The Quiet Picture

Should we download whole albums or just selected songs? Even if the music industry as a whole has finally accepted the fact that music downloads are here to stay, some artists still argue against it. Apparently, the possibility of downloading just selected tracks instead of the whole album is an insult to their artistic integrity (and profits). One of the problems I used to have in the pre-download age was that I was forced to buy the whole album if I wanted just one song from it, so now my shelves are full of CDs which I never listen to. So if someone wants to sell me a long-play CD with the argument that I would appreciate the music more if I heard all the songs on the album, I would just laugh. I really couldn’t care less about the context – all I want is a good song!

I recently got the sad news the Savonlinna School of Translation Studies (Kansainvälisen viestinnän laitos, KVL) is going to be moved to Joensuu to be housed together with the rest of the University. I spent five years of my life at KVL studying translation and Savonlinna has always had a special place in my heart. Firstly, it’s my birth place. Secondly, the family summer house is nearby. Thirdly, I’ve spent just about every summer of my childhood in and around Savonlinna. If there’s one town in Finland I miss, then it’s this one. But the problem is that it’s a fairly small town tucked away in the Eastern Finland. Unemployment is sky high with all the businesses leaving the town one by one, so the loss of KVL feels like a death blow. Just about the only thing that is holding the town up now is the Opera Festival and the rest of the tourist attractions, with what Savonlinna ideally situated between two major waterways and the Linnansaari National Park close by. But how many people can the summer tourism support? It’s just two months of the year… for the remaining ten, the town dies.I would dearly like to be a positive statistic for the old town. But I might as well stop dreaming right now, because there’s no job for me either. My only chance would be to freelance – as a translator? No, haven’t done that since 1995 when I got my degree. As a photographer? No, I don’t have what it takes. Could I get a job as a Lotus Notes Administrator? Nope, doubt there’s a domino shop left in town.

Since I heard the bad news, Amy Grant’s old song Nobody Home has been playing in my head. It’s always been a favourite as I’ve considered it to be a metaphor for my life; a bright future behind me. But now it also has a literal meaning as an epitaph for my beloved Savonlinna. It’s even more depressing.

Main street u.s.a boarded up and dry
Knowin’ what once was here just makes me wanna cry
Used to be the favorite place
Now what remains are memories even time cannot erase
Old man Johnson’s store, where we grew up too fast
All that remains today are echoes from the past
Used to be a boomin’ town
All that’s left is either broken up or broken down

Singing, oh ah, oh ah, oh ah, oh
Where we used to belong
There ain’t nobody home
Said, oh ah, oh ah, oh ah, oh
You can knock all you want
But, ain’t nobody home

Packed up, moved away, runnin’ from the past
Leaving behind the dusty dreams and broken glass
Used to be a busy town
Now, everybody passes through, but they don’t stick around

Was a newsstand on the corner
Right next to the barber shop
And down the street there
That’s where all the kids would stop
And they would tease the neighbor’s bulldog
Laugh and run away
Now, there’s no one left who knows the truth in what you say

(song written by Glen Ballard & Siedah Garrett)

The classic question the morning after the Eurovision Song Contest night is, did the right song win?My winner candidate was Russia and I hoped that Finland would do well enough to directly qualify for next year’s final. As it turned out, Finland did qualify directly… and Russia didn’t win. Because they came second and Finland won. In that respect, the right song didn’t win. But for once in my life, I’m not complaining!

I’m sure that the monster image got Lordi a lot of extra points, but it is also a fact that the song stood up against the competition so the points were deserved, one way or another (unlike Lithuania, who quite rightly got booed every time they scored high points).

One thing that also stands out this morning when reading the news across Europe is that it’s not only Finland who are happy – many other countries are celebrating Lordi’s victory as well. In particular, I don’t think that Finland has ever been as happy on Sweden’s behalf as Sweden is happy for Finland today!

It’s all thanks to Lordi!

Umm… this wasn’t how it was supposed to go… WE WON! And when I say “WE”, I mean Finland of course. Lordi were so far ahead the rest of the field that the voting wasn’t even exciting!So Finland lost the semi-final in ice-hockey, and Sweden won their’s. Let’s be honest – I couldn’t care less!

This will take a while to sink in. It is like living in a parallel universe. Finland just simply doesn’t win in this reality. Except that we did.

Finalists:

Russia (yes yes yes!!!!!)
FYR Macedonia (hmm)
Bosnia & Herzegovina (yup, knew that one)
Lithuania (oh… my… god… they deserve all the booing)
Finland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ukraine (hmm)
Ireland (oh well, hoping against hope it wouldn’t)
Sweden (yup)
Turkey (blah)
Armenia (cool!)

