armenia 2015 genealogy
Face The Shadow (Eurovision 2015 / Armenia)

The ESC United “Expert” Panel is back once again reviewing all Eurovision songs and rank them accordingly.

You are probably asking yourself on how we pick our panel and the criteria. We looked at people from all walks of life to bring together a unique group of panelists with a wide range in taste. They all bring different skills and tastes to the table so who are they?

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Arie – The Professional Musician
Daniel – The Noob
Katja – The Schlager Queen
Mike – The Smart One
Olivia – The Journalist

You can read more about them HERE

Disclaimer: While we picked, what we perceived individuals with a wide range in taste, it is subjective to a certain degree so just enjoy their thoughts and if you don’t agree, feel free to post your comments below.

From “Don’t Deny” to “Face The Shadows” Armenia is sending the project Genealogy to Vienna with representative from 5 different continents. But will that fool our Panel? Let’s find out

 

 

Arie – The Professional Musician
It’s unusual in most pop music to have a song that uses mixed meter.  It’s this constant unknowing of where the song is going that gives the piece most of my interest.  It’s subject matter is dramatic, and while it’s melody line embraces that, it also gives the song a lilting optimism.  That dichotomy along with dense harmonies and rhythmic pluralism set this piece apart from the rest.  Though I doubt the general public will embrace this composition, I believe that juries will appreciate for the intricate work that it is.  Not a fan of the ending and the mixing of the voices keeps the performances from breaking an emotional ceiling, but I believe that could all be fixed by dynamic staging in a live venue.
Points: 9/10

Olivia – The Journalist
I just don’t know what to make of this song. It is one of those songs which doesn’t know what it is, so just throws  a series of different elements, verses and choruses together and hopes for the best. The first half of the song is a bland listen. And it only pics up in the last 60 seconds when the drums, traditional Armenian instrumentation, and operatic high notes kick in. Why did they feel compelled to have six singers? It’s just unnecessary. They would have been better with two, and that way they could supplement the monotony of the song with some interesting choreography. For me these song is a big disappointment. Aram really placed Armenia on the Eurovision map last year, and now sadly. Genealogy’s performance will see Armenia fall back off it.
Points: 2/10

Mike – The Smart One
A very intensely political song, the most political of all the songs this year.  The memory of the genocide of a hundred years ago will never be forgotten by the Armenians.  The consequent diaspora caused by that is semiotically recalled by Geneology.  The diaspora is reversed in this song when singers from six continents return to Armenia to recall their people’s past, its tragedy, as well as its richness of culture.  This is a difficult and complex song, musically.  It is unclear how the performance will work live.  However it is difficult not to admire the piece.
Points: 8/10

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Not-so-subtly-hidden political messages aside, I actually enjoy the Armenian entry quite a lot this year. First of all, the idea of bringing together people with Armenian descent from different continents is a really nice one. Their vocals don’t harmonise perfectly but that’s not a huge problem in my opinion. The song itself is decent but nothing too special. It builds up very well though. My favourite part of the song is definitely the powerful instrumental bridge towards the end.
Points: 7/10

Daniel – The Noob
Okay, this is a difficult one because Genealogy is very patchy. Though I failed to count the member of this band, I was able to hear that some of their voices are not made for singing. By reason of that the other member’s voices sound  better. The song by itself sounds quite diverse and caught my interest. Some of its parts are really cool but others are really weird. To sum it up, there are good and horrible voices and good and horrible parts. All in all this entry under-performs.
Points: 4/10

Katja – The Schlager Queen
When I first heard about this, I was against it. Political activism through a song has nothing to do on ESC stage. But I remained hopeful that this would be a cheesefest with a keychange and all the possibilities for some cult-like arm waving, but – no. Already the intro makes me depressed and then it progresses into a tuneless mess with wails and ad libs in drones. No, Armenia – do like your neighbours do and buy something from G:son rather. Because this is just wrong.
Points: 2/10

 

Overall: 32 Points

Another polarizing entry but in order to end up high in the ranking, you’ll need support from more than just half of the panel. Overall a 32 score may not be too impressive but it’s not a complete disaster, either. How does this affect the ranking?

 

“Expert” Panel Ranking
No Country Act Song Points
1. Norway
Mørland & Debrah Scarlett A Monster Like Me 49
 2. Australia
Guy Sebastian
Tonight Again  47
3. Estonia
Elina Born & Stig Rästa Goodbye To Yesterday 44
4. Sweden
Måns Zelmerlöw Heroes 43 (9,9)
5. Hungary
Boggie Wars For Nothing 43 (9,8,8,8)
6. Germany
Ann Sophie Black Smoke 43 (9,8)
 7. Austria
The Makemakes I Am Yours  43 (8,8)
8. Italy
Il Volo Grande Amore 41 (10)
9. Israel
Nadav Gudej Golden Boy 41 (8)
 10. Denmark
Anti-Social Media The Way You Are  40 (10)
11. Serbia
Bojana Stamenov Beauty Never Lies 40 (8,8)
 12. Romania
Voltaj All Over Again  38
 13. Montenegro
Knez  Adio  37
14. Iceland
Maria Olafs Unbroken 36 (10)
 15. Belarus
Uzari & Maimuna  Time  36 (8)
16. Russia
Polina Gagarina A Million Voices 36 (7)
17. France Lisa Angell  N’oubliez pas  35
18. The Netherlands Trijntje Oosterhuis  Walk Along  34
19. Ireland
Anti-Social Media The Way You Are 33 (9)
20. Czech Republic
Marta Jandová &
Václav Noid Bárta
Hope Never Dies  33 (7)
21. Armenia
Genealogy Face The Shadows 32
22. Poland
Monika Kuszyńska In The Name Of Love 29
23. Moldova
Eduard Romanyuta I Want Your Love 26
24. San Marino
Anita Simoncini &
Michele Perniola
Chain of Lights 23
25. Finland
PKN Aina mun pitää 21

Do you think that the panel got this right?!? Share your thoughts below and join the convo on our Forum. See yah soon!

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