nothing making it special. Fan power will ensure its qualification though.
Qualifier? YES
Mahan Moin: "Aleo"
Maybe they didn't show the best bit of the song but sorry Mahan, this is a mess for me. I think her vocals could let her down on the night. It's a Latino-by-numbers song which will probably come 7th or thereabouts.
Qualifier? NO
Linus Svenning: "Bröder"
Judging by his YouTube clips, we know he can sing, but will the nerves get the better of him on this emotional song? The balance between power and emotion will be crucial if he is to make it out of this heat.
Qualifier? DON'T KNOW
Elisa Lindström: "Casanova".
OK plug in the wind machine and stand well back. It's mega-schlager time. But it's not a particularly good one, and the problem I have with this is that it's too "old" for her - you could imagine Lotta or Kikki rocking up onto the stage with this rather than a young woman like Elisa.
Qualifier? NO
Alvaro Estrella: "Bedroom".
So maybe I'm just getting old but I've read the lyrics of this one and they're seriously mucky. Basically they were at it all over the place and never made it to the bedroom. Nice. Anyway he's working the Anton Ewald blueprint and it all sounds very modern and contemporary. The only thing probably stopping him is the recognition factor as he's an unknown name, but then so was Anton Ewald.
Qualifier: YES
Ellen Benediktson: "Songbird".
From the title to the satellite staging, this is obviously influenced by Anouk's "Birds" however is closer in style to Marie Lindberg's "Trying To Recall" and we know that did very well. I'm not a ballad fan and this is boring on first listen, however the less-is-more approach could stand out among the wind machines and dance routines. Again though, the recognition factor could hold her back.
Qualifier: DON'T KNOW
Sylvester Schlegel: "Bygdens Son".
Now this is a strange one. I liked parts of it, but he has a rather irritating voice. It's very lively though. I don't have much else to say about the clip apart to mention that he was previously a member of The Ark. Now if only Ola Salo could get back up on that Melodifestivalen stage...
Qualifier: NO
Helena Paparizou: "Survivor".
I've never been a fan of her and never understood what all the fuss was about. This has shades of a Bond theme about it and the subtle verse gives way to a big anthemic, this-is-qualifying chorus. I don't know if the Swedes will still love her as much as her loyal Eurofans do, however a decent vocal performance should be enough to get her direkt-till-Friends in what, on first hearing, is an underwhelming heat.
Qualifier: YES
Three definite qualifiers and two 'don't knows', well of course I'm a Libran and therefore indecisivess is guaranteed :) What else is guaranteed is that my predictions will be way off beam as usual. I'm underwhelmed by this week's songs, but I always feel that the whole Melodifestivalen viewing experience is always greater than the sum of its parts, the production values are always second to none, and on a Saturday night where the only alternatives on British telly are "Splash!" and "The Voice" (enough said) then I would imagine there will be many more people heading for that SVT live stream and we shouldn't be too surprised to see it trending on Twitter at some point tonight!
Of course we are now presented with a new challenge: how to keep up with all those heats, semi-finals and finals which have been packed into this new month, and fit in the Winter Olympics as well!
Tonight is the first "Super Saturday" including the Finnish and Swiss finals. I'll probably catch these later as I had a listen to the songs and found them pretty underwhelming. It would be nice to see Softengine's "Something Better" making it to Copenhagen although I can't see it winning. Switzerland is all a bit 'meh' but they might go for that "Hunter of Stars" song by Sebalter which is at least quite quirky.
There's heats and semi-finals going on tonight in Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary, and let's not forget Iceland. A Magni-free Iceland this year :(((((( it just won't be the same for me!
However tonight at 7.00pm UK time, the laptop will be connected to the TV and it will be time for the first of six weeks of Melodifestivalen madness. Bad news mum....!
As usual, SVT posted one-minute clips of rehearsal performances to give us an opportunity to hear what the songs sound like. So here are my foolish predictions about who's qualifying and who isn't. I'm not even going to guess if it will be the final or Andra Chansen!
YOHIO: "To The End".
I have a real problem with YOHIO, because he seems to have built up this whole image and myth around himself when in fact he's just a pretty average singer. This is an anthemic and lively opener by the Johnson/Kvint team however it just sounds like a lot of other songs and there's nothing making it special. Fan power will ensure its qualification though.
Qualifier? YES
Mahan Moin: "Aleo"
Maybe they didn't show the best bit of the song but sorry Mahan, this is a mess for me. I think her vocals could let her down on the night. It's a Latino-by-numbers song which will probably come 7th or thereabouts.
Qualifier? NO
Linus Svenning: "Bröder"
Judging by his YouTube clips, we know he can sing, but will the nerves get the better of him on this emotional song? The balance between power and emotion will be crucial if he is to make it out of this heat.
Qualifier? DON'T KNOW
Elisa Lindström: "Casanova".
OK plug in the wind machine and stand well back. It's mega-schlager time. But it's not a particularly good one, and the problem I have with this is that it's too "old" for her - you could imagine Lotta or Kikki rocking up onto the stage with this rather than a young woman like Elisa.
Qualifier? NO
Alvaro Estrella: "Bedroom".
So maybe I'm just getting old but I've read the lyrics of this one and they're seriously mucky. Basically they were at it all over the place and never made it to the bedroom. Nice. Anyway he's working the Anton Ewald blueprint and it all sounds very modern and contemporary. The only thing probably stopping him is the recognition factor as he's an unknown name, but then so was Anton Ewald.
Qualifier: YES
Ellen Benediktson: "Songbird".
From the title to the satellite staging, this is obviously influenced by Anouk's "Birds" however is closer in style to Marie Lindberg's "Trying To Recall" and we know that did very well. I'm not a ballad fan and this is boring on first listen, however the less-is-more approach could stand out among the wind machines and dance routines. Again though, the recognition factor could hold her back.
Qualifier: DON'T KNOW
Sylvester Schlegel: "Bygdens Son".
Now this is a strange one. I liked parts of it, but he has a rather irritating voice. It's very lively though. I don't have much else to say about the clip apart to mention that he was previously a member of The Ark. Now if only Ola Salo could get back up on that Melodifestivalen stage...
Qualifier: NO
Helena Paparizou: "Survivor".
I've never been a fan of her and never understood what all the fuss was about. This has shades of a Bond theme about it and the subtle verse gives way to a big anthemic, this-is-qualifying chorus. I don't know if the Swedes will still love her as much as her loyal Eurofans do, however a decent vocal performance should be enough to get her direkt-till-Friends in what, on first hearing, is an underwhelming heat.
