Tobson review: Finland, heat 2

The second heat will do the same as the first one did: showcase six potential eurovision entries, kick one out of the running, send one straight to the final, and let the rest continue as if nothing had happened.

Yle had some bad luck in the first heat with the sound mix being weak throughout most songs and I am hoping that issue will be fixed for tonight. It wouldn't really help future editions of UMK if the participants fear that the competition will make them look tuneless on live television.

1. MAKEA - Painovoima
When I first had a fragment of this chorus, I thought this could be one of the entries to look out for. Having heard the whole song, I am not so sure anymore. This mix of a Hanna Pakarinen-chorus, energetic rap and ska is more confusing than effective, and when the 80's heavy metal guitar solo these three minutes already start feeling very long.
Grade: 2/5

2. LAURI MIKKOLA - Going Down
A quality performer with a quality song in a genre we haven't really heard that often before in Finnish finals. Possibly the negative mindset of the lyrics can scare off a number of viewers who think Eurovision should be a happy party, but surely a contender.
Grade: 3/5

3. CLARISSA FEAT JOSH STANDING - Top Of The Word
Here it comes: the only typical happy eurovision song in the entire line-up, given a very bouncy and charming performance by pop starlet Clarissa in duet with equally likeable Josh. Just a shame that the song is so generic and predictable and made by the numbers. I would have loved seeing what Clarissa and Josh could be capable of had they had more to work with.
Grade: 3/5

4. MIKKO POHJOLA - Sängyn reunalla
If you want to know what contemporary Finnish pop music aimed at a slightly older audience sounds like, then this is the song for you. A delicate, almost whispering, little song in a soft and attractive arrangement. Something for the local radio stations to play until the world comes to an end. Perhaps not instant enough for the ESC, but my personal favourite of the year.
Grade: 4/5

5. MADCRAFT - Shining Bright
Together with Lili Lambert - eliminated last week - this is the biggest question mark of the line-up in my book. Both genres were represented last year without any notable success and yet they are back again. This is quite catchy and well sung by a bunch of guys who probably loved Green Day in the mid 90's and kept on playing together since. Not bad but doesn't fill a void in any way.
Grade: 2/5

6. HANNA SKY - Hope
Love. Peace. Trust. Eternal topics of eurovision lyrics. Hope too. Not a bad song, interesting in its own little way, well sung, but the very naïve and straight-forward lyrics become a little too much for me to swallow in the end.
Grade: 2/5

So, who will be tonight's direct qualifier? It is harder than ever to predict, since Yle introduced a little novelty in the voting this year. If you have money in the bank and wish to help your favourite in a big way, you can buy blocks of up to fifty votes in one go.

Screenshot from yle.fi/umk2014

There could be some good reason for this new function - surely there is one - but it also leaves a bitter taste after the show. Last week's direct qualifier Softengine were clearly the best act in the running but is also the only act to be picked up by a major label. The tiny suspicion that their label could have made a little investment in getting their group into the final keeps nagging at the back of my head.

The question for UMK is not only who has the most appealing entry but also who could have fans willing to cough up some money for their favourite singer.

All that aside: I think tonight's qualifier will be Clarissa - given her energy, star quality and her fan base among the Swedish speaking parts of Finland; a group that has had a certain impact on the results during these last years.

In the other end of the result, I think rap-ska-combo Makea will have a hard time breaking through to the audiences, possibly battling it out with MadCraft or Hanna Sky unless the latter really impresses with her vocal skills.

There should be a live webcast available worldwide on the official UMK website.

Song of the Day: Switzerland 1974

Switzerland is another one of those countries who often bring out their little song into the Eurovision spotlight and you never know what the audience will make of it. Complete hit or miss. Sometimes pointless Swiss entries get loads of points (although it has been a while since this happened last) and sometimes brilliant little songs get completely overlooked for no apparent reason.

And this is where I want to hold up Piera Martell and cry for justice. What were the juries really thinking back in 1974?

According to her Eurovision biography, former construction worker Piera admired singers like Streisand and Minnelli and wanted to bring a flavour of that into the contest. I think her attempt comes pretty close.



