Melodifestivalen tonight
It's finally here. The Melodifestivalen final takes place tonight, when we shall see the last song to be selected for Moscow, and your entire Euromoments team will be gathering in a certain London Swedish venue to watch events unfold in the company of those who care. It's good to be young, eh?
There has been criticism of this year's Melodifestivalen line-up from the Swedish press, who claim that standards have slipped. These people have clearly never seen Making Your Mind Up. However, there have been some bloopers along the way... how did Velvet's The Queen (see below - a riotous Stock-Aitken-Waterman style retro dance number with a giant dress, hotpants, women in drag and great dancing.) not only fail to qualify for the Globen but come in the bottom 3 of her semifinal? I am also saddened that BWO don't have a place in the Globen this evening but that is a matter of personal taste and I managed to stop watching the video on loop yesterday.
Sometimes you've just gotta let go. Tonight we will be treated to 11 songs:
1. Måns Zelmerlöw - Hope & glory
2. Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla, snälla
3. Agnes - Love, love, love
4. H.E.A.T. - 1000 miles
5. Emilia - You're my world
6. Alcazar - Stay the night
7. Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving on
8. E.M.D. - Baby goodbye
9. Sofia - Alla
10. Molly Sandén - Så vill stjärnorna
11. Malena Ernman - La voix
It does seem to be a much more open field than in previous years, with no real stand-out winners. I think the result will be heavily swayed by local tastes and am thus preparing myself for a shock. For me, the strongest entrant is Molly Sandén, the 16 yr-old graduate of Junior Eurovision who has a Swedish-language song that can be best described as a more sophisticated version of Empty Room. I've included a video of her semifinal performance because it is basically pitch- and look-perfect. I know there are a lot of people whinging about there already being several strong ballads in the line-up for Moscow, but after a few listens I really have developed a sneaking regard for this one.
I am also very fond of Snälla, snälla and thrilled that Caroline made it through the Andra Chansen round, but I expect that Melodifestivalen will simply serve to boost her record sales without the bonus trip to Russia. Måns Zelmerlöw was a strong contender for the MF crown with Cara Mia in 2007. This year, he delivers his song Hope and Glory with the look of someone saying: "You thought Cara Mia was good? WELL CHECK THIS OUT!" Sadly for Måns, I think his song for 2009 is a dog's dinner - forced, shouty vocals, a bad outfit and an ill-suited 007 theme. As they say in a place I call home: See ye lidder. Also in the 'cute young men' category are E.M.D. Now, here I smell the distinct whiff of danger. I'm not that fond of this N-Sync-ish pop song, and to be honest I find the boys a little creepy. However, a reliable source on-location in Stockholm has informed me that this is getting A LOT of radio play, and given that they qualified straight from Semifinal 3 on the back of a pretty ropey vocal performance, I think this could be one of those unstoppable audience favourites. Watch out for this in the top 3, and a potential winner. Erstwhile members of the young and cute brigade, Alcazar, have returned minus Magnus with a disco stomper called Stay the Night. This could do it for the trio, but for my tastes it just looks a little tired and desparate. None of them is as fresh as they used to be, the vocals are off and I think the whole thing would crash and burn in Moscow. Sadly, I have to say they're too long in the tooth for all that gadding about in pink waiscoats.
There are a few acts I think I would like to rule out tonight - Agnes, Sofia (the international jury choice) and Sarah Dawn Finer. None of them bad songs, but all inferior to other similar entrants in the contest. Sarah Dawn Finer's song is alright, but I did not enjoy the semifinal staging at all - very dated, fussy and distracting. This isn't a patch on the powerful simplicity of Så vill stjärnorna.
So, that leaves us with three acts: Emilia, H.E.A.T. and Malena Ernman. Emilia has this week received big-name support from The Great C (hallowed be thy wind machine), which could either be a good omen or the kiss of death. Actually I think it's more to do with Our Lady of the Gold Lamé trying to keep a certain blue-eyed, wholesome starlet in her place in a who's-the-fairest-of-them-all style campaign of passive suppression. This aside, I think the Emilia song could be another Swedish favourite from radio play etc., and it is perhaps one of the more contemporary with its Duffy-lite style. However, given that Duffy is effectively Wino-lite, you might equate Emilia with a Tesco bag in the wind. This is also how her voice comes across - very thin, prone to tuning problems and just not good enough to fill the arena in Moscow. All I want to say about H.E.A.T. is don't rule them out. There is nothing similar in the line-up and they give a strong performance. There's no accounting for taste in this game, and they could win. Finally, Malena Ernman and La Voix. You might have thought I was leaving the best till last. I see it as leaving the most terrifying till the end because I couldn't face it in paragraph 1. There is just something not right about this 'popera' song that has received lots of positive reaction from Eurofans. It's not sung badly, the whole structure of the song is not offensive, but I just don't like all this leaping around the vocal range for the sake of it. Malena sounds totally different in the verse and chorus, giving a much stronger gimmicky feel to the opera sections. The staging is a little overwhelming, with so much white light at some points that Malena looks like an android with shimmering synthetic skin and pop-out eyes. I don't like the male dancers, especially when they put on the Klan-esque masks at the end and cluster behind her. All of it make me pull a face like Molly at 2:42. Pained, in my case with the desperate longing for it to be over. That said, I would not be at all surprised if La Voix wins through tonight. It's different, and people may expect it to make an impact with voters in May. It could, but it makes me feel seasick.
So, what are the Carlytime predictions for this evening's festival at the Globen? I'll play my hand:
1st: E.M.D.
