I have listened to twenty-seven songs so far and some of them have already been eliminated from the contest. It’s a strange feeling, but we must keep moving forward.
Round 3:
- Akylas — Ferto (Greece)
- Veronica Fusaro — Alice (Switzerland)
- Sarah Engels — Fire (Germany)
- Lion Ceccah — Sólo Quiero Más (Lithuania)
- Sal Da Vinci — Per sempre sì (Italy)
- Simón — Paloma Rumba (Armenia)
- LELEK — Andromeda (Croatia)
- Daniel Zizka — Crossroads (Czechia)
- Alis — Nân (Albania)
Lion Ceccah — Sólo Quiero Más
What struck me about Lion Ceccah, besides his resemblance to a disco ball, is how his entry, “Sólo Quiero Más,” has such sparse instrumentation. The song slowly introduces strings, then a rain stick, like a tumbleweed bouncing across a desert. Another impressive feat of the song is how it loses its pulse then regains it to accentuate the poignant moments in the lyrics. When the kick of the drums and the rhythm of the bowed strings emerge, it feels like the sun peeking out from behind a patch of clouds. Overall, a stunning song from Lithuania.
LELEK — Andromeda
The heaviness of “Andromeda” and its subject matter are palpable with every drum beat and swell of the strings. However, some of the breaks between verses cause the momentum of the song to stall. Even so, the song manages to end strongly with a modulation and passionate pleas. Individually, each member of LELEK can be distinguished with crystal clarity by their vocal timbre, but when singing as a chorus, they are able to blend their voices seamlessly. What a powerful song from Croatia.
Daniel Zizka — Crossroads
“Crossroads” begins with an ambiguous and unsettling piano melody. Then, like an urgent siren, Daniel Zizka’s voice comes to the foreground. But although his voice comes through loud and clear, the message still feels muffled. The lyrics speak of something foreboding without ever explaining exactly what it is. Before the listener can make sense of what is being said, Zizka unleashes one final bellow of the song’s title, sending forth a stampede of drums. A perplexing yet compelling track from Czechia.
Rankings
- Montenegro
- Belgium
- Australia
- Lithuania
- Croatia
- Portugal
- Czechia
- Albania
- Austria
- Malta