Qualifier: YES
Three definite qualifiers and two 'don't knows', well of course I'm a Libran and therefore indecisivess is guaranteed :) What else is guaranteed is that my predictions will be way off beam as usual. I'm underwhelmed by this week's songs, but I always feel that the whole Melodifestivalen viewing experience is always greater than the sum of its parts, the production values are always second to none, and on a Saturday night where the only alternatives on British telly are "Splash!" and "The Voice" (enough said) then I would imagine there will be many more people heading for that SVT live stream and we shouldn't be too surprised to see it trending on Twitter at some point tonight!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Bressie calls time on his solo music career
Regular readers will be aware that over the last couple of years I became a fan of Irish singer/songwriter Niall Breslin, better known as Bressie. After an excellent debut album "Colourblind Stereo", I had high hopes for his career. He joined the panel on The Voice of Ireland which brought him to the attention of a new audience. However, "Rage and Romance" proved to live up to that 'difficult second album' tag and in my 2013-50 post at the end of last year, I said: "Bressie's second album was one of my most long-awaited in a long time, yet it
failed to live up to the anticipation. The first single from it, the glam
rock-influenced "Show Me Love" only managed to scrape into my chart, and despite
his continued exposure as a judge on "The Voice of Ireland" I just wonder where
his solo career will go from here".
Last week, that question was answered. Bressie announced on his website http://www.bressiemusic.com/ that he is 'parking' his solo career for the foreseeable future. He went on to say that he never fully settled as a solo artist and preferred his time performing with previous band The Blizzards.
With regard to future plans, Bressie said:
"Musically, I have many plans for the future that will be revealed at a more appropriate date. For the immediate future my plans are to concentrate on the production and song writing side of things, developing and working with artists that excite me. My long term dream is to set up a production team and studio in Dublin and in the meantime I’m going to focus on the TV side of things with “The Voice” and now “Teenage Kicks” as well as some other exciting projects including training for an Ironman Triathlon in Austria this May. It’s certainly enough to keep me occupied. :-)
Once again, thank you sincerely for your support and understanding and I promise you that I will be performing and making albums at some stage in the near future."
Teenage Kicks is a new RTE show which will follow Bressie to Limerick to form a new band.
Bressie, I wish you well in all your future plans and adventures, developing and supporting new talent...and hopefully you'll return to the recording studio some day. All the best!
Last week, that question was answered. Bressie announced on his website http://www.bressiemusic.com/ that he is 'parking' his solo career for the foreseeable future. He went on to say that he never fully settled as a solo artist and preferred his time performing with previous band The Blizzards.
With regard to future plans, Bressie said:
"Musically, I have many plans for the future that will be revealed at a more appropriate date. For the immediate future my plans are to concentrate on the production and song writing side of things, developing and working with artists that excite me. My long term dream is to set up a production team and studio in Dublin and in the meantime I’m going to focus on the TV side of things with “The Voice” and now “Teenage Kicks” as well as some other exciting projects including training for an Ironman Triathlon in Austria this May. It’s certainly enough to keep me occupied. :-)
Once again, thank you sincerely for your support and understanding and I promise you that I will be performing and making albums at some stage in the near future."
Teenage Kicks is a new RTE show which will follow Bressie to Limerick to form a new band.
Bressie, I wish you well in all your future plans and adventures, developing and supporting new talent...and hopefully you'll return to the recording studio some day. All the best!
...and more wonderful wonderful travel news!
We are finally going to Copenhagen for a short break in May! All those years ago when we started going on city breaks all over Europe, Copenhagen was always one of the original destinations on the wish list, but for various reasons we never made it there.
After developing a bit of a Danish obsession over the last couple of years, I'm really looking forward to discovering the capital city and time permitting, maybe even travelling on "The Bridge" for a day trip to Malmö!
Of course there is something big happening in Copenhagen in May, but we won't be there during Eurovision week, for a combination of reasons which I won't bore you with here, but one of them was that the hiked-up hotel prices would probably have blown our holiday budget for the year! Anyway I'll just be happy to read about all your adventures if any of you lovely readers are over there for the contest.
Looking forward to doing all the usual touristy things! Oh, and if the stories are true about ridiculously good looking people (Alex Hjort lookalikes...yum), I think our people-watching will be even more fun than usual :))
After developing a bit of a Danish obsession over the last couple of years, I'm really looking forward to discovering the capital city and time permitting, maybe even travelling on "The Bridge" for a day trip to Malmö!
Of course there is something big happening in Copenhagen in May, but we won't be there during Eurovision week, for a combination of reasons which I won't bore you with here, but one of them was that the hiked-up hotel prices would probably have blown our holiday budget for the year! Anyway I'll just be happy to read about all your adventures if any of you lovely readers are over there for the contest.
Looking forward to doing all the usual touristy things! Oh, and if the stories are true about ridiculously good looking people (Alex Hjort lookalikes...yum), I think our people-watching will be even more fun than usual :))
Chypre: douze points
Cyprus might be sitting out Eurovision this year, but there's some big personal news to report as we will be visiting yet another new country in 2014. Yes, we are heading for the island of Cyprus in a few weeks to grab some spring sunshine, check out the archaeological and historical high points and of course sample the local food and drink, all in the interests of research as usual :))) and of course there will be the usual holiday report on here with all the usual food photography as you would expect by now!!
And more news coming shortly on the next holiday...!
And more news coming shortly on the next holiday...!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Festivali i Këngës 52
Just catching up with some long overdue posts! Apologies as this is almost a month late....!
As you all know, Eurovision season, much as we love it, can be a long, frustrating, emotional rollercoaster which will deliver both joy and disappointment. At the beginning of that long road, we had the iconic Albanian Festivali i Këngës, which defiantly existed outwith the ESC mainstream until 10 years ago, when they began sending the winner to the Eurovision Song Contest with varying results since that time.
In 2012 I decided to dip my toes into the FiK pool and watch my first ever Albanian national final which didn't disappoint. (The 2012 FiK was also quite moving as it paid tribute to the songs and singers of the 1972 contest who paid the price for being viewed as 'enemies of the state' under the leadership of Enver Hoxha).
Fast forward 12 months to FiK 52. As ever, the contest took place over three nights in December, but TVSH messed with the format this year (to the detriment of the contest, IMHO). After each artist performed their competing song, they then performed a duet of a well-known old song with a famous Albanian artist. Over the first two nights, the competing song/duet sequence seriously interrupted the flow.
