Eurovision 2010s: 165 - 161
165. Izabo -Ā āTimeā Israel 2012
Izabo captured my heart instantly upon selection with their delectable, delightful, dreamy, psychedelic disco-rock. Of course, I also realized they would die in the televote even harder than Valentina would and didnāt grow too attached. As far as Eurovision fodder entries go,Ā āTimeā is one of the better ones as well. Gorgeous Dali-inspired backdrops, great acting from everyone (especially the backings) and actually a GOOD use of falsettoās. What else could one want?Ā ________________________________________________________________
164. Peter Nalitch & Friends -Ā āLost and forgottenā Russia 2010
I MISS WEIRD INDIE DARLING RUSSIA SO MUCH *sob*. Fuck you, Dina Garipova. š
You may expect me to have fallen in love with such a preciously weird indie entry at first glance, but NOPE, in 2010 I was pretty much still in my Basic Casual / Horehronie-stanning form and I HATED Peter Nalitch!!! However, I eventually warmed to him and his hipster friends as time went on and now I solidly like "Lost and forgottenā. š¤
Russia is mostly remembered for all the wrong reasons now, but their ESC history is filled with wonderful indie anomalies such as this one. āLost and forgottenā is a hilariously melodramatic break up song:
what r u doing man? I AM LOOOOOOOOKING HER *PHOTO*!!!! *WHAT* SHOULD I ~DO~ WITH THAAAAAAT???
Ā throw them to the fire AAAAAH YES I SHALL *HAVE* TO BURN HER NOW~ šššš CUZ I *HAVE* TO FORGET HER NOW~ ššĀ Holy fuck that exchange ALONE, but the entire song is drenched in the same wolf-whistling pathos. "Lost and forgottenā was way head of the curve, like its many Eesi Laul and FdC cousins.Ā ________________________________________________________________
163. Tanja -Ā āAmazingā Estonia 2014
Oh my god I remember that Tanja hatred was a ~mood~ many people had for some reason: āEWWW LOREEN CLONE CANāT SING TALENTLESS!!! GO HOME WENCH! #SHCBB4Lifeā Could Peter Nalitch throw those peopleĀ in the fire now, so I can forget them now? My opinion of Tanja, from the first moment I heardĀ āAmazingā had always been, āwow she sings this live while also doing ALL of that choreography?? Thatās impressive.ā and it still is :-) You try singing in tune when youāre literally being flung around like a rag doll.Ā
Unfortunately, Tanja would become the proto-version of the Conan journey where, host broadcaster DR completely ignored the intimacy of the NFĀ choreography in favour of showing off the stage via wideshots. š This of course made Tanja look VERY underwhelming even though it shouldnāt have (her act hadnāt changed between her winning EL and the Eurovision SF). 2014 is one of the best years in Eurovision, but DR really did Tanja dirty and Iāll never forgive them for it. š
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162. Kristian Kostov -Ā āBeautiful messā Bulgaria 2017
[2017 Review here]
BOOM! The last fully intact country in the ranking FINALLY loses its first member and itās not the song youāve been expecting! š² To be fair, Bulgariaās entries are far from perfect, but I find their flaws and idiosyncracies charming at worst, and fācking hilarious at best.Ā
āBeautiful messā is the exception for me, and thatās mostly bad news. Its main thing is that it is.. A Competent Song and well, I donāt care about that? For the most part, the appeal ofĀ āBeautiful messā hinges on an overwhelmingly genuine by Kristian Kostov, who is fantastic. Average songs really NEED to have an engaging live performer to create some drama, authenticity or emotional investment. Kostov passes all three with flying colours, however...
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161. Dami Im -Ā āSound of silenceā Australia 2016
... Dami did it even better! It is almost unsettling how the same song finished in second place two contests in a row. Yes,Ā āSound of silenceā andĀ āBeautiful messā are basically the same entry. ~Classy Professional Ballad Without Personality~, a perfect platform for the perfomer to make themselves shine, which both Kostov and Dami fortunately did *just enough* to not win. š¤ However, I prefer Dami to Kostov, although slightly. Firstly, if two similar entries are of the same level of quality, the original is always the better one, and secondly DAMI FUCKING IM <3 <3 <3 <3 āGladiatorā *WAS* my summer of 2015 and there is still a little bit of residual stanboyness remaining in my heart, enough to give her the advantage in what is basically a deadlocked tie.Ā Now, before I end the update, let me be very clear: I do NOT like either of these songs. Beautiful mess is whatever and Sound of Silence features some terrible writing (the facetime line O_O the chorus O_O). Theyāre both soulless and formulaic, empty musical husks. However, Kostov and Dami OUTSOLD and thatās why theyāre high on my list. I loveĀ them, even though I couldnāt care less about their songs. Iām still happy they lost though, because the last thing we need in Eurovision is have DNA or Symphonix be rewarded for their blatant demo peddling. š¤
(um and also, Kate won Australia, :pretends to be shocked: How did it take them that long to send something mindblowingly good.)