So Belgium didn’t make it? LOL
Estonia missed out as well… too bad, although I’m not surprised
Iceland is also out… well it was always a gamble

It’s live, it’s right now!I’ll skip the opening act (what were they thinking?!)…

1. Armenia
The Armenian guy doing Sertab… If we ignore that, not a bad opening from first timers Armenia.

2. Bulgaria
Just when I thought she couldn’t find the right note if it hit her on the head, she belts out the chorus and for a moment it sounded ok.

3. Slovenia
Mr. Nobody… Ditto about the song.

4. Andorra
This one had started to grow on me after I had heard it a few times, but having seen the live show… Excuse me. Children actually watch this. The Swedish commentator just said that even the singer started out the rehearsals dressed in a corset. Thankfully, she was fully dressed now.

5. Belarus
A fast song at last, Belarus might benefit from the position. Might.

6. Albania
No line-dancing granddads? Forget it.

7. Belgium
If I really try to ignore the insanely inane chorus, I could almost like the song. The singer seems to have the stage presence of a paperclip though. If Belgium wins, my feelings about it depend entirely on what song they beat to it – if they beat some of my favourites, I’ll be disappointed. If they beat some of the others, then I’ll probably be ok with it.

8. Ireland
Sure a contrast to Belgium’s entry and it’s not in Ireland’s favour. Sheesh this is lame.

9. Cyprus
Speaking of lame songs. This is horrible. Really. Awful. What the hell is the audience cheering about? Oh when will it ever end?

10. Monaco
Ugh.

11. F.Y.R. Macedonia
Blah blah ninaninaja whatever.

12. Poland
Oh look she is wearing a mask as well! If I pretend not to hear the idiotic rapping and the raspy croaking, it’s a borderline tolerable song.

13. Russia
My #1 favourite! The show seemed a bit thin though, despite the ballerinas. I love the song but now I have doubts about how far it can go. Surely to the final anyway? Could it be lucky 13?

14. Turkey
Sounds like a good opportunity to get something to eat…

15. Ukraine
I think I’ll check out the Finland-Belarus match reports.

16. Finland
Love the hat! …I was laughing thru the song. They are most definitely not scary…

The best lyrics in the competition and no devil worshipping in sight. Anyone accusing them of satanism has clearly not done their homework! I hope they go to the final, but I don’t hope that they win. And even if they did win, it wouldn’t kill the ESC as these doomsday sayers are claiming. ESC is bigger than just one song.

* * *

Interval chat. Someone should ban that. Not that I have anything against interval chats as such, but spare me from this. Embarrassing.

* * *

17. Netherlands
Hmm… maybe the interval chat wasn’t all that bad.18. Lithuania
No, the interval chat was definitely not bad at all. I could listen to it all day compared to this. Is three minutes really this long?

19. Portugal
Four chicks in search of a dress sense, right key and a good song.

20. Sweden
Oh yeah in English this time. Well what do you know, she pulled it off… But almost overkill… I still don’t think it’s a particularly good song, but Carola could teach a thing or two about performing live to the Belgian singer. Talk about owning the stage.

21. Estonia
A totally off-key start but luckily she found it after the first chorus. A simple Swedish pop song (yes) that I will be listening to this summer until I get bored. Like bubblegum… As for the Eurovision result, I think she suffers a lot for performing after Sweden.

22. Bosnia & Herzegovina
Yeah this will go to the final. Even if I don’t like the song, I must admit that it’s a nice calm moment after two high-speed entries.

23. Iceland
I’ve read in the papers that she has behaved like a complete idiot in Athens. That’s probably why she got booed right off the bat.. but then the lights came on and… uhh… boo. I kinda like the song and the original concept but this performance… What the hell are they doing?! And… they finish off to booing as well. I can’t remember I’ve heard that before in ESC and there’s sure been a stinker or two in the show.

And now, voting!

… or I would vote if I could. It appears that these numbers are blocked for me. Serves me right for using the business phone for private calls (and yes I do pay for my private use, so don’t get smart with me!).

Oh well, good luck Russia and Finland then.

Warning! A lot of Eurovision Song Contest talk will follow! You might want to check this instead.The ESC is just around the corner and I’m starting to get as interested in it as I was years ago before the old Eastern Block countries joined in. The new participants have now caught on the plot and given the contest the boost it badly needed. ESC is fun again, so I will do what I used to do back when – review the songs one by one. I will also go out on a limb and try to predict their success (or lack it of).