FiK is first and foremost an Albanian song contest, which has existed outside Eurovision for a long time and therefore does not go down the route of trying to find an "obvious" Eurovision" song. That is the particular charm of this particular contest, but it can be equally as frustrating when almost every song is a rather unfocused ballad/mid-tempo song lacking an obvious hook. However, there are also some wonderful things about FiK. The defiantly cheesy theme tune. The orchestra. The opportunity to watch Albanian ad breaks. And in 2014, the return of Luiz Ejlli. Unfortunately "Kthehu" lacked the instantly catchy hook of his previous Albanian entry, but one month later it still gets my vote, although still lacked that 'big finish' required of such a dramatic ballad.
While we're on eye candy - special mentions for Klodian Kacani and Lindi Islami - both of whom I would be happy to see in FiK at a later date....!
Oh, and so much for the running order - the winning song was the first one sung in the final. Herciana a.k.a Hersi Matmuja brought a 'Kiss From A Rose'-style mid-tempo ballad, "Zemërimi i një nate" (One Night's Anger). I recently read the lyrics of this song and was pretty impressed: "Take away the anger from your heart/every morning is wiser than any night/don’t let the madness of a heart/think a little more, forget this night". The song needs some surgery, although it will probably be translated into something more basic, sanitised, meaningless...which would be a real shame as that would dilute the meaning of the song.
Having introduced my mum to the last hour of the competition - which she clearly thought was interminable, although I helpfully reminded her that it had been on for three hours - her view was that Hersi's voice was better than the song. All these weeks down the line, I'm not feeling too hopeful about Hersi's qualification chances, but it would be nice to be wrong!
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Catch-up: Melodifestivalen 2014 - the songs and the artists
Catching up with a few overdue blog posts this week! Back in October/November, hardly a day passed without a new rumour about who would be appearing in Melodifestivalen. In late November, the 32 artists competing in next year's contest were finally announced, and in the past week SVT revealed the running order. So let's have a look at who will be competing for the honour to represent Sweden in Copenhagen and, more importantly perhaps, get a major career boost or revival from appearing in the contest. Looking at the line-up alone, it suggests that Melodifestivalen is looking backwards rather than forwards, and taking a little break from 'the new' to acknowledge the wishes of the disgruntled Melfest fans who haven't been too happy with the direction which the contest has taken over recent years.
Deltävling 1: Malmö 01.02.14
1. ”To the End” - Yohio
2. ”Aleo” - Mahan Moin (Mahan Moin, Anderz Wrethov)
3. ”Bröder” - Linus Svenning (Fredrik Kempe)
4. ”Casanova” - Elisa Lindström (Ingela ”Pling” Forsman, Bobby Ljunggren, Jimmy Jansson)
5. ”Bedroom” - Alvaro Estrella (Jakke Erixson, Jon Bordon, Lauren Francis, Kristofer Östergren)
6. ”Songbird” - Ellen Benediktson
7. ”Bygdens son” - Sylvester Schlegel (Sylvester Schlegel)
8. ”Survivor” - Helena Paparizou
Melfest 2014 season starts where Eurovision left off: Malmö. A number of new or unfamiliar names in the week 1 line-up which leads to my own little conspiracy theory: this should give Yohio and Helena Paparizou a better chance of qualifying. But Melodifestivalen also has a habit of surprising us all. Two other potential qualifiers: Alvaro Estrella, who's been mentioned quite a lot on various blogs over the last couple of months - I expect something contemporary/uptempo here, whilst schlager fans are probably wetting themselves with excitement about new schlager queen-in-waiting Elisa Lindström singing a song written by the Pling/Ljunggren team.
As for the other artists, Linus Svenning's been popping up regularly on YouTube with his acoustic covers of recent hits. That 'acoustic' stuff isn't my thing, but he does have a good voice and I just hope Kempe has given him something a bit more uptempo or anthemic. By the way, can we maybe have one year where all the usual songwriting suspects are kept out to give new, less well-known writers a chance? I do like the Fransson/Larsson team though so it will be interesting to see what they do for another new name, Ellen Benediktson.
I'd have loved to see Ola Salo back - well, we are getting a member of The Ark but it's sadly not him - it's the drummer, Sylvester Schlegel, instead.
Helena Paparizou, official Eurovision royalty (although, shock horror, I never rated "My Number One" and thought it one of the contest's weakest winners) has been linked with Melodifestivalen for many years. I'm guessing she must finally be doing this to revive/boost her career in Sweden. As for Yohio, the public's choice in 2013, well I think he would have crashed and burned at Eurovision and Robin was the right choice. I'm expecting an anthemic, mid-tempo song by the Johnson/Kvint team. Second time lucky? I don't think so - I just have this feeling that he will not do so well this year, the novelty has worn thin and the bubble may just have burst.
Deltävling 2: Linköping 08.02.14
1. ”Love Trigger” - JEM (Thomas G:son, Peter Boström, Julimar ”J-Son” Santos)
2. ”Hallelujah” - The Refreshments (Joakim Arnell)
3. ”Glow” - Manda (Joy Deb, Linnéa Deb, Melanie Wehbe, Charlie Mason)
4. ”Efter solsken” - Panetoz (Johan Hirvi, Mats Lie Skåre, Nebeyu Baheru, Njol Badjie, Pa Modou Badjie)
5. ”I Am Somebody” - Pink Pistols (Joakim Törnqvist, Nestor Geli, Per Ivar Hed, Susie Päivärinta, Diztord)
6. ”Undo” - Sanna Nielsen (Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One” Pirouzpanah)
7. ”Set Yourself Free” - Little Great Things (Charlie Grönvall, Cristoffer Wernqvist, Felix Grönvall, Adam Dahlström)
8. ”När änglarna går hem” - Martin Stenmarck (Andreas Öhrn, Alexander Bard, Martin Stenmarck, Peter Boström)
Sanna Nielsen and Martin Stenmarck - it's a definite trip back in time in the old Melodifestivalen time machine here. Schlager fans will be very excited about Sanna's return, although I've never understood all the love for her. With a title like "Undo" that made me think of Zara Larsson's "Uncover" so can we maybe expect a more modern, r'n'b type ballad? I'm hoping for a "7 Milakliv"-type song from Martin to take him to (at least) Andra Chansen.
I think Panetoz will also be serious challengers in week 2 - "Dansa Pausa" was such a massive chart/radio hit in Sweden so they have the recognition factor and I'm expecting a very similar type of song. I hadn't heard of Little Great Things, but they are all about the back story. For the band consists of none other than Charlie and Felix Grönvall, the sons of the legendary Nanne so that makes them the grandchildren of Benny Andersson which is bound to be a headline-grabber in the year of the 40th anniversary of Abba's ESC win. Hope the song matches up to the ancestry!
