eesti laul thoughts and things
chucking this under the cut bc eesti laul is a real thing this year and i have Thoughts
La Forza / Elina Netšajeva - conceptual, bit weird, like it tho, i think it would need good staging to not come off as a joke and be taken seriously. If it all goes pear shaped i can see another La Voix on our hands and no one needs that
On My Mind / Desiree - nice enough, very modern, doesn’t really go anywhere but very much an earworm for the duration of the song. Very forgettable though, i don’t remember anything about it by the time i’ve listened to another song after it
Pseudoprobleem / Miljardid - bit of a dirge? Again doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere but it does have some sort of promise, with some decent staging it probably wouldn’t feel so directionless and repetitive. Like that it’s in Estonian, that’s about the only compliment i can give it
Home / Stig Rästa - I LOVE MY SON. Obvious semi 1 winner if not potential whole show winner. Very reminiscent of UK Ed Sheeran style acoustic pop, very cozy and warming. Will probably find its way onto my regular playlists even if he doesn’t win.
Näita oma energiat / Tiiu x Okym x Semy - i want to die, i get that you want to be modern but this is an absolute disaster of a thing. I have absolutely nothing positive to say here, this is horrendous and if this somehow makes the final I will give up.
Everybody’s Dressed / Aden Ray - nice unique voice, I feel like he could probably carry it off live if he had decent staging. But it’s a completely bland song that will absolutely be forgotten because even if the other songs aren’t necessarily as good, they’re more interesting and this is gonna fade away between the others.
Thousand Words / Sibyl Vane - interesting vibe, i like that it’s a little different to most other things in this year’s Eesti Laul. With good staging (I’m thinking kind of like Rasmus Randvee’s from last year) it could do decently. Lyrically I think it’s a bit weak but if it sounds good live I might forgive that.
Külm / Etnopatsy - very atmospheric and floaty, nice refrain, and i love the use of Estonian. It’s a very sweet song, but would need strong and moody staging to reflect that, and if the vocals are weak live then this will inevitably sink like a stone.
Drop That Boogie / Iiris & Agoh - vocals here are incredibly annoying, she sounds like she’s been run through a cheap voice changer. Not here for it. The beat itself is lacking and i think it would struggle live.
Laura (Walk With Me) / Vajé - dig this, very modern and well produced, very radio, but would need good staging and good live vocals to carry it. It reminds me of an English song but i can’t place it for the life of me (bf reckons Hey Brother by Avicii)?? But definitely one of the strongest songs in semi 1 if not overall, will probably end up on my playlists after Eesti Laul.
Koplifornia / Metsakutsu - Once again I have absolutely nothing nice or constructive to say here. Horrendous.
(Can’t Keep Calling) Misty / Frankie Animal - dig it, pretty catchy and fun. It’s an interesting genre choice, but it’s another song that will need good/interesting staging and if it’s just your band standing there with some LEDs it could fall flat.
Sky / Eliis Pärna & Gerli Padar - the gay duet ESC deserves. Song itself is dated and nothing particularly new, but their harmonies are very sweet. Nothing revolutionary or anything, but it’s nice and inoffensive (if forgettable) and I can see it in the final.
Welcome to My World / Evestus - What the fuck is happening here and how do I make it stop. Manages to be both bland and bizarre all at once, doesn’t do anything for me. I can see this coming with a Triana Park-esque hot mess staging too, and no one needs that.
Spellbound / Girls in Pearls - I love the sound they’ve gone for (it kind of reminds me of early MGMT) but I worry it’ll be hard to replicate live to this sort of standard? The staging would need to be something special too I think, otherwise it could come across as kind of wishy-washy and weak.
Tempel / Indrek Ventmann - literally this is the light at the end of the tunnel for semi 2 honestly. Modern, interesting beat, should be able to carry it live. Song has just enough direction that it works. Could probably win SF2 and should easily be in the final.
Young / Karl-Kristjan & Karl Killing ft. WATEVA - very cute, modern sound, I could see this doing well in the televote. Yet another song that needs good staging or it could fall flat or get sidelined by something flashier.
Täna otsuseid ei tee / Marju Länik - cute, inoffensive, the use of Estonian sounds especially sweet here. Will probably get lost among other songs because it’s not really much of anything and while it is very cute it’s also not got much to it and could be forgettable live.
Knock Knock / Nika - largely inoffensive, but chorus is irritating. Will probably struggle live because of the volume of mixing involved in the vocals and general sound. Quite forgettable and I can’t recall it after it’s finished.
Show A Little Love / Rolf Roosalu - oh it’s 1983 again for all the wrong reasons. It reminds me of De Toppers in the least complimentary way possible (if there is a nice way to compare someone to Satan’s own band, De Toppers). Make it stop.