Vidbir Semi 1
This semis is insane. The quality completely blows my mind. This is what I think of the songs (please note that it's pretty hard to get a 7 the way I rate things and at a 7,5 you're already talking about stuff I view as contending for a top 10 place at ESC with the caveat that I can't help being me, ie some songs are rated higher because I just like them):
Assol – “Save It” : 7,6
Think this is really well produced, has a really nice laid-back vibe, melodically it's very sound, Assol is also charming. In short, there's really nothing wrong here, in fact everything is right. If this would be on the radio it could be on pretty much any channel and it wouldn't feel weird, because it's just pure class. Should reach the final without any trouble, but then again this is a magnificent semis so it could be that this entry is just going to get caught in the crossfire.
Jerry Heil – “Vegan” : 7,6
I don't like this at all. I don't like the style, I don't like the melodies, I don't like preachy vegan pieces of human waste, I don't like her face. But that's on me, this is ultimately a fun song with some creative twists that are tastefully added (production is really great here) and it will resonate with a lot of hipsters. There are quite a lot of meat-eaters out there who are just going to ignore this because of the message and I have no idea how this will pan out at any stage, including Vidbir itself. I suppose it's probably going to progress to the final, but beyond that I have no idea.
Go-A – “Solovey” : 7,45
Nicely produced, solid melodies, works as a dance track while being interesting for those who don't really like that aspect. Just gets a bit tedious at some point: the music and the vocals remain in the same registers the entire track doing the same melodies. I feel the whole thing is rather flat. So yeah, I think this is a really cool track and it could make the final, but this should not win eventually because there are going to be better options.
Cloudless – “Drown Me Down” : 7,5
There's a reason people despise the likes of Maroon 5 and Imagine Dragons and such. There's also a reason why they sell a lot of copies. All I can do here is accept that this style is popular and probably a good choice, but to me it sounds utterly inane. If I pry beyond that initial dislike there's a lot to like here. What I really like is the energy in the vocals and the illusion of velocity the bass gives. I like the variety in the melodies, it's very entertaining. I also think it's pretty artful how they managed to put all of this in 3 minutes. This song feels much longer in a good way. This should make the final without problems and it's likely a contender for the win.
[O] – “Tam, kudy ya ydu” : 7,8
I love this. I freaking love this. It's just so much fun. There isn't a lot to say here beyond that, this is just 3 minutes of celebrating music. There is a *lot* going on in this song. Still, it remains poised at all times, the way elements weave in and out is fantastic. The production is outstanding. I hope this band breaks through globally, they're really world class. For Eurovision it's just not the genre I think, they'll have trouble getting out of this semis I fear because of the quality of the other songs in more accessible genres.
Krutь – “99” : 7,9
It's hard to overrate this. I wish all pop music was like this. What I like? Everything. Beautifully arpeggiated lines on that harp-like thingy, her angelic breathy voice just taking you places, that tasteful solid bass, the slow and well masked increase in density as time progresses, those crescendo's at the end. She is just a fantastic songwriter. Songs like this don't just happen, this is extremely hard. Please let this win, she needs to be heard. Her chances are slim though, same reasons as [O], it's just not as accessible as other songs.
Katya Chilly – “Pich” : ?
Couldn't find the song and I can no longer wait. I heard a snippet somewhere that left me unimpressed, but who knows?
Gio – “Feeling So Lost” : 7
I really dislike songs like this. Dude with a guitar singing about relationships is something I found to be utterly boring since I was just a wee lad. But that's just me. Taking this apart I can only say this guy made a completely decent song. In pretty much any other country he would be in the conversation as a professional and safe option, but in this class of songs this is just standing out as derivative Sheeranesque trite sonic puke. This should be left behind in the semis because the rest is just better. If this somehow manages to finesse its way to the final it would be disappointing to me, but I can't argue with the quality here. This is world class middle-of-the-road singer-songwriter stuff.