JEM should give us a contemporary pop number with J-Son among the songwriters. The Refreshments are a well-known name in Sweden, whilst Manda and the Pink Pistols are new names.
Deltävling 3: Göteborg 15.02.14
1. ”Echo” - Outtrigger (Joy Deb, Linnéa Deb, Anton Malmberg Hård Af Segerstad, Outtrigger)
2. ”Red” - EKO (Linnéa Deb, Joy Deb, Anna Lidman, Hannes Lundberg, Michael Ottosson)
3. ”Yes We Can” - Oscar Zia (Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One” Pirouzpanah)
4. ”Burning Alive” - Shirley Clamp (Bobby Ljunggren, Marcos Ubeda, Sharon Vaughn, Henrik Wikström)
5. ”All We Are” - State of Drama (Göran Werner, Sanken Sandqvist, Emil Gullhamn, Sebastian Hallifax)
6. ”En enkel sång” - CajsaStina Åkerström (CajsaStina Åkerström)
7. ”Busy Doin’ Nothin’” - Ace Wilder (Ace Wilder, Joy Deb, Linnéa Deb)
8. ”Around the World” - Dr. Alban and Jessica Folcker (Dr. Alban, Jakke Erixson, Karl-Ola Kjellholm)
This, for me, is the completely unpredictable week. State of Drama return after their 2013 success but could miss out this time round, as the rock vote may go to Outtrigger. This is a nice story as they did a great metal cover of "You" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD33AP-srpk) and will now be singing a song written by the same songwriting team! It's a very busy week for the Debs as they're competing against each other. Ace Wilder (who sounds like a Hollywood action superhero!) is a new name, EKO won that Svensktoppen-thingy so they're probably doomed, webbjoker-style, and Cajsa-Lisa, an established artist from a few years ago, could do a Louise Hoffsten. So it's wide open. I think Oscar Zia - a.k.a. Eric Saade 3.0 (Anton Ewald is Saade 2.0!)
But there is one name which stands out for schlager fans in week 3: Dame Shirley of Clamp is back again! However, she is not a guaranteed qualifier and has missed out in previous years. Melodifestivalen may have moved on from Shirley's glory days, but with this year's line-up having a definite backwards-looking appearance, the retro vibe may just work. Talking of retro, 90s dance king Dr Alban is finally making his debut with Jessica Folcker who is returning to the contest. I love my 90s dance music so hopefully this won't disappoint.
Deltävling 4: Örnsköldsvik 22.02.14
1. ”Blame It On The Disco” - Alcazar (Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One” Pirouzpanah)
2. ”Fight Me If You Dare” - I.D.A (Albin Nicklasson, Nicklas Laine, Louise Frick Sveen)
3. ”Hollow” - Janet Leon (Karl-Ola Kjellholm, Jimmy Jansson, Louise Winter)
4. ”Raise Your Hands” - Ammotrack (Jari Kujansuu, Thomas Johansson, Calle Kindbom, Mikael de Bruin)
5. ”Hela natten” - Josef Johansson (Peter Boström, Thomas G:son, Josef Johansson, Peo Thyrén)
6. ”Ta mig” - Linda Bengtzing (Nicke Borg, Jojo Borg Larsson)
7. ”En himmelsk sång” - Ellinore Holmer (Ellinore Holmer, Vanna Rosenberg, Åsa Schmalenbach, Josefina Sanner, Henrik Wikström, Amir Aly)
8. ”Natural” - Anton Ewald
There is only one name on that list which matters to me - the mighty Alcazar! Yes, glitterballs at the ready. If the title is anything to go by, it's going to be fa-bu-lous, dah-ling! But will they qualify though? This is going to be a tough one to qualify from, what with the return of the Bengtzing. With a song written by the Borgs. Is she leaving schlager behind and going all 'rock'? Hopefully the stylists will be kinder to her this time round - I still have nightmares about that yellow dress. Janet Leon is also back and hoping it will be second time lucky. Seems no time since the last "Hollow" in Melfest. Suggests a ballad. And I don't like ballads.
IDA is a new name although I have read about her on pop blogs. Ellinore Holmer is also a new name to me, an actress and singer best known for her work with the Glada Hudik theatre. I haven't heard of Josef Johansson at all but with team G:son on board this could be his big breakthrough. Could he be Saade 4.0? (Stop it Laura, this is just getting ridiculous now!). Rock songs always do very well at Melfest so Ammotrack will be hoping that this is their year to qualify. Check out their "Living Like An Angel" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMN95zyLbc4) which sounds as if it would slot perfectly into Melodifestivalen.
1. ”To the End” - Yohio
2. ”Aleo” - Mahan Moin (Mahan Moin, Anderz Wrethov)
3. ”Bröder” - Linus Svenning (Fredrik Kempe)
4. ”Casanova” - Elisa Lindström (Ingela ”Pling” Forsman, Bobby Ljunggren, Jimmy Jansson)
5. ”Bedroom” - Alvaro Estrella (Jakke Erixson, Jon Bordon, Lauren Francis, Kristofer Östergren)
6. ”Songbird” - Ellen Benediktson
7. ”Bygdens son” - Sylvester Schlegel (Sylvester Schlegel)
8. ”Survivor” - Helena Paparizou
Melfest 2014 season starts where Eurovision left off: Malmö. A number of new or unfamiliar names in the week 1 line-up which leads to my own little conspiracy theory: this should give Yohio and Helena Paparizou a better chance of qualifying. But Melodifestivalen also has a habit of surprising us all. Two other potential qualifiers: Alvaro Estrella, who's been mentioned quite a lot on various blogs over the last couple of months - I expect something contemporary/uptempo here, whilst schlager fans are probably wetting themselves with excitement about new schlager queen-in-waiting Elisa Lindström singing a song written by the Pling/Ljunggren team.
As for the other artists, Linus Svenning's been popping up regularly on YouTube with his acoustic covers of recent hits. That 'acoustic' stuff isn't my thing, but he does have a good voice and I just hope Kempe has given him something a bit more uptempo or anthemic. By the way, can we maybe have one year where all the usual songwriting suspects are kept out to give new, less well-known writers a chance? I do like the Fransson/Larsson team though so it will be interesting to see what they do for another new name, Ellen Benediktson.
I'd have loved to see Ola Salo back - well, we are getting a member of The Ark but it's sadly not him - it's the drummer, Sylvester Schlegel, instead.
