Eurovision 2016 top 43, all songs and our comments (22.03)

Hello :)

Today we have attempted to put together our top of all songs competing in the final and now we're going to bring it to you. Just as a side note, we like most of the songs this year so it was very difficult to put them in an order of some sort, but it's done and as usual both me and Kai gave points to the songs and by adding the points together we created this top, enjoy.

XXX Estonia

As usual we will not be placing our own song anywhere in the top, since we're a little bit biased, but we will give our thoughts on it. We quite like the song, it has a pleasant sound to it and it's rather unique, not the classical pop song. His voice is also enjoyable, at parts maybe could be worked on a bit, but otherwise it's very good and we hope he'll do well.

42. Georgia

I have tried to listen to this song for quite a few times now, I have it in my phone and I've given it a bit of time, but it's just not very enjoyable, it's a bit chaotic, which sometimes can be a good thing, but in this case I don't feel any positive emotions listening to it. That's the main reason it got last place in our top, simply not our cup of tea.

41. Montenegro

This song is, to our ears at least, slightly higher quality than the last one, but it still sounds a bit like some sort of noise. However, there are very few parts of the song that I could remotely call enjoyable. Still for the most part not something we would normally give more than one listen to and it's generally just not very earfriendly.

40. San Marino

We were quite shocked by the new version, since it's just...bad. The original slightly slower version of the song was no masterpiece, but it was amusing and it didn't hurt my ears in any way, but I feel the new song has gone from slightly amusing to slightly scary. There's something just so off about it, I can't listen to it anymore...

39. Austria

The song itself isn't by any means bad, it's just not particularly compadible to our taste in music. It's very sweet and cute, when judging simply by sound, her voice is delicate and soft and all of it together actually suits well, it simply doesn't suit us. I do think it has an audiance and it might do well.

38. Bosnia & Herzogovina

This song is another one that doesn't really suit us very well, neither of us are huge fans of Balcan ballads and the rap part doesn't give much to it, in our opinion. The instrumental part is quite nice though and that's probably what we like most about it.

37. Macedonia

This song is another one that isn't bad, she sings it very well, it doesn't bother us in any way, but it also doesn't draw attention much, so it doesn't leave us with the feeling of wanting to listen to it more. I wasn't the biggest fan of her previous song either, they're very difficult to compare, since they're rather different, but this one might be slightly better.

36. Ukraine

This song definitely isn't bad, it has a very strong message and we think that's good, but if you put the message aside then it's another song I wouldn't find myself listening to in any other circumstances. She sings it well for sure and puts a lot of emotion to it and for those reasons she might do well, but it's still not quite for us. After listening to it more we like it slightly more, at first we weren't big fans at all, but by now we've gotten used to it and I think she'll do well.

35. Romania

This one was difficult to place, it's not a joke entry, but at parts I find myself slightly amused by it. The song and how it performed is mediocre and probably the best part of it was the man dancing, but the show alltogether didn't leave me even interested to listen to it again. I have given it a few chances though, it has grown on me a little, but not enough to climb any higher than this position here. On a more positive note, it's definitely different and stands out from the other songs, don't know if that is enough though.

34. Slovenia

I must say my first impressions of the song weren't very good, the chorus, especially the lyrics are a bit ridiculous, when you think about it, but the song itself is easily memorable thanks to it, so it might not be necessarily bad. Either way for us it isn't very interesting to listen to, but she is very happy and positive and does the best of her abilities with what she's been given. 

33. Albania

Albania has chosen to change their song, or to be precice they've just translated it to English, so we personally liked the original version more, it was more smooth and natural and I got more emotions from it. I really liked the live performance with the instruments and I liked that it was in their native language. The song itself is still ok, but nothing outstanding. Her voice is good though and the video they made for it was beautiful, but with this version it dropped a bit in our top.

32. Moldova

This song is nice, it's catchy, she preforms it well enough, I guess there are parts that could be improved performance wise, she could put more of herself into it, but all in all it's an ok song, just like the previous one. Her voice might actually be slightly weaker, but the song itself is more memorable and interesting. There's a strong tempo change, which isn't quite as smooth as it could be, but otherwise it's a typical Eurovision pop song, which might do well, might not, depending on the show that they add to it.

31. Greece

This song is quite different to the usual Eurovision songs, it has more of a Greek national vibe to it and it sounds interesting, but I still feeel like there's something missing. I also haven't heard any live versions to say how it would work with a show of some sort added to it, but with what I've heard so far, it doesn't leave a very strong positive emotion to me. The chours is memorable though and it's an interesting choice from Greece.

30. UK

This one is a very catchy typical Eurovision pop song, it gets a bit repeptitive for me, but otherwise it's ok. We liked a few songs more from the preselection, but I think they can make it work live. The vocals maybe need a bit more work on, at parts they didn't sound very good together, but alltogether it's a much better song than they had last year, in our opinion.

