MOLDOVA 2011 - So Lucky

Yeah, this entry's pretty crazy-lookin'. And it sounds pretty out there too. But don't dismiss these guys at first glance. The audience likes them. How do I know that? Because six years ago, they came 6th ... with a song that wasn't entirely unlike this one. Remember in Kyiv, the band that sang about a grandmother beating a big drum, and who left one of their members backstage so that they could be joined on stage by ... wait for it ... a grandmother beating a big drum? Yup. That was these guys. :-)

This isn't entirely my type of music - it's a bit too noisy and unmelodious for me - but I still kind of like the entry. It's fun, and I really like that they're doing something a little off the wall like this. I'll be interested in seeing how they'll present it ... it's not a given (fortunately?) that they will have a unicyclist on stage in Düsseldorf. :-) But I'm sure that however they choose to do it, it'll be something different from the typical ESC fare.

Moldova's only been in the contest since 2005, and they've done well ... they've gotten to the final all of those years except one. IMO there's no reason to doubt that they will be in the final this year too. :-)

This is Zdob şi Zdub performing So Lucky by Marc Elsner, Mihai Gîncu, Roman Iagupov and Andy Shuman. Roman and Mihai are in the band. :-) They will be competing for Moldova on Thursday, May 12th.

Widescreen here.

Lyrics here.

MOLDOVA 2010 - Run Away

OK, did I say yesterday that I didn't know what to think about the Icelandic entry? Maybe I should take that back. I really don't know what to think about the Moldovan entry ... o_O

One thing I guess I like about it is that even if they're doing the violin thing too - who isn't this year, and no prizes for guessing why - they're trying to be original about it. I mean, it's awful, but points for effort.

This song is totally not to my taste, it's not my kind of music at all. But if it was, I'm thinking that I still wouldn't like it. It's annoying more than anything. Repetitive and annoying. The singer isn't very good, she's out of breath after like two minutes. Hearing this, I certainly do want to run away ... >:-)

Kudos for trying something new, I guess, but I can't imagine this entry doing at all well. Who's going to like it? If they're doing the same thing they did last year, I'm afraid these kids are going to have to scrounge up the money for their own return flights.

This is the Sunstroke Project and Olia Tira performing Run Away by Anton Ragoza, Sergei Stepanov and Alina Galetskaya, who will be competing for Moldova on May 25th. Never to be seen again, probably.



Lyrics here.

Moldova, Malta, Estonia

Moldova:
Yay ... !! :-)
Now here's an ESC performer who can really sing. I don't care what Aftenposten says. ;-)
Again, everything's good about this song. Nothing I would change. She even sings in Moldovan. Me like ... !! I'm so glad she got through from the semi ... otherwise she would have had to pay for the trip herself. :-D Go Moldova!! I'm sure they'll do very very well. :-)

Malta:
Good song, good performer with a wonderful voice. But we're talking about BookCrossing and vacation experiences (on Malta, but still) while she's singing, so it obviously can't be all that.
The Maltese have high hopes - as usual - but I'm afraid they're rather groundless. They'll probably do pretty well, because, hello, it's Chiara. :-) But I'd be amazed if this won.

Estonia:
Ooh, my favorite ... !! I love this song. Every time I hear it, I just like it more and more. Beautiful.
The lyrics aren't even about that same old un/requited love shit. They're very deep and profound. ;-)
Lovely music, beautifully performed, a wonderful singer.
I can't see this winning, because I think its appeal isn't quite broad enough. I would be deliriously happy if they did, though. :-)
Go Estonia!!!