Helena Paparizou, official Eurovision royalty (although, shock horror, I never rated "My Number One" and thought it one of the contest's weakest winners) has been linked with Melodifestivalen for many years. I'm guessing she must finally be doing this to revive/boost her career in Sweden. As for Yohio, the public's choice in 2013, well I think he would have crashed and burned at Eurovision and Robin was the right choice. I'm expecting an anthemic, mid-tempo song by the Johnson/Kvint team. Second time lucky? I don't think so - I just have this feeling that he will not do so well this year, the novelty has worn thin and the bubble may just have burst.
Deltävling 2: Linköping 08.02.14
1. ”Love Trigger” - JEM (Thomas G:son, Peter Boström, Julimar ”J-Son” Santos)
2. ”Hallelujah” - The Refreshments (Joakim Arnell)
3. ”Glow” - Manda (Joy Deb, Linnéa Deb, Melanie Wehbe, Charlie Mason)
4. ”Efter solsken” - Panetoz (Johan Hirvi, Mats Lie Skåre, Nebeyu Baheru, Njol Badjie, Pa Modou Badjie)
5. ”I Am Somebody” - Pink Pistols (Joakim Törnqvist, Nestor Geli, Per Ivar Hed, Susie Päivärinta, Diztord)
6. ”Undo” - Sanna Nielsen (Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One” Pirouzpanah)
7. ”Set Yourself Free” - Little Great Things (Charlie Grönvall, Cristoffer Wernqvist, Felix Grönvall, Adam Dahlström)
8. ”När änglarna går hem” - Martin Stenmarck (Andreas Öhrn, Alexander Bard, Martin Stenmarck, Peter Boström)
Sanna Nielsen and Martin Stenmarck - it's a definite trip back in time in the old Melodifestivalen time machine here. Schlager fans will be very excited about Sanna's return, although I've never understood all the love for her. With a title like "Undo" that made me think of Zara Larsson's "Uncover" so can we maybe expect a more modern, r'n'b type ballad? I'm hoping for a "7 Milakliv"-type song from Martin to take him to (at least) Andra Chansen.
I think Panetoz will also be serious challengers in week 2 - "Dansa Pausa" was such a massive chart/radio hit in Sweden so they have the recognition factor and I'm expecting a very similar type of song. I hadn't heard of Little Great Things, but they are all about the back story. For the band consists of none other than Charlie and Felix Grönvall, the sons of the legendary Nanne so that makes them the grandchildren of Benny Andersson which is bound to be a headline-grabber in the year of the 40th anniversary of Abba's ESC win. Hope the song matches up to the ancestry!
JEM should give us a contemporary pop number with J-Son among the songwriters. The Refreshments are a well-known name in Sweden, whilst Manda and the Pink Pistols are new names.
Deltävling 3: Göteborg 15.02.14
1. ”Echo” - Outtrigger (Joy Deb, Linnéa Deb, Anton Malmberg Hård Af Segerstad, Outtrigger)
2. ”Red” - EKO (Linnéa Deb, Joy Deb, Anna Lidman, Hannes Lundberg, Michael Ottosson)
3. ”Yes We Can” - Oscar Zia (Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One” Pirouzpanah)
4. ”Burning Alive” - Shirley Clamp (Bobby Ljunggren, Marcos Ubeda, Sharon Vaughn, Henrik Wikström)
5. ”All We Are” - State of Drama (Göran Werner, Sanken Sandqvist, Emil Gullhamn, Sebastian Hallifax)
6. ”En enkel sång” - CajsaStina Åkerström (CajsaStina Åkerström)
7. ”Busy Doin’ Nothin’” - Ace Wilder (Ace Wilder, Joy Deb, Linnéa Deb)
8. ”Around the World” - Dr. Alban and Jessica Folcker (Dr. Alban, Jakke Erixson, Karl-Ola Kjellholm)
This, for me, is the completely unpredictable week. State of Drama return after their 2013 success but could miss out this time round, as the rock vote may go to Outtrigger. This is a nice story as they did a great metal cover of "You" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD33AP-srpk) and will now be singing a song written by the same songwriting team! It's a very busy week for the Debs as they're competing against each other. Ace Wilder (who sounds like a Hollywood action superhero!) is a new name, EKO won that Svensktoppen-thingy so they're probably doomed, webbjoker-style, and Cajsa-Lisa, an established artist from a few years ago, could do a Louise Hoffsten. So it's wide open. I think Oscar Zia - a.k.a. Eric Saade 3.0 (Anton Ewald is Saade 2.0!)
But there is one name which stands out for schlager fans in week 3: Dame Shirley of Clamp is back again! However, she is not a guaranteed qualifier and has missed out in previous years. Melodifestivalen may have moved on from Shirley's glory days, but with this year's line-up having a definite backwards-looking appearance, the retro vibe may just work. Talking of retro, 90s dance king Dr Alban is finally making his debut with Jessica Folcker who is returning to the contest. I love my 90s dance music so hopefully this won't disappoint.
Deltävling 4: Örnsköldsvik 22.02.14
1. ”Blame It On The Disco” - Alcazar (Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One” Pirouzpanah)
2. ”Fight Me If You Dare” - I.D.A (Albin Nicklasson, Nicklas Laine, Louise Frick Sveen)
3. ”Hollow” - Janet Leon (Karl-Ola Kjellholm, Jimmy Jansson, Louise Winter)
4. ”Raise Your Hands” - Ammotrack (Jari Kujansuu, Thomas Johansson, Calle Kindbom, Mikael de Bruin)
5. ”Hela natten” - Josef Johansson (Peter Boström, Thomas G:son, Josef Johansson, Peo Thyrén)
6. ”Ta mig” - Linda Bengtzing (Nicke Borg, Jojo Borg Larsson)
7. ”En himmelsk sång” - Ellinore Holmer (Ellinore Holmer, Vanna Rosenberg, Åsa Schmalenbach, Josefina Sanner, Henrik Wikström, Amir Aly)
8. ”Natural” - Anton Ewald
There is only one name on that list which matters to me - the mighty Alcazar! Yes, glitterballs at the ready. If the title is anything to go by, it's going to be fa-bu-lous, dah-ling! But will they qualify though? This is going to be a tough one to qualify from, what with the return of the Bengtzing. With a song written by the Borgs. Is she leaving schlager behind and going all 'rock'? Hopefully the stylists will be kinder to her this time round - I still have nightmares about that yellow dress. Janet Leon is also back and hoping it will be second time lucky. Seems no time since the last "Hollow" in Melfest. Suggests a ballad. And I don't like ballads.
