Wednesday 24 February 2010

Melodifestivalen 2010: Semi Final 3 Gothenburg Review


The third stop on the Melodifestivalen trail found us in Scandinavium, Gothenburg last Saturday! After two lacklustre weeks I was still holding out for a hero! 3 of my most anticipated artists were competing this week so I expected them to bring their A-game!
Melodifestivalen has been getting big criticism this year from the Swedish public and music industry. This article explains that the song which will represent Denmark was originally turned down by the SVT jury for Melodi! And how on earth this classic duet by two Schlager princesses was ditched I will never know: Linda Bengtzing & Velvet - Victorious

Isn't that just pop perfection?!?
Well with that in mind, lets see what Göteborg brought to the table...

Alcazar - Headlines:
Alcazar are always a firm favourite of mine! they never fail to impress via chic dance routines and poptastic songs! Stay The Night from last year was a Melodi Masterpiece and on reflection may have been the best choice for Moscow! From start to finish the dance,staging, outfits and glitterballs from the ceiling made Stay The Night a disco extravaganza! I expected to be blown away again by Headlines... the song is a mix of Kevin Borg - Street Lights and Alcazar Burning:

Which are two epic songs to mash-up! Overall the performance is hot, the big Alcazar name in lights is amazing and I want one for my room! I think it has a real 80's sound to it rather then pure disco! For some reason Andreas's mic went very quite half way through, so you could only really hear the girls near the end. Which was not always a pretty sound. All three can sing, and the harmonies are amazing, but take the main singer out a harmony and it sounds strange. It is growing on me more and more, and I think they will up their game for the next performance to it will be bigger and better!
8/10

Johannes Bah Kuhnke - Tonight

Simply a joke. Terrible lyrics, melody made by a child, and badly sung.
0/10

Elin Lanto Doctor Doctor:

Seams Elin has been stealing staging ideas from Dj Bobo! Though these mannequins laser red eyes are far more scary than the stangly positioned ones used by Bobo!
The routine is hot, the outfit is very Xmen but I like it, the 80's drummers are amazing and the overall 80's Heart vibe works for me.
I love the shriek she does in "I scream" though it sounds more like Ice Cream.
Does she sing 'There's no time for pee-peeing?' Though I really doubt it, that is all I can hear and seams like she would not get on with Andreas Johnson! The lit up hair and wind machine dance was also a genius move. The more I watch the video the more I love the song. It should have got a second chance I think! Her vocal is flawless throughout.
7/10

Erik Linder - Hur Kan Jag Tro På Kärlek:

Vintage Schlager that sounds very Barbados Magnus Carlsson era, or a Magnus Carlsson Christmas track. Not a bad song but just does not really go anywhere. When the rest want on stage its a very boring performance. I can't really fault the song but it was just bland!
5/10

Getty Domein - Yeba:

Overall it is a pleasant song, but for me all the parts are good but just don't click together. Singer does not sound in key, the backing track doesn't really match the lyrics, the dancers are random, and a better outfit than the suit would work. Gets very repetitive. Makes me a little uncomfortable as with simple changes it could be so stronger!
5/10

Timoteij - Kom:
No expectations about this band beforehand, but they were easily my favourite of the night. A light pop-folk song with an extremely catchy chorus! 4 Scandi-Blondes doing the funny faces to the camera and hair flicks violists etc do when not singing, see Bond for example. It just bounces along so happily and would be a really catchy Eurovision track I think especially in English. It is the first Melodifestivalen track this year that sounds as top quality as last years entries. It just might be a dark horse in pop-folk clothing!
9/10

Darin - You're Out Of My Life:
Stand choice of song idea, signing about someone who has died. The 'life/knife' rhyme makes me cringe a little. If it had a more guitar song it would have Westlife written all over it! It is a disappointment for Darin. I love his work but its not his best and it is quite forgettable. Would fade at Eurovision.
I wished his balled to be more Encore Otra Vez One More Time but it was not meant to be.
The 'Sorry' at the end is an apology especially for me!
7/10

Crucified Barbara - Heaven Or Hell:
Enjoyable girl glam rock! Rock doesn't tend to do well at Eurovision though unless OTT like Lordi or slicker as was Vanilla Ninja. It does sound more Heart than Elin. One of the strongest songs in Melodifestivalen 2010 so far, but weak Eurovisionwise I think.
6/10

So who made it through......
To Globen: Timoteij och Darin
To Andra Chansen: Alcazar och Crucified Barbara

MIA Verdict:
Whole show had very 80' vibe to it. The interval act Blue Man Group had no relevance but was good! I think this could have been the strongest week of Melodifestivalen 2010, but was still weak compared to last year! Elin should have got through but it is not the biggest loss! Alcazar need to rise to the challenge of Andra Chansen especially as they are up against Jessica Andersson. With one heat to go there needs to be something amazing or this is going to be a weak year for Sweden at Eurovision!
I'm hoping Pernilla stays true to her word and Saves Schlager!!

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