28. - 29. Denmark

Just as the last one, it's a usual catchy, Eurovision pop song, they have a boy band vibe going on, but I'm past my boy band fase and I don't think Kai ever even had one, so we're not very insane about it. They sound rather good together, though, and had great energy on stage, which might bring them some votes, but the song itself isn't quite our cup of tea.

28. - 29. Finland

This song has dropped quite a lot in our top, although it actually is a rather good song. It just gets boring after listening to it a few times and as we've said many times before we liked Miikael Saari way more, so we're a bit sad he didn't make it. About the song, though, it's catchy, it's definitely better than the previous ones, but something about the entire performance and song doesn't relate to me. I still think it has a decent chance to do well. She enjoys performing it, it's clear to see, she sings well and puts a lot of energy in it.

27. Poland

Another country, where we were hoping for another song to get through to Eurovision, just as 99% of all active Eurovision followers we thought Margaret was going to win their national selection and then she didn't. So at first I wasn't sure at all what to think about this song, it's not as bad as I thought it to be at first listen, his English is a little rough and peformance could do with a bit of work, but otherwise it's a good song, his voice is ok and it's actually quite catchy. His hair is amazing as well.

25. - 26. Belarus

I feel like in a lot of tops this song is quite in the far end, but we actually like it. It's very catchy and enjoyable, I get a positive vibe from listening it. The staging and backdrop were good. Sure, his performance and vocals could do with a little bit of work, but I think he might surprise all when Eurovision rolls around. Anyway we hope he'll do well.

25. - 26. Belgium

This song is another one we quite enjoy listening to, it's very catchy, upbeat and positive, I feel there aren't a lot of songs like this in this year's competition. Her live performance wasn't the best, but she has time to work on it. She also has quite a unique voice, which might not be the strongest, but it's memorable and we like to entire thing when put together. She is also very happy and energetic on stage, which is positive.

23. - 24. Croatia

This song is a rather pleasant one to listen to as well, it's not quite our favourite out of the power ballad like songs this year, but it's good and well written for sure. If anything, then we don't like her voice very much, I feel like it's a bit too soft and a little bit weak for our liking, but everything else about the song is good.

23. - 24. Latvia

The song from Latvia is definitely a strong song, he performs it well and has a rather nice voice. It gets a bit repetative at times, but it has a unique sound to it and is easily memorable. Our first impressions weren't quite as positive, or to be honest, we didn't see anything special in it at all, but with time it has grown on us and I'm sure he can do well with the song.

22. Israel

The new version of this song is actually really good, at first we weren't huge fans of this song, but as we listen to it more and more we like it more and more. It's a good example of how to improve a song by changing the tempo a bit (take note San Marino). He sings it very well as well, it has a very beautiful sound to it, it's memorable and interesting to listen to, so it might actually get even higher in our top, but for now, it's here.

21. Malta

We definitely prefer this song to their previous choice, which for those who don't know was the song Chamelion, but they decided they'd rather Walk on water...anyway, it's a lot more upbeat and catchy than the last song and I feel like she relates to it more. Obviously we haven't heard it live, but we know she's very good live so I think she can make it work live, but I guess we'll see.

20. Sweden

This song wasn't our favourite from Melodifestivalen, but it was still a good song, he sings and performs it well, it has a nice feeling to it and the lyrics and melody are more interesting than some other songs have in this competition, so I think it's a pretty good song, although by now I feel like we already expect a lot more from Sweden, so I don't know if this will be good enough to do very well. It's simple and easy to listen to and that's what might make it stand out from other songs.

19. Ireland

This is another very Eurovision pop song type of song, but for some reason I like it more than the previous ones, it's very catchy and I guess already familiar. With that comes the threat that since we've listened to it so much that it gets a bit boring, maybe if it had come out later it would be higher in our top, but the majority that votes during the competition itself obviously won't have that problem.  He can definitely perform it very well and make it work on stage, so I hope he'll do well and qualify to the final. I feel like the lyrics are also slightly better than the other typical Eurovision pop songs that are competing this year.

18. Armenia

This song has a very different and unique sound to it, it's so different that at first I didn't know what to think of it, but as I listen to it more, I like how artistic it sounds and feels. I guess that can put some people off or make them think it's boring, but we like it. She seems to have a very good voice as well, we haven't heard her live, so can't be sure how it sounds then, but at the moment we like it.

16. - 17. Lithuania

I guess this one is more of a pop song as well, as most songs are to be honest, when they come to this competition, but this one has a bit more of an interesting sound to it, although it is rather typical sounding. We definitely like this song more than the one Donny performed a few years ago. It's a good song, his voice isn't quite what we usually like, but it's still good live.

16. - 17. Russia

This song is no masterpiece, lets be honest, but it brings me back to when Eurovision was filled with songs like this one, maybe it's a little cheap and outdated, but I like it and I take full responsibility of it getting so high in our top, since Kai is not very fond of it. We all know he'll do well, since it's Russia, does it ever even not do well...but all in all I think it's a good pop song, a little cheesy, but it's forgivable.

