Eurovision 2015

everything's a ballad :(

go Israel!

not the banger I was hoping for from Russia but I'm impressed at how consistently they're sticking to the script they've established over the past few years:

We are the world’s people
Different yet we’re the same
We believe
We believe in a dream

Praying for peace and healing
I hope we can start again
We believe
We believe in a dream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0OeBrQBPNc

OK, so to win, Australia needs a flamboyant singer, maybe someone wearing outrageous clothes, perhaps, I dunno, a cape?

they chose another guy who is originally from Adelaide, gonna perform a cape-less ballad

record points for the winner of melodifestivalen i hear, beating "euphoria"
surely gonna be a favourite in vienna
nice big chorus too

the australian entry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7MwzRBEY_M

That deserves to win actually.

Just found out someone i know (Armenian-Ethiopian) is going to Eurovision representing Armenia in this crazy supergroup they put together with Armenians from around thw world (Ethiopia, Australia, Japan, America & Europe)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuW3-PpvxTE

Okay, brilliant.

Cool! Though they had to change the title to "Face the Shadow" because Azerbaijan (and presumably Turkey, though I don't know if they count anymore) don't like songs where Armenians tell them not to deny <things>.

Was just reading this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia%E2%80%93Azerbaijan_relations_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest

The only songs I'm really into this year are Israel, Latvia, Serbia and (despite my disappointed mutterings upthread) Finland. Hope that some of them make it to the final.

This feels like a week year at the moment, but other years have felt like that at this point and been surprisingly great on the nights so I'm hopeful. Not least because I'm going to all 3 "jury" shows this year unless I can find someone scalping a finals ticket on the streets. Estonia and Georgia are my favourites so far. A bunch of countries passed on better songs - Denmark, Finland and Norway I'm looking at you in particular.

Oh and Ireland. Ireland fucked up big time.

swiss entry isn't bad, in a goth kelly clarkson coaxed out into the world of tedder way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n_pXW3p74Q

this song is much better than the entry that won denmark's bid, which is a 'beatlesesque' track by a band called ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA

anyway i like this track a lot, it's v kylie-in-training
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L92AmzWVinQ

the netherlands are sticking with anouk-penned songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSZwKW3RqT0

georgia's entry is making me long for the return of hi-nrg as epitomized by evelyn thomas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jo83OjRw-w

Denmark is always the worst

Julie Bjerre is exactly who I was thinking of when I was saying Denmark passed on a better song. Anti Social Media = "The Way You Do The Things You Do" if it had been written as a collab between one out of McFly, and Mika.

Other than the actual voice, the Dutch entry just sounds like Natalie Imbruglia, but worse. (NB I love Natalie Imbruglia).

My favourites now are Georgia, Iceland, Estonia, Sweden, Spain and (!!!!) Czech Republic. WTF?

Other song I have positive feelings about: Albania, Belarus, Belgium, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Slovenia.

no love for Israel?

Can Eurovision introduce a music video award so Spain can win it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-g92hNNbPQ

he run like he in a atari game

First semis happening, etc.

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/webtv?program=132893

This has yet to take off. Belgium's ok though.

I am all about the Finns.

The part of Stig Rasta appears to be being played by Max Beesley.

I loved how Serbia's tune turned into a house stomper, complete with diva vocals, and the performance was fierce! But Belgium is probably the best objectively the best, sure the guy was channeling Justin Timberlake and MJ, but the tune was such lean and perfectly crafted dancepop number.

<3 Polina

Russia is 8/13 to win this semi final so idk what Scott Mills is going on about dark horses for.

Electro Velvet is such a terrible name

It couldn't be more appropriate.

Serbia has gone from 200/1 to 20/1.

I am all about the Finns

lol

Come on Israel! Come on Latvia!

Israel's basic 2006-era ethnopop is being made to sound great in this company.

I am on board with Latvia though.

Where are all the props this year? People seem to be compensating with shoes.

Most goth Eurovision ever

Cyprus could be a good bet to place in the top 4.

society is in the gutter

Nothing of value was lost.

Fka twigs made it through.

I didn't think Ireland's entry had a hope of winning but I did expect it to get through to the semi finals

I mean final

Okay, Spain, what the hell was that? And Austria, I kind of hated your entry at first... but it grew on me. A little Elton John Lennon thingadoo.