IDA is a new name although I have read about her on pop blogs. Ellinore Holmer is also a new name to me, an actress and singer best known for her work with the Glada Hudik theatre. I haven't heard of Josef Johansson at all but with team G:son on board this could be his big breakthrough. Could he be Saade 4.0? (Stop it Laura, this is just getting ridiculous now!). Rock songs always do very well at Melfest so Ammotrack will be hoping that this is their year to qualify. Check out their "Living Like An Angel" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMN95zyLbc4) which sounds as if it would slot perfectly into Melodifestivalen.
So, finally, to the mythical 'pimp slot', the final song in the competition and the one most likely to win the whole thing. Step up Anton Ewald, this could be your year. Or could it be a David Lindgren-style disappointment? Either way, Anton's singing "Natural" which I expect to be a contemporary, uptempo tune with lots of dancing going on. It will need to go a long way to top "Begging", but Anton has probably more chance of winning than Yohio. As long as he's mastered the art of singing and dancing at the same time. My biggest pet hate about Melodifestivalen is the pre-recorded vocals/backing vocals which just makes it feel like a miming/playback show. What's the point of this? Any act should be able to prove that they can sing live, after all that's what's required of them at Eurovision.
5 weeks to go.....
5 weeks to go.....
The Square-Eyed Couch Potato Bumper Edition: October-December 2013
One month has gone into another and I've never had time to get round to posting my telly review. So I thought I'd just wrap it all up to clear the way for whatever 2014 will bring us on the small screen.
The Danes, of course, have the right idea. Three series and then they're out....and leave them wanting more. "Forbrydelsen" for example. And the same goes for "BORGEN" (BBC4) whose third series saw Birgitte forming a new party and Katrine balancing family life with her new career as spin doctor for the New Democrats, and trying to keep up with Kasper's ever-changing hairdos. Some new arrivals too, notably evil TV1 baddie Alex Hjort, complete with that all-important scarf. Gratuitous picture time:
As I said during the last series, "Borgen" has done the impossible and made us care about politicians. Which we would probably do if Britain was more like Denmark, and a coalition actually meant something rather than a coalition covering up a dictatorship. But I digress. Shamefully, my never-ending telly backlog (only 20% space left on the Sky+ box!!) means that I haven't as yet finished series 3. And before you ask, I have still to watch the acclaimed Swedish three-parter "DON'T EVER WIPE TEARS WITHOUT GLOVES" (BBC4).
Whilst we're on the subject of Danes, let's talk about Claire Danes (!) which leads us onto another highly rated TV show which also just recently finished its third series. "HOMELAND" (Channel 4) spent much of its third season jumping the shark, and being, dare I say it, boring. That Dana storyline...yawn. And several Brody-free episodes - what were they thinking? Yet at other times it never lost its ability to be compelling and frustrating at the same time. As with Borgen, I haven't seen the final episode. Although I know how it ends, and I don't really know if I can face watching it now. It would have been a very good idea to bring the series to a natural end at this point, so the news that there will be a fourth series just puzzles me. But this is an American TV show, not a Danish one, and they'll flog a dead horse as long as the ratings are high enough.
Whilst we're on the subject of series overstaying their welcome, I was ready to quit "DOWNTON ABBEY" (ITV) after that awful Christmas 2012 special, with that ending. But I stuck around for the 4th series which managed to hold my interest, although it's now past its prime. If there is going to be a 5th series, can we have some happier storylines after what has been a pretty dark series?
A few final words on "STRICTLY COME DANCING" (BBC1) which, to me, lost its soul in the race for ratings. This year's crop of celebs left me cold, with much of the dancing pretty mediocre, and worst of all, those ridiculously high marks and unnecessary praise from week 1 onwards. The panel used to be much more nasty/honest (delete as appropriate) and didn't feel the need to pander to celeb egos all the time. But these are different times, the judges are just a caricature of themselves, Brucie continues to dodder his way from one year to the next, and why all the love for Claudia Winkleman? Am I missing something? It was an all-female final this year, won by Abbey Clancy. I'm usually a fan of all things Liverpudlian but I couldn't warm to her for some reason. She wasn't the best dancer (Natalie Gumede was) but of course this is more a popularity contest than a dancing one. Which would probably explain why facial-expressions-irritant Susanna Reid made it so far, although her appeal escaped us here at EuropeCrazy HQ.
In October I caught up with "A TOUCH OF CLOTH II: UNDERCOVER CLOTH" (Sky 1) which was screened back in August. John Hannah and Suranne Jones reprised their roles as Cloth and Oldman ("Old-Man") in Charlie Brooker's played straight police parody. Police dramas are always a rich source for parody, so yet again the wordy wit and visual gags came thick and fast. It maybe wasn't quite as funny as the first one, but it's still worth watching and I'm glad to hear that there will be a third instalment. There is some life left in this show.
After “The Story of the Jews” ended, another excellent documentary series took its place in the Sunday night 9pm slot. “THE OTTOMANS – EUROPE’S MUSLIM EMPERORS” (BBC2) presented by Rageh Omaar. In this country, the period of the Ottoman Empire is not very well-known to most people so this was a very informative and highly educational series which held my interest throughout. It also helped me to understand the background to many of the continuing hostilities in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. As the presenter put it, “the West intervening in a country it doesn’t really understand”, with the most dire consequences.
"PUSSY RIOT - A PUNK PRAYER" (BBC4) was yet another compelling documentary screened in the Storyville documentary slot. On the face of it, no-one should feel threatened by a feminist collective in knitted balaclavas performing punk anthems of iffy musical merit. But in Putin's Russia, where individual freedoms are being eroded by the day, lyrics like "Mother of God...rid us of Putin" sung in the setting of a Moscow cathedral, landed three band members a prison sentence. This film featured interviews with family members and court footage of the caged women who have become a worldwide symbol of the fight for free speech in the country. In recent days they have of course been released, but you get the feeling that the story's a long way from over.
For some inexplicable reason, we're in the midst of a baby boom (a pretty irresponsible one, IMHO) despite the world recession and economic crisis. Yet one of the world's most densely populated countries is turning its back on the trend. "NO SEX PLEASE, WE'RE JAPANESE" (BBC2) was a very interesting documentary which tried to find the reason why. However as it went on it began to explore an even more fascinating aspect of Japanese culture - immigration. Maybe this could be the answer to the problem? Although it's not as easy as that. It's a rigid society which lives to work, and one immigrant nurse eloquently described how difficult it can be to become part of Japanese society.