15. The Netherlands

This song is the only true country song of this year and although usually we're not huge country music fans, we actually found it quite enjoyable and relaxing to listen to. He seems to sing it well, it's produced and written very well. I don't know how big of an audience it might have, but I think it's a good song, with good vibes and he has a nice voice.

14. Norway

It's a rather good ballad, one of the highest ones in our top, although after listening to it more it gets a little boring. She has a very strong voice and puts a lot of emotion into her peformance, it seemed to be thought through. The song is definitely well produced and enjoyable to listen to. There is a rather big tempo change from verse to chorus, but it doesn't bother us as much as it did with Moldova. Alltogether a good song. 

13. Bulgaria

It's the newest song out and I must admit we were pleasantly surprised. It's a very good song, strong lyrics and enjoyable to listen to. I think it'll do well. I definitely like to verses more, but it's allaround a good, catchy song, which has a slightly dark sound to it. I don't know how good she is live, but since she has competed in Eurovision before, then I think it'll be good.

12. France

It's a feel-good type of song, well written and well sung. It's memorable and nice to listen to. The French parts sound very beautiful and I'm always happy when a country knows how to incorporate their own language to the song. He seems very happy singing it, which is a good thing and I'm sure France will do better than they did last year. The live version wasn't quite as good, but there's still time for improvement.

10. - 11. Serbia

It's a very good, well performed song, she really gets into the song and enjoys what she's doing, she has a strong voice, I especially like it at the lower notes. It's very memorable and strong song, I like the instrumental part as well and I personally like it a lot more than most of their previous songs. I think it'll do well.

10. - 11. The Czech Republic

At first we weren't quite as big fans of this song, but as we listen to it more, we've started to like it more. The lyrics are actually very good and she aslo sings it with a lot of emotion and I think the music video also looks beautiful. I hope it'll do well and maybe bring to The Czech Republic to their first qualification to the final. Her voice is definitely very good as well.

9. Switzerland

We still like this song, it has great lyrics, her voice is a little bit too sharp at times, but it's better live, she performes the song very well and it's allaround a good well written song. It has a  bit of a Sia vibe to it, especially with the lyric video and we just really enjoy listening to it.

8. Azerbaijan

It's a very well produced pop song, the verse is again a bit stronger, or at least that's what we thought, but it's still a very good song. I'm sure Azerbaijan will make it work on stage as well, they always come up with something interesting, the song has potential to do well nd we like it a lot. Her voice seems strong, although haven't heard it live and she puts a lot of emotion to her singing.

7. Australia

It's another good entry from Australia, nice to have them at the contest. The song is very good, it's nice to listen to, lyrics are great, it's also easily memorable and catchy. I think she can sing it well live, haven't heard it live yet, but I'm sure they'll bring their best on stage as well. So hope she'll do well.

6. Iceland

The performance is definitely one of the strongest parts of this song, it's very well thought through and she does an amzing job on stage, with the shadows and darkness and of course she's vocally very strong as well. I like the dark vibes this song has. It might be a bit too repeptative, but it doesn't bother me too much. The song has also a very nice melody, a little bit of their own national feeling to it.

5. Hungary

He has an amazing voice, he really makes it work on stage and it's definitely one of those songs that has grown on me, at first I didn't know what to think of it, but as I listen to it I like it more. Of course the whistling part sounds amazing and the performance itself was simple, but it worked well and he definitely has a chance to do well.

4. Italy

The song in Italian is amazing, I don't know if they'll keep it so, I've heard they'll most likely change it to English, but we'll see how we like it then. She sings it very well as well, I liked the live performance and how unique her singing style is, it's like she's actually telling her listeners a story. The entire thing together is very good, well sung and produced. It sounds very high quality.

3. Germany

This song is very haunting and mesmerising. It has such a good sound to it and she sings it very well, her voice might not be the strongest, but I actually liked the live version, she could do more on stage perhaps, but when the song is so good, then I feel there's no need for it. I love th lyrics and she also has amazing style, just pointing that out. Hope she'll do well. I usually like the German entries, this year's no exeption.

2. Cyprus

The only real rock inspired song this year, in my opinion. It's very well written and I was hooked from the first time I listened to it. It's very high quality, enjoyable, catchy and quite one of a kind in this year's competition. I'm sure they can make it work on stage and hopefully they'll do well.

1. Spain

Still our favourite, even if they've changed it a bit, it's still amazing, loved the video and she's obviously amazing on stage as well. She has a very good voice, love all the shades and shadows she has when singing live. She also is a good performer, has great energy on stage and just allaround knows what she's doing. I prefer to verse as usual, the ending can get a bit repeptative, but really by the time you get to it, you don't care, beacuse you're enjoying yourself so much. It's an empowering and upbeat song. We really like it. Yay yay yay!!

It took me so long to write this, so give it a +1 or comment below your top, if you enjoyed my suffering.

Kaiela :)