EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2010
Various Artists (EMI)
This really needs to be a DVD, to capture the spirit, and the hilariously over-the-top vibe of Eurovision. Let’s assume we’re making do with the songs themselves, (this is supposed to be a song competition, after all), no matter how much funnier the whole thing is with a wind machine and lighting. Eurovision has created some greats in the past - it even gave the world ABBA. This year didn’t provide anything promising to be quite as big, but gosh, 19-year-old German winner, Lena is adorable. ‘Satellite’ was by far the most appealing song on offer from this year’s competition, and the most modern. What probably made it stand out from most of the competitors is that it doesn’t sound like a throwaway pop track from 1996 we’d all forgotten about. The beauty of Eurovision is that even the worst tracks - like ‘Butterflies’ by 3+2 from Belarus ("Just emaggeeeeeeeeein"), are at least worthy of a sing-a-long with a deliberately bad accent and a fake moustache. That is, except the wooden spoon of this year - the UK’s dismally bland ‘That Sounds Good to Me’ by Josh Dubovie.
This is definitely not an album to play all the way through, but there will be a few great tracks for everyone, depending on your style. My favourites were not in genres or languages I would normally listen to, but there’s a surprising element to competitions like this - don’t pass them all off as camp novelties. For example, on the softer side of Eurovision, inject a little Spanish into your iTunes, with ‘Algo Pequenito (Something Tiny)’, or try the acoustic pop ‘Me and My Guitar’ by Tom Dice. The standout of the pop/dance tracks are Iceland’s ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’, an synth-tinged pop track that is begging to be remixed, and Greece’s ‘Opa’, an unashamedly simple pop call-and-response party tune with a chorus of "Opa!" That’s what it’s all about.
(Anna Angel)
Original post here.
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