Greece, Lithuania, Moldova

Greece:
One of the major favorites. Personally I don't see what's so special about it. It's a pretty standard dancey pop tune. If it wasn't Sakis Rouvas performing it, it'd get nowhere near the attention it's been getting.
I don't like the presentation much. It's just so ... average. So standard. What is so special about this?
I don't get it. It'll probably get through. Or will it?? I have a theory, actually. We'll see. >:-)

Lithuania:
On principle, I don't like this song much ... because it was in Lithuanian in the national final, and they're using an English version now. Why not keep the original?? Bwaah ...
It's a nice ballad, but again, nothing very special.
Presentation fine.
Ooh ... fire!! o_O

Moldova:
Yay!! :-D
Great song, a singer who can really sing, charming performance, great costumes, an entertaining show, a hint of Moldovan culture.
Nothing wrong with this.
Come down and get your plane ticket to Vegas, Nelly!! :-D

MOLDOVA 2009: Nelly Ciobanu – Hora din Moldova

Moldova's going all out with the nationalism this year. Kinda what you'd call OTT. You've just got to see this one. :-D I would resent it on principle, except that I really like this song. It is soo catchy ... I can't help myself ... I dig it. :-) Great rhythm, great beat, a very charming singer with a good voice ... yeah, I dig it. They're in our semi so I can vote for them, and I almost think I will. This is just such a fun song. Fun and lively and just the type of song that makes you start tapping your foot before you've even heard the first verse. The folk music thing may be too much, though ... ie there may be too much of it here ... it's not really tempered much with poppier elements, it's just more like straight folk music. So it may not go down too well. But I think older viewers may really like it. It'll be so interesting to see how things go for this song.

The one thing that I can say against this song is that the title is very unfortunate-sounding in Norwegian. ;-) But we can hardly expect them to take that into account. :-) The title means Dance from Moldova. It's partly in English and partly in Romanian, so kudos for that, too.

They got lucky with a really good slot, #15.

This is Nelly Ciobanu performing Hora din Moldova which she co-wrote with Andrei Hadjiu and Aristotelis Kalimeris. They will be competing for Moldova on May 14th.

From the national final:


The official video:


Lyrics here.

Moldova, San Marino, Belgium, Azerbaijan

Moldova:
Great to see another new style of music. Good singer, I like her voice. The song is nice, a good melody. Definitely has charm. They may do well, and may not. The song itself is good, but maybe too untraditionally ESC.
And the presentation was ... not good.

San Marino:
Angry rock my shiny metal ass. Whiny emo pop, more like.
I do realize that San Marino is a very small country, but surely they could have found at least one person with a better singing voice than this?
Bo-ring!! I stand by my assertion that this doesn't stand a chance.

Belgium:
I like this song. And I love her dress!! :-D
What this song has going for it is that people will definitely remember it. Instant earworm, a chorus that anyone can get, immediately. And great presentation.
I really don't know how this will go down with the voting audiences BUT I definitely think they have a fighting chance.
A lot of ESC nostalgia vibes in this entry. A lot. :-)

Azerbaijan:
This is one of the entries I'm most interested in seeing the presentation of. (Argh, lousy sentence.)
OK ...
I'm not sure if it's money they have less of than the Belarusians, or creativity ... But they're certainly doing their best with what they have.
I like this song. But as to how it will do ... I think that depends on whether young people or middle-aged ones are voting. ;-)
My opinion: They should not have tried to recreate the video, they should have done something totally different. But the song is good. They definitely have a chance for a spot in the final.

MOLDOVA: Geta Burlacu - A Century of Love

Moldova made a fantastic debut in 2005. Starting then and ever since they have made it a lovely tradition to swap their twelve-pointers with their dear neighbor Romania. :-) I'm sure that won't stop now.

This song - kind of jazz is what it's supposed to be, I guess, jazzy pop - is not my kind of music. I mean, personal taste-wise. But this is part of what I'm really loving about the ESC these days - all the different styles that are being presented now, it's not just same-same standard pop songs now. Last year for instance we had blues from Hungary and a big band number from Germany. Now here's some jazzy bluesy easy listening kind of thing from Moldova. Not bad. I think it's too off center to do very well in the contest. But I think it's great that they're doing it.

Geta is a big star too, down east, so I'm sure she'll get some votes on that.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFRqIXRrR90


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6RUkNLEQYU