Stacey Dooley, the queen of the BBC3 documentaries-for-the-yoof, was back with “BOOZE, BARCRAWLS AND BULGARIA” a rather depressing programme revealing the horror of a holiday in Sunny Beach. Thank you Stacey, you have just saved me a trip to this hellhole.
I’m enjoying all these observational people-at-work documentaries these days, however some of them can come over as a bit depressing in their portrayal of mean-spirited, drunken Britain. “UP ALL NIGHT” (Channel 4) was another short series which included late night life in a taxi office, and perhaps reached an all-time low with “The Nightclub Toilet”. If you thought that TV was going down the toilet, then this was the absolute proof that it has!
Happily though, we also had another series which brought back the feelgood factor. “ICELAND – LIFE IN THE FREEZER CABINET” (BBC2) focused on the retail chain described as one of the happiest in Britain to work for. The big boss man is Malcolm, the company’s CEO who was no stranger to the odd faux-pas: he almost seems like a natural heir to Mark from the much-missed “The Hotel”. It was a highly entertaining series, can we have some more please?
The curtain fell for good on "SMASH" (Sky Atlantic), cancelled by its TV network in the US. Many hated season 2 but I actually enjoyed it more than season 1, although it did probably overstay its welcome by a few episodes and became a little repetitive. I guess it's a format which can't really stick around for too long, so the parallel stories of "Bombshell" and "Hit List" couldn't run for ever and got the 'Big Finish' it deserved. I thought Megan Hilty was particularly outstanding in her role as Ivy Lynn. I'm going to miss this show!
"STRANGE DAYS – COLD WAR BRITAIN” (BBC2): After his romp through the 70s, historian Dominic Sandbrook was back on our screens once again to take us through the history of the Cold War, from its post-WW2 beginnings to the present. The most irritating thing about Sandbrook’s presentation style is that he can try to come across at times as ‘I was there’ when he blatantly wasn’t. But just as with “The 70s”, this was actually a pretty good series with a fine soundtrack.
It's been a long time since Karl Pilkington was on our screens, but he made a welcome return to Sky 1 with "THE MOANING OF LIFE". This time there was no Ricky Gervais pulling the strings, but Karl exploring the world on his own in search of the answers to life's big questions. Whilst Pilkington's deadpan wit still produced a few laughs over the hour, it has to be said that this was nowhere near as laugh-out-loud funny as "An Idiot Abroad".
ITV, oh ITV, I am old enough to remember the days when you used to broadcast programmes which didn't have 'celebrities' in them. It distresses me to think that there is probably a whole generation of people now who can't remember those days. Now it's all celebrity this, celebrity that, sometimes doing it all in the name of charidee so does that make it alright? No, it doesn't actually. ITV - WHO TOLD YOU WE WANT CELEBRITIES ON EVERY BLOODY SHOW? Next thing it'll be Joey Essex reading the News at Ten. Remember where you heard it first.
A new TV game show about TV. Sound familiar? Remember "Telly Addicts" from a few years ago? Well, "SHOW ME THE TELLY" (ITV) was a similar idea. Only with ordinary people playing against, ahem, 'TV legends'. Oh, and how uncomfortable did Richard Bacon look on this show?
I end, as I started, with something originally from Scandinavia. Remakes of foreign-language dramas can be hit or miss, however “THE TUNNEL” (Sky Atlantic) has been a definite hit for me. It was a remake of “The Bridge” of course, replacing said bridge with the Channel Tunnel and British-French cop co-operation. Karl and Elise may not be Martin and Saga, but they were a very acceptable substitute. It was a direct copy of series 1 of “The Bridge” – remember the “truth terrorist”? – but it was still extremely watchable. This is due to the programme makers’ ability to interpret some of that ‘darkness’ – or as faithful travelling companion calls it, ‘Nordic bleakness’ - and transfer it to the British/French setting, a refreshing change for a British TV drama indeed. Highly recommended. I wonder if there will be a second series of "The Tunnel"? Of course the big news is that series 2 of "The Bridge" on BBC4 is only a couple of weeks away :)))
The Danes, of course, have the right idea. Three series and then they're out....and leave them wanting more. "Forbrydelsen" for example. And the same goes for "BORGEN" (BBC4) whose third series saw Birgitte forming a new party and Katrine balancing family life with her new career as spin doctor for the New Democrats, and trying to keep up with Kasper's ever-changing hairdos. Some new arrivals too, notably evil TV1 baddie Alex Hjort, complete with that all-important scarf. Gratuitous picture time:
As I said during the last series, "Borgen" has done the impossible and made us care about politicians. Which we would probably do if Britain was more like Denmark, and a coalition actually meant something rather than a coalition covering up a dictatorship. But I digress. Shamefully, my never-ending telly backlog (only 20% space left on the Sky+ box!!) means that I haven't as yet finished series 3. And before you ask, I have still to watch the acclaimed Swedish three-parter "DON'T EVER WIPE TEARS WITHOUT GLOVES" (BBC4).
Whilst we're on the subject of Danes, let's talk about Claire Danes (!) which leads us onto another highly rated TV show which also just recently finished its third series. "HOMELAND" (Channel 4) spent much of its third season jumping the shark, and being, dare I say it, boring. That Dana storyline...yawn. And several Brody-free episodes - what were they thinking? Yet at other times it never lost its ability to be compelling and frustrating at the same time. As with Borgen, I haven't seen the final episode. Although I know how it ends, and I don't really know if I can face watching it now. It would have been a very good idea to bring the series to a natural end at this point, so the news that there will be a fourth series just puzzles me. But this is an American TV show, not a Danish one, and they'll flog a dead horse as long as the ratings are high enough.
Whilst we're on the subject of series overstaying their welcome, I was ready to quit "DOWNTON ABBEY" (ITV) after that awful Christmas 2012 special, with that ending. But I stuck around for the 4th series which managed to hold my interest, although it's now past its prime. If there is going to be a 5th series, can we have some happier storylines after what has been a pretty dark series?
A few final words on "STRICTLY COME DANCING" (BBC1) which, to me, lost its soul in the race for ratings. This year's crop of celebs left me cold, with much of the dancing pretty mediocre, and worst of all, those ridiculously high marks and unnecessary praise from week 1 onwards. The panel used to be much more nasty/honest (delete as appropriate) and didn't feel the need to pander to celeb egos all the time. But these are different times, the judges are just a caricature of themselves, Brucie continues to dodder his way from one year to the next, and why all the love for Claudia Winkleman? Am I missing something? It was an all-female final this year, won by Abbey Clancy. I'm usually a fan of all things Liverpudlian but I couldn't warm to her for some reason. She wasn't the best dancer (Natalie Gumede was) but of course this is more a popularity contest than a dancing one. Which would probably explain why facial-expressions-irritant Susanna Reid made it so far, although her appeal escaped us here at EuropeCrazy HQ.
