Eurovision 2010: Semi Final One (part deux)

[By the way, if you're reading these Eurovish-blogs on Facebook, you probably aren't getting the joy of the actual YouTube videos, so do click on the "original post" link at the bottom, or go direct to www.seb-pillon.blogspot.com]

5 Finland
"Työlki ellää" - Kuunkuiskaajat (One can work for a living, too)

Oh dear god, it's the Finnish Mitchell sisters with some folk durge. Do feel free to clap along. If you like accordions, Melinda Messenger lookalikes and false camraderie between your lead singers, this is your winner. For any/everyone else, it's a no from me.

6 Latvia
"What for? (Only Mr God knows why)" - Aisha

Her Uncle Joe can't speak and she can't... well make a song to be honest. This is a bit weird. The actual title doesn't make sense which just shows how easy it must be to become a translator. Notice too the accordion in the background, it must be the instrument of choice in 2010.
One listen is enough, just for the lyric "Only Mr God Knows Why". Brilliant.

7 Serbia
"Ovo je Balkan" - Milan Stanković (This is The Balkans)

If you can resist the urge to mute after 5 seconds... you'll simply continue to have that urge for 3 minutes. The video is worth a watch though just to marvel at the chap's hair. But other than that it's trumpets, wailing and embroidered waistcoats throughout.

8 Bosnia-Herzegovina
"Thunder & Lightning" - Vukašin Brajić

I'll admit that it's hard for me to put aside my bias to love anything BiH churns out. But accent issues aside, I quite like this rock ballad, though I'll have no time for indulgent pre-recorded guitar solos in a live song contest.

9 Poland
"Legenda" - Marcin Mroziński (The Legend)

This is heavy going from the outset, but it kind of grows on you for a bit... and then the chorus kicks in and you regret saying that. I dread to think how the wailing vocal will sound live. But he's not a bad looker, truth be told.

10 Belgium
"Me and My Guitar" - Tom Dice

This is a sweet little surprise, and will stand out on the night, but it's probably not winning material. It's a nice guitar ballad and no gimmickry distracting from it. Unless you count the cardigan.

Wow, that was a trial huh? Tuesday 25th May is gonna drag huh?! Let's hope the back seven songs pick up a bit, or the final is gonna consist of accordion wielding wailers.

Holiday in a Nutshell

- Lying on a pebbly beach and not having to deal with sand
- Greeting my brother at Dubrovnik bus station
- Looking out over Kotor Bay at sunset
- Drinking beer for €1.50
- Climbing up mountains
- Getting on buses when I'm not 100% certain that it goes where I want
- Bartering in Serbian
- Admiring tapestries of Tito
- Getting met at bus stations by hot Bosnians
- Drinking beer for 3KM (=€1.50 =£1)
- Eating čevapćići for every meal
- Watching TV at night on a balcony, talking about history
- Hanging out with cool people I've just met
- Getting the email addresses of cool people I've just met so I can then go visit them in Finland/Canada/Ireland
- Hysteria on night trains
- Going back to a cool hostel
- Eating a massive salad for 30kuna (£3)
- Drinking beer for 18kuna (£2)
- Doing a Welsh accent and making the whole dorm think I am crazy
- Arriving in Slovenia
- Seeing Tina at Vila Veselova (www.v-v.si)
- Wow-ing at the Škocjan Caves
- Swimming in Lake Bled
- Eating Burritos with cool New Yorkers we randomly bumped into in two different places
- Drinking coffee in a cafe at 11am
- Hanging out with my little brother and having those chats that make you feel really good.
- Strategically writing postcards so that no-one realises that I keep using the same phrases