2nd: Molly Sandén
3rd: Malena Ernman
There are hundreds of equally likely outcomes in this year's contest, but I'm going to go with a top 3 that includes one chart-pleaser, one MF-by-numbers, and one novelty act. Time will tell... I heart Sweden.
There has been criticism of this year's Melodifestivalen line-up from the Swedish press, who claim that standards have slipped. These people have clearly never seen Making Your Mind Up. However, there have been some bloopers along the way... how did Velvet's The Queen (see below - a riotous Stock-Aitken-Waterman style retro dance number with a giant dress, hotpants, women in drag and great dancing.) not only fail to qualify for the Globen but come in the bottom 3 of her semifinal? I am also saddened that BWO don't have a place in the Globen this evening but that is a matter of personal taste and I managed to stop watching the video on loop yesterday.
Sometimes you've just gotta let go. Tonight we will be treated to 11 songs:
1. Måns Zelmerlöw - Hope & glory
2. Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla, snälla
3. Agnes - Love, love, love
4. H.E.A.T. - 1000 miles
5. Emilia - You're my world
6. Alcazar - Stay the night
7. Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving on
8. E.M.D. - Baby goodbye
9. Sofia - Alla
10. Molly Sandén - Så vill stjärnorna
11. Malena Ernman - La voix
It does seem to be a much more open field than in previous years, with no real stand-out winners. I think the result will be heavily swayed by local tastes and am thus preparing myself for a shock. For me, the strongest entrant is Molly Sandén, the 16 yr-old graduate of Junior Eurovision who has a Swedish-language song that can be best described as a more sophisticated version of Empty Room. I've included a video of her semifinal performance because it is basically pitch- and look-perfect. I know there are a lot of people whinging about there already being several strong ballads in the line-up for Moscow, but after a few listens I really have developed a sneaking regard for this one.
I am also very fond of Snälla, snälla and thrilled that Caroline made it through the Andra Chansen round, but I expect that Melodifestivalen will simply serve to boost her record sales without the bonus trip to Russia. Måns Zelmerlöw was a strong contender for the MF crown with Cara Mia in 2007. This year, he delivers his song Hope and Glory with the look of someone saying: "You thought Cara Mia was good? WELL CHECK THIS OUT!" Sadly for Måns, I think his song for 2009 is a dog's dinner - forced, shouty vocals, a bad outfit and an ill-suited 007 theme. As they say in a place I call home: See ye lidder. Also in the 'cute young men' category are E.M.D. Now, here I smell the distinct whiff of danger. I'm not that fond of this N-Sync-ish pop song, and to be honest I find the boys a little creepy. However, a reliable source on-location in Stockholm has informed me that this is getting A LOT of radio play, and given that they qualified straight from Semifinal 3 on the back of a pretty ropey vocal performance, I think this could be one of those unstoppable audience favourites. Watch out for this in the top 3, and a potential winner. Erstwhile members of the young and cute brigade, Alcazar, have returned minus Magnus with a disco stomper called Stay the Night. This could do it for the trio, but for my tastes it just looks a little tired and desparate. None of them is as fresh as they used to be, the vocals are off and I think the whole thing would crash and burn in Moscow. Sadly, I have to say they're too long in the tooth for all that gadding about in pink waiscoats.
There are a few acts I think I would like to rule out tonight - Agnes, Sofia (the international jury choice) and Sarah Dawn Finer. None of them bad songs, but all inferior to other similar entrants in the contest. Sarah Dawn Finer's song is alright, but I did not enjoy the semifinal staging at all - very dated, fussy and distracting. This isn't a patch on the powerful simplicity of Så vill stjärnorna.
So, that leaves us with three acts: Emilia, H.E.A.T. and Malena Ernman. Emilia has this week received big-name support from The Great C (hallowed be thy wind machine), which could either be a good omen or the kiss of death. Actually I think it's more to do with Our Lady of the Gold Lamé trying to keep a certain blue-eyed, wholesome starlet in her place in a who's-the-fairest-of-them-all style campaign of passive suppression. This aside, I think the Emilia song could be another Swedish favourite from radio play etc., and it is perhaps one of the more contemporary with its Duffy-lite style. However, given that Duffy is effectively Wino-lite, you might equate Emilia with a Tesco bag in the wind. This is also how her voice comes across - very thin, prone to tuning problems and just not good enough to fill the arena in Moscow. All I want to say about H.E.A.T. is don't rule them out. There is nothing similar in the line-up and they give a strong performance. There's no accounting for taste in this game, and they could win. Finally, Malena Ernman and La Voix. You might have thought I was leaving the best till last. I see it as leaving the most terrifying till the end because I couldn't face it in paragraph 1. There is just something not right about this 'popera' song that has received lots of positive reaction from Eurofans. It's not sung badly, the whole structure of the song is not offensive, but I just don't like all this leaping around the vocal range for the sake of it. Malena sounds totally different in the verse and chorus, giving a much stronger gimmicky feel to the opera sections. The staging is a little overwhelming, with so much white light at some points that Malena looks like an android with shimmering synthetic skin and pop-out eyes. I don't like the male dancers, especially when they put on the Klan-esque masks at the end and cluster behind her. All of it make me pull a face like Molly at 2:42. Pained, in my case with the desperate longing for it to be over. That said, I would not be at all surprised if La Voix wins through tonight. It's different, and people may expect it to make an impact with voters in May. It could, but it makes me feel seasick.
So, what are the Carlytime predictions for this evening's festival at the Globen? I'll play my hand:
1st: E.M.D.
2nd: Molly Sandén
3rd: Malena Ernman
There are hundreds of equally likely outcomes in this year's contest, but I'm going to go with a top 3 that includes one chart-pleaser, one MF-by-numbers, and one novelty act. Time will tell... I heart Sweden.
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