And I love Georgia's entry, but it's not gonna win. The video is fab (if a little cliched). Ditto Romenia.

would have been better if the guys marching out during France had been Michelin men

"But officer, you don't understand! 'As I got outside I smiled to the dog" is the name of my dog!"

http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.3271542.1319732902!/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/feature_416/image.JPG

welcome to tory britain

fuck this is hateful haha

It's like if Heaven was modelled after Butlins.

*second*

the French announcers were hilariously anti-Russian. when Germany gave Russia 12 points one announcer groaned "oh no". as Sweden started to rise the French announcers got progressively more gleeful, cheering each time Sweden came up higher than Russia.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia–Azerbaijan_relations_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest

he was told by his interrogators that they had the names and addresses of all 43 Azerbaijanis who voted for Armenia

This was excellent trolling from Armenia:

http://i.imgur.com/l31Y4Ng.jpg

So, the UK got 7 with one set, 12 with the other, and in Total we end up with 5?

any jury that voted the UK above Serbia ought to be forced to join Electro Velvet

I'm trying to remember what the UK entry sounded like and all I'm getting is this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvLDm8821jQ

did no-one else like Electro Velvet? I thought they were good, though maybe not as good as this provisional Austrian entry for 2012 that ended up being disqualified because it was publicly performed before the official start date for that year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qplHN8o4rTk

it was replaced by the imperishable Trackshittaz and 'Woki Mit Deim Popo' though, so can't be too cut up about it

I thought the Electro Velvet tune was decent enough Charleston pastiche until, you know, the electro bits. I don't think "let's please every possible viewer demographic" has ever been the recipe for a Eurovision victory, so I'm not sure why they thought it would work this time?

The reason why I felt Belgium was the best (though Serbia was almost as good) was because their tune was so unashamedly stripped-down and modern. Usually the attempts to bring contemporary dance music into the contest have still included some traditionally "Eurovisiony" power strings and vocals melismas into them, which tends to water them down. But Belgium's song refused to do any of that, there were no embellishments or modulations or shit, and it may have cost them the old fogey vote, but it was clearly the best pop tune of this year.

wikipedia says that Electro swing is popular in Europe

i hate 20s pastiche but i think Electro Velvet's main problem was not so much the song as the fact that they were a bit shit

me and Han were debating whether Ms Electro Swing was wooden and grooveless naturally or whether it was the high tech costume she was wearing but either way tbh

Electro swing not just popular in Europe, festivals in London (Swingfest) and Birmingham (Swingamajig) this year. Maybe the most 'current' a British entry has been in decades.

A guy I used to work with is a near-the-bottom-of-the-bill Electro Swing DJ.

maybe Electro Velvet are just too current for the fuddy-duddies of ilx, will try and console myself with that thought

Read somewhere that every juror who voted for Electro Velvet was over 60.

Electroswing got big at least 5 years ago, it's really not "current", you guys. Also it's only popular amongst reprehensible posh twats.

I'd wager it's more "current" than Eurobosh or power ballads.

Electro Velvet were shit yeah, in an in-your-face kind of way, but the song was also the world's first objectively bad tune.

The UK selectors may exhibit rank cluelessness, but the German ones have got themselves into a row already:

Germany withdraws 'homophobic' Eurovision act

The arguments against Xavier Naidoo paint him as a caricature right-winger, based on a few statements/lyrics from a long career. The truth seems a lot less clearcut. The charges against him are (in German) here. Herbert Grönemeyer defended him, calling Naidoo a "Christian free-spirit", not sure if that's a paradox. The ARD coordinator supported him in an interview. But now they've decided it's better not to bother persisting with it.

Anyway, back to the UK selectors. I'm betting that our 2016 song will contain at least one shout of the word "Selector!".

BUT this dream might be scuppered, if the 'new' selection system can pick something a bit more up-to-date.

There's going to be a public vote at some point, presumably after the experts get rid of anything too interesting. The process isn't well explained, but song entries closed last week.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-09-30/public-given-back-power-to-choose-uk-eurovision-entry
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/30/bbc-to-hold-open-talent-search-for-uks-next-eurovision-entry

Eurovision 2016