Piera Martell - Mein Ruf nach Dir (Switzerland 1974)

Her song is admittedly a very classical schlager ballad that must have felt a bit old-school already back in Brighton, but what does it matter when it is as well crafted as this one? A delicious intro turns into a short verse that builds up to the big chorus and an even bigger finish, following a very fine key change. All presented in a classy green dress and a sense of drama in the delivery.

Three points was all it was worth according to the juries. Shared last place. Unbelievable.

In spite of this miscalculation, Piera had quite a good career in Switzerland throughout the 70's and even participated in the 1976 German pre-selection before retiring from the industry in 1981.



Piera Martell - Mein Ruf nach Dir (studio version)

Tobson review: Finland, heat 1

Being in a rush has never been a typical Finnish trait. When most other countries use semi finals in order to quickly reduce the number of songs in the running, this first heat of UMK will content itself with singling out one finalist, kick one other song out of the competition and subsequently let everyone else continue to the second chance heat.

At least it allows more exposure of most participants, and that is what the UMK set out to do: expose new songs and Finnish talent.

So what about the songs, then? I wrote about the general standard already yesterday - now it is time to take on the individual songs of the first heat. The grades are based on the studio versions as well as the demo performances shown on earlier UMK shows.

1. MIAU - God/Drug
Female trio with an attitude and a song that presents a lot of good ideas that unfortunately never really take off in any big way. The chorus goes on and on without any climax in sight. Had the songwriting been a bit sharper, this could have been a contender.
Grade: 2/5

2. DENNIS FAGERSTRÖM - My Little Honey Bee
A very polite, clean-cut and easygoing little pop ditty, as light as a summer breeze, unlikely to disturb anyone. Which is a minus in a competition where people are supposed to vote for you by phone and where you need to stand out and be remembered. Lucky break that Dennis himself is such an asset - likeable and lively - but the question is if that is enough. I would like to like this more than I do.
Grade: 2/5

3. LILI LAMBERT - Let Me Take You There
A competent piece of disco, well sung and with a retainable chorus. But also generic and very much heard and done before. It would take an almost supernatural amount on stage presence to make this seem like a Eurovision winner in 2014.
Grade: 2/5

4. HUKKA JA MAMA - Selja
This duo does look a bit odd at first, but they also bring the most personable entry so far and that is not a bad thing. Most probably this will go nowhere near a victory, but it is pleasant and catchy in its own little way.
Grade: 3/5

5. SOFTENGINE - Something Better
Another slightly generic-sounding song - The Lovebugs? Sinplus? Petr Elfimov? - that is completely saved by a convincing performance. A young band with good voice and a strong presence and - not least important - a major record label behind them. It would be a small surprise if this entry didn't go on straight to the final tonight.
Grade: 3/5

6. JASMIN MICHAELA - Kertakäyttösydän
A good voice and a catchy chorus meets a complicated and messy verse, and again you ask yourself why nobody tried to clean up the songwriting a bit. If they get this to work on stage it could be a dark horse, otherwise it will fall flat.
Grade: 2/5

What do I predict, then? Yle didn't make it easy for themselves since they allowed people to buy block of votes (up to 50 votes per voter) in the internet voting. Suddenly they will have to fight off allegations of vote rigging on a completely new scale. Suddenly qualification seems to depend even more on fan base and financial muscles than ever before. Which makes prediction hard.

I think Softengine will go straight into the final. Hopefully because the audience wants them, hopefully not because their brand new record label decides to push their career.

And who falls out, then? It can be anyone of the others, really. I think it could be Lili Lambert that falls out, and keep my fingers crossed that it will not be likeable Dennis Fagerström.

Live webcast should be available from Yle's official UMK page.

Belarus 2014: Cheesecake for Everybody

Belarus just held their national final for Copenhagen, and keen Eurovision fans know what that means. Exactly, it means nothing. Nothing what-so-ever.

More often than not, the winning song gets replaced some time after the final anyway. If the winning performer is really unlucky, he or she will soon be history as well. Anyone can be replaced and is likely to be.

But if we play with the idea of Belarus actually sending their national final winner off to the ESC?

If this would happen, my first reaction is positive. "Cheesecake" is a wacko title. Seriously wacko. The lyrics are… creative. But the song in itself is quite catchy. A little bit original. And TEO is likeable.