Semifinalists1. Armenia
Pop song with an Armenian touch. A bit tiresome though and I can’t bear to listen to it many times but I reckon it will be fine on the night, so it’s a finalist.
2. Bulgaria
Powerful mid-tempo pop with a Bulgarian touch, not too bad. Finalist.
3. Slovenia
It starts promisingly but goes downhill fast at the chorus. It is not without chances though. Finalist.
4. Andorra
4th in a row of mid-tempo songs (yes, the slow verse and fast chorus even out Slovenia’s entry!), which is a bit unfortunate. She’s got an attitude for sure but I think it takes more than that to qualify. It’s not a bad song though.
5. Belarus
Finally uptempo. I think she’s singing in English but it’s hard to tell. Not that it matters much, it’s not one of those songs where you pay much attention to the poetic values. Finalist.
6. Albania
Ethnic pop with a DIY music video, complete with dancing granddads by a rainy pool. I couldn’t possibly laugh more at their live performance, but hats off to Albania for participating! I guess they need the tourist Euros… but they could’ve at least tried to pick a sunny day for shooting the “video”!
7. Belgium
One of the things that many ESC enthusiasts lament is that there’s no longer any ethnically distinctive music in the competition, as it’s gravitating towards generic pop. Personally, even if I like the occasional ethnic touch (as proven by my comments here), I’m not sure how valid the argument is – for example, how ethnic has Belgium ever been? They have won with a pop song and they are participating with one this year. It’s an inane, bouncy pop song and honestly, I hope it bombs but it will probably do well. Finalist, even if I hope it won’t be. And it will do well in the final as well, even if I hope it won’t.
8. Ireland
A ballad from Ireland, surely not?! It’s not (unintentionally) funny like last year’s entry, too bad. Finalist, just because it’s an Irish ballad. I hope it won’t qualify though.
9. Cyprus
How much more fake can it get? I’ll take the Irish ballad any day over this. Null points if there’s any justice in the world! “When will it ever end”, she sings, and I can’t help but wonder the same about the song. A message of compassion has never brought out the homicidal tendencies out of me like this one. Horrible, really, really, horrible!
10. Monaco
The tiny Monaco sends a tiny little girl singing a tiny little pop song which I hope will get tiny little null points. It would probably have done really well back in the 80′s though.
11. F.Y.R. Macedonia
Ethnic pop. Not bad, not good. Next.
12. Poland
Err.. what?! But I did get a good laugh!
13. Russia
This is more like it! A melodic pop song, this is one of my favourites and also my winner candidates. Finalist for sure, I just hope that the western Europeans jump on the bandwagon and vote for Russia this time. ESC has always been bogged down by too much politics, do I dare to hope it will be more about the music this time?
14. Turkey
Sertab won with one of the best Eurovision songs ever. This year they try the same recipe, although without the talent, brilliance and the song. This is bad.
15. Ukraine
Another recent winner with no intentions of whatsoever to win again.
16. Finland
Go Lordi go! Like I wrote earlier, many people consider this a travesty, but I call it Hard Rock Hallelujah (even if it actually is much softer than their image). As long as we have entries like this in the competition, there is no risk that the ESC sings itself out of the music map as it did back in the 80′s and 90′s. Every year someone tries to be different but usually they only end up as the comic relief. That won’t happen to Lordi – I genuinely like the song. Finalist.
17. Netherlands
Made up language? Heavy percussion? People will probably be relieved to see a group of pretty girls after the monster show. I won’t.
18. Lithuania
This has got to be the worst song this year. Bad only begins to describe it! All you protest voters out there – Finland at least has a good song!
19. Portugal
From the top of my head, I can’t remember any Portuguese entries in the Eurovision history. Including this.
20. Sweden
This is so weird. Sweden has the most tradional Eurovision song this year, it’s really 1991 all over again minus a good song. It sounds out-of-place in this year’s company, but a finalist none the less.
21. Estonia
Another country dipping in past years’ successes – this is a straight “Runaway” clone, no ethno in sight, just a catchy pop song complete with an Abba rip. One of my favourites, it will be a huge hit in Sweden (helped along by a Swedish artist performing the song). Finalist.
22. Bosnia & Herzegovina
Time for a power ballad, hardly a surprise it comes from a Balkan state. Not my cup of tea really, even if I admit that it’s a good song. Finalist.
23. Iceland
I hope Europe won’t get the joke the wrong way! Personally, I dig it. Finalist.

Careful readers out there will have noticed that I have picked 12 finalists, although only 10 can go through. That’s because there’s two songs that I think will qualify, but I hope that they won’t.