In October I caught up with "A TOUCH OF CLOTH II: UNDERCOVER CLOTH" (Sky 1) which was screened back in August. John Hannah and Suranne Jones reprised their roles as Cloth and Oldman ("Old-Man") in Charlie Brooker's played straight police parody. Police dramas are always a rich source for parody, so yet again the wordy wit and visual gags came thick and fast. It maybe wasn't quite as funny as the first one, but it's still worth watching and I'm glad to hear that there will be a third instalment. There is some life left in this show.
After “The Story of the Jews” ended, another excellent documentary series took its place in the Sunday night 9pm slot. “THE OTTOMANS – EUROPE’S MUSLIM EMPERORS” (BBC2) presented by Rageh Omaar. In this country, the period of the Ottoman Empire is not very well-known to most people so this was a very informative and highly educational series which held my interest throughout. It also helped me to understand the background to many of the continuing hostilities in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. As the presenter put it, “the West intervening in a country it doesn’t really understand”, with the most dire consequences.
"PUSSY RIOT - A PUNK PRAYER" (BBC4) was yet another compelling documentary screened in the Storyville documentary slot. On the face of it, no-one should feel threatened by a feminist collective in knitted balaclavas performing punk anthems of iffy musical merit. But in Putin's Russia, where individual freedoms are being eroded by the day, lyrics like "Mother of God...rid us of Putin" sung in the setting of a Moscow cathedral, landed three band members a prison sentence. This film featured interviews with family members and court footage of the caged women who have become a worldwide symbol of the fight for free speech in the country. In recent days they have of course been released, but you get the feeling that the story's a long way from over.
For some inexplicable reason, we're in the midst of a baby boom (a pretty irresponsible one, IMHO) despite the world recession and economic crisis. Yet one of the world's most densely populated countries is turning its back on the trend. "NO SEX PLEASE, WE'RE JAPANESE" (BBC2) was a very interesting documentary which tried to find the reason why. However as it went on it began to explore an even more fascinating aspect of Japanese culture - immigration. Maybe this could be the answer to the problem? Although it's not as easy as that. It's a rigid society which lives to work, and one immigrant nurse eloquently described how difficult it can be to become part of Japanese society.
Stacey Dooley, the queen of the BBC3 documentaries-for-the-yoof, was back with “BOOZE, BARCRAWLS AND BULGARIA” a rather depressing programme revealing the horror of a holiday in Sunny Beach. Thank you Stacey, you have just saved me a trip to this hellhole.
I’m enjoying all these observational people-at-work documentaries these days, however some of them can come over as a bit depressing in their portrayal of mean-spirited, drunken Britain. “UP ALL NIGHT” (Channel 4) was another short series which included late night life in a taxi office, and perhaps reached an all-time low with “The Nightclub Toilet”. If you thought that TV was going down the toilet, then this was the absolute proof that it has!
Happily though, we also had another series which brought back the feelgood factor. “ICELAND – LIFE IN THE FREEZER CABINET” (BBC2) focused on the retail chain described as one of the happiest in Britain to work for. The big boss man is Malcolm, the company’s CEO who was no stranger to the odd faux-pas: he almost seems like a natural heir to Mark from the much-missed “The Hotel”. It was a highly entertaining series, can we have some more please?
The curtain fell for good on "SMASH" (Sky Atlantic), cancelled by its TV network in the US. Many hated season 2 but I actually enjoyed it more than season 1, although it did probably overstay its welcome by a few episodes and became a little repetitive. I guess it's a format which can't really stick around for too long, so the parallel stories of "Bombshell" and "Hit List" couldn't run for ever and got the 'Big Finish' it deserved. I thought Megan Hilty was particularly outstanding in her role as Ivy Lynn. I'm going to miss this show!
"STRANGE DAYS – COLD WAR BRITAIN” (BBC2): After his romp through the 70s, historian Dominic Sandbrook was back on our screens once again to take us through the history of the Cold War, from its post-WW2 beginnings to the present. The most irritating thing about Sandbrook’s presentation style is that he can try to come across at times as ‘I was there’ when he blatantly wasn’t. But just as with “The 70s”, this was actually a pretty good series with a fine soundtrack.
It's been a long time since Karl Pilkington was on our screens, but he made a welcome return to Sky 1 with "THE MOANING OF LIFE". This time there was no Ricky Gervais pulling the strings, but Karl exploring the world on his own in search of the answers to life's big questions. Whilst Pilkington's deadpan wit still produced a few laughs over the hour, it has to be said that this was nowhere near as laugh-out-loud funny as "An Idiot Abroad".
ITV, oh ITV, I am old enough to remember the days when you used to broadcast programmes which didn't have 'celebrities' in them. It distresses me to think that there is probably a whole generation of people now who can't remember those days. Now it's all celebrity this, celebrity that, sometimes doing it all in the name of charidee so does that make it alright? No, it doesn't actually. ITV - WHO TOLD YOU WE WANT CELEBRITIES ON EVERY BLOODY SHOW? Next thing it'll be Joey Essex reading the News at Ten. Remember where you heard it first.
A new TV game show about TV. Sound familiar? Remember "Telly Addicts" from a few years ago? Well, "SHOW ME THE TELLY" (ITV) was a similar idea. Only with ordinary people playing against, ahem, 'TV legends'. Oh, and how uncomfortable did Richard Bacon look on this show?
I end, as I started, with something originally from Scandinavia. Remakes of foreign-language dramas can be hit or miss, however “THE TUNNEL” (Sky Atlantic) has been a definite hit for me. It was a remake of “The Bridge” of course, replacing said bridge with the Channel Tunnel and British-French cop co-operation. Karl and Elise may not be Martin and Saga, but they were a very acceptable substitute. It was a direct copy of series 1 of “The Bridge” – remember the “truth terrorist”? – but it was still extremely watchable. This is due to the programme makers’ ability to interpret some of that ‘darkness’ – or as faithful travelling companion calls it, ‘Nordic bleakness’ - and transfer it to the British/French setting, a refreshing change for a British TV drama indeed. Highly recommended. I wonder if there will be a second series of "The Tunnel"? Of course the big news is that series 2 of "The Bridge" on BBC4 is only a couple of weeks away :)))
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