In the unlikely event of this being present in Copenhagen, it would be my favourite Belarusian entry in a long time. Not that it takes a lot, but still.



TEO - Cheesecake (Belarus 2014 - at least for now)

Finland 2014: UMK kicks off for real

After three warm-up shows where the 12 contenders have been presented to the audience, Finland will finally start eliminating songs in order to make a final shortlist of eight hopefuls. This is the third edition of the UMK selection modus, and despite failing to make Finnish fans over-enthusiastic it has still been an ambitious attempt to make a long-needed reboot of the national final.

I've been a slow starter this season, but finally got around to listening to the entries and watching the demo performances shown on Yle and I find myself wondering what the purpose of this contest really is.

If the purpose is to showcase new Finnish talent, it is doing quite well. There are few opportunities for unsigned Finnish talent to sing for a larger audience - let alone on television - and many of these songs sound like they could have a future in the local charts.

If the purpose is to find a successful Eurovision entry, I'm more puzzled.

None of these candidates sound like given qualifiers in Copenhagen. They are all nice, well produced and in many cases enjoyable. They are just not the type of songs that get showered in points when international televoters get to have their say.

My objection is - as many times before - that the songwriting is too generic and too unsurprising. I'd like to tell a few of these people that choruses are not bad for you. Hooks are your friend. Being catchy is not a sin.

In the 1974 German internal selection, the broadcaster listened to the songs proposed by the selected singers, then told them none of the songs was good enough and asked them to produce new ones. Had I been in charge of UMK I would have been tempted to tell a few of these singers something similar.

Many of them are promising talents, some of them have promising songs. But unless some of these songs start growing and growing, it will be hard for anyone of these to make any bigger impression come May. Unfortunately.

Tonight: Junior Eurovision Song Contest

It takes more than the word "Eurovision" to enthuse me these days. I was never a fan of the short-lived Eurovision Dance Contest and I never blogged a lot about Junior Eurovision either.

I used to like it in the beginning, thought it was a fun little show and a good chance for talented kids to try out singing for a greater audience. There is nothing wrong with that, really.

But I feel the rule changes through the years have changed the JESC into something less pleasant. The creativity has been taken further and further away from the competing kids on all levels. I can't shake the feeling that many of them are just put there to sing a song that some adults decided that other kids will like.

I'd like to know how many of tonight's participants really had an influence over their own performances. How many had a real input as to how they are presented and styled.

The contest has its fans, and I won't be the evil one who calls for its destruction. I have objections, but it is not my party. I hope all participating kids have a good experience in the end and that they will be able to put this experience in good use for the future.

What I really have a problem with is that tonight's final from Kyiv will show host country Ukraine in a blindingly positive light, as a happy clappy fantasy world where everything is fine for everyone, at the same time as police forces brutally act against the people protesting in the street.

That, if anything, leaves a bitter taste this year. Apart from that - may the best song win, and may the Junior fans have a great night.

Tobson's Wish List: Isac Elliot for Finland

I am not fully convinced this is something everybody would agree with, but I think Finland's new eurovision selection is moving in the right direction. Still searching its form and still in need of launching hits on a more regular basis, UMK is still promising.

When the list of participants for 2014 gets revealed, we will see if the progress goes on. Hopefully there will be a few well-known names alongside new talents, and hopefully there will be songs with hit factor.

I hope UMK will get to continue and try to better itself for the coming years. With the exception of 2017. That is the year where I think UMK should take a break and Yle could select their entry internally.

In 2017, Isac Elliot will be old enough to participate, you see. And if he is the slightest bit interested in taking part, he could be our best chance to rock this old in contest in years and years.



Isac Elliot - New Way Home

The kid is only twelve years old but he has star quality aplenty and his debut album shot to number one in Finland and also went to number four in Norway. There is also an ESC-connection as a few of the songs on that album are co-written by Paradise Oskar himself, Axel Ehnström.

In 2017, Isac will already be an experienced performer who could put on a convincing show that would give Finland an excellent placing. (It could of course also be that he has already had it with showbiz, ditched all career plans and decided to be a lawyer instead. You never know.)



Isac Elliot - First Kiss

But in case he still sings and wants to do it, there is just one thing to do. Cancel the Finnish final of 2017. Make a note in the calendar already now.