Finalists:

1. Switzerland
After Celine Dion, Switzerland have mostly betrayed their fine Eurovision tradition and sent a bad song after another. This time at least they come up with a semi-decent song but the “world piece” theme is hopelessly passé.
2. Moldova
I reckon they got scared by the success last year. This time they’ve left the drum-beating granny at home, thus securing a low position in the contest.
3. Israel
Boring!
4. Latvia
Another country obviously dead set on not repeating last year’s success. They’re the only country doing acapella (first time in Eurovision history?) but it just doesn’t work for me.
5. Norway
Sometimes it’s a good thing to dip in the pool of past successes. Secret Garden it ain’t, but I likes it!
6. Spain
Las Ketchup? Please… no.
7. Malta
Malta had a classy ballad last year, finished runner-up and thus qualified directly for the final. This year they are sending euro-pop, see you in the semis next year.
8. Germany
Country music in the ESC! Glad that someone did that, since Sweden didn’t send Rednex. I’m just left wishing that the song was better. I mean it’s not bad, but… it’s not really good either. The Rednex style country would work much better than this middle of the road offering, it really doesn’t stand a chance. Just as well that their ticket to next year’s contest is guaranteed.
9. Denmark
Denmark squeezed in the pre-qualified pool and they are a serious competitor to qualify for next year as well!
10. Romania
Last year Romania finished 3rd with their Ruslana-copy. I didn’t like that one, and I don’t particularly like this one either. The song has all the elements needed for a decent pop song, but somehow it still doesn’t add up. Anonymous in my opinion, although a lot of people seem to disagree as this is regarded as a favourite by many.
11. United Kingdom
The British if anyone should know how to make pop music, so it’s a shame that they won’t do it especially now that everyone else does. Maybe they’re afraid of finding out that their best is not good enough for Europe anymore, so it’s safer to send a sure-fire loser, knowing that they have a permanent spot in the finals anyway? Absolutely no one will want to vote for this, other than Ireland probably.
12. Greece
I’m glad to see that Greece are not completely embarrassing Helena Paparizou but sent in a solid ballad. But, it’s not good enough. It will pre-qualify for next year though, as the combination of a host nation and a not-a-complete-stinker-of-a-song normally guarantees healthy points.
13. France
At least France are not going the UK way of participating with total shite, knowing that they have paid their way in for next year. But they can do oh so much better as well.
14. Croatia
Croatia pre-qualified thanks to Serbia-Montenegro dropping out from this year’s contest, but not even drop-outs will help them now.

Summary

What can I say, the best songs are in the semifinal pool and I reckon the final winner is one of them. I have a few personal favourites, but as yet I can’t see anyone who really sticks out from the crowd. Russia definitely has the best song, Iceland has the irony, Bosnia & Herzegovina has the ballad, Estonia has the bouncy pop (yes, I think it beats Belgium hands down) and Finland has the monster act. I will have to wait until I see them live, sometimes the songs get a complete transformation. For example, I didn’t peg “My Number One” as a winner until Helena had finished singing; the performance really lifted up the song. Some songs just simply work better on the night, and that’s what it comes down to.

The east Europeans have really taken the ESC to their heart, judging by the gusto with which they throw themselves at the competition. They don’t have the Eurovision baggage most of the western Europe seem to carry and this is often a blessing. The contest has become much more pop oriented and it can now be considered to be a viable platform for pan-European success, which I personally think is a good thing. The old style schlager-pop was fun for a time, but times change – and the ESC is most definitely changing. It’s all good!

I’m going to blog more about the ESC before the competition (=I’ll try to blog, if I can be bothered) but for now, I’ll just point you to a page someone else made: votelordi.org.

Looks like the Finnish Eurovision entry is causing quite a stir in Europe (or in Finland, anyway), they even made it to the news tonight. Apparently, Lordi are just too ugly for the European stage and Finns are ashamed of sending such a travesty to the contest (I must have blinked through the part where ESC stands for good taste). Now correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the Finnish contest decided by public voting? It’s a freakin’ democracy, get over it. The last time anyone noticed the Finnish entry was when we got null points. …oh hang on now… Doh!See what Lordi are already doing? I might just vote for Finland this time, the whole thing is turning out to be quite entertaining!

Carola. I must admit that the song has grown a little bit on me, but it’s still a purebred Swedish schlager song and I still can’t see it win over many points in Europe and I can’t see myself ever really like it, even if it’s better than last year’s entry. My favourites, Rednex, finished at 6th place. Fairly predictable, also.So all that remains now is to wish Carola good luck in the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens. However it goes, there are two things for sure: Sweden will beat Finland, again. And for 3 minutes, I will not be a Finn, again. Apparently, Finland is sending a monster rock band to Athens. Nuff said – I’m already scared!