You know what’s better than reviewing songs from nine different countries? Doubling that number to eighteen. Sorry if any Eurovision fans have been waiting for this article. I’ll try to get them out this week, but I can’t make any promises.
Round 2:
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- Felicia — My System (Sweden)
- Alicja — Pray (Poland)
- Bandidos do Cante — Rosa (Portugal)
- Leléka — Ridnym (Ukraine)
- JIVA — Just Go (Azerbaijan)
- COSMÓ — TANZSCHEIN (Austria)
- Vanilla Ninja — Too Epic To Be True (Estonia)
- Satoshi — Viva, Moldova! (Moldova)
- Aidan — Bella (Malta)
Bandidos do Cante — Rosa
Bandidos do Cante start “Rosa” with the strongest asset at their disposal: their dense and heavenly harmonies. Their voices are complemented by feather-light strings and percussion, allowing the song to weave into a romantic lullaby. When I listen to this song, I feel as though I am adrift on a gently rocking boat in a moonlit river. For that reason, I believe the choice to highlight the vocals over the instrumentation was a smart one. A lovely song from Portugal, one that even includes the word “saudade.”
COSMÓ — TANZSCHEIN
“TANZSCHEIN” transports the listener to the club with an electronic kick drum lighting a neon path throughout the entire track. However, the song cannot be shoehorned under the label of “EDM banger.” Instead of synthetic instruments, the song comes with an electric bass and a chorus with vocals that scrape against gravel. In true Austrian fashion, this song combines disparate elements that manage to hold itself together. I never thought I would be dancing to another German song, but hopefully I have permission from Cosmó.
Aidan — Bella
How does one make a romantic serenade their own? In Aidan’s case, he decides to incorporate swelling strings fit for a waltz before falling away into a dramatic tango in the chorus. His voice riffs over both meters with ease, wrapping the song together with an ornate bow. While “Bella” pleads with us to believe in love again, something in this proposal feels off. The numerous repetitions of “bella” are catchy at least, but repeating the English verse feels entirely unnecessary. It stalls the momentum of the song and offers no further information to the listener. Besides that, a fine song from Malta.
Rankings
- Montenegro
- Belgium
- Australia
- Portugal
- Austria
- Malta
- Estonia
- Ukraine
- Israel
- Cyprus