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TIER: POINTS!
(12) DENMARK -- Fort Minor {Kenji}
-- Damn. This is some powerful spoken word. I appreciate the 14-beat feel. Honestly, this entry is borderline cheating (well-done political commentary is an easy guess for the winner of any Contest) and I'm actively resisting giving this my 12, but I'm doing it anyway because it does what it sets out to do so well.
(10) FLAVORTOWN -- Tallah {Overconfidence}
-- Holy shit, is this not the best Flavortown entry yet. I really enjoy how this keeps driving forward and maintaining its intensity for five minutes without wearing out any one musical concept. This is probably the most disappointed I've ever been that I couldn't give something 12 points.
(8) GAUGAMELA -- Ludo {Lake Pontchartrain}
-- Not sure if country is making reference to the Smurfs. It's very good for what it is, but there is a ceiling to my tolerance for this vocal style. The animation is very good as well.
(7) FREDDY FAZBEAR'S PIZZERIA -- MandoPony {Survive the Night}
-- Ah yes, the reason why I listen to Contest material in a private window. I knew nothing about FNaF going in except for its reputation (honest), and my expectations weren't high going in, but they were exceeded overwhelmingly. It's on the long side but that could have happened to worse songs. The animation is legit.
TIER: POINTS
(6) NAURU -- The Crane Wives {Curses}
-- I feel obliged to reward a prominent clarinet feature. Folk isn't usually something I get into but this is so clean. I enjoy the rim hits to keep rhythm.
(5) GERMANY -- 리쌍 {눈물}
-- Whoa. This is a cool pop song. Even without understanding the language, I can hear the emotion in the verses, and that helps alleviate the monotonicity of the rap.
(4) ARMENIA -- Tanita Tikaram {Twist in My Sobriety}
-- I'm not completely on board with the oboe, but the chords are relevant to my interests and the voice and flow are both compelling.
(3) DRENCH'S HOUSE -- Mans Zelmerlow and Petra Mede {Love, Love, Peace, Peace}
-- I appreciate the references to the silly gimmicks of previous contests. These are some glistening men. The song itself is, well, as generic as it's supposed to be, but I'm very glad this exists and it's a given that I'm giving it points. HOW DID THAT GUY GET ON TOP OF THE HAMSTER WHEEL, THAT'S DANGEROUS. Best comment--"UK: desperately scribbling notes"
TIER: POINTS?
(2) ICELAND -- Svalbard {Open Wound}
-- Melodically this is good, and the drums do it a service. This isn't going to be the entry that gives me an epiphany on harsh vocals, but they're balanced with everything else so that they don't monopolize the experience, and I deeply appreciate that.
(1) SWITZERLAND -- From Ashes To New {Nothing}
-- Honestly better than average for butt rock. This song is like 80% the chorus, and is rated this high purely for how aggro it goes.
LIBYA -- Saosin {It's Far Better to Learn}
-- Not as good a butt rock song as Switzerland's.
IRELAND -- Westerman {Confirmation}
-- It's a vibe song, and I vibe this well enough.
TIER: NO POINTS :/
NORWAY -- Sigrid {Dynamite}
-- This is very clean and the vocalist nails a very exposed vocal line... but I feel like this needs to hit someone in the feels to really come into its own, and I'm a tough target.
HINAMIZAWA -- Built to Fade {Loaded Guns}
-- I think it's the drums that are keeping this from "meh" territory.
THE PLACE WHERE Vi HIDES THEIR 12's -- Haruma Miura {Night Diver}
-- This feels like a South Korea entry. It mixes up its groove several times and I kind of dig it, but I don't think it transcends being cheesy J-pop.
GREECE -- Two Feet {I Feel Like I'm Drowning}
-- The bass in the chorus gives this a flavor I wasn't expecting. I'm not sure if I'm totally on board but it gets my attention.
EGYPT -- Aretha Franklin {Skylark}
-- I don't normally sign on for this style, but Aretha is the queen for a reason. I don't think I'd want to hear someone else try something like this.
TIER: NO POINTS
TRANSYLVANIA -- Magoria {Day by Day}
-- The harmonies are nice, although I think the song tries to do too much. The lyrics are painfully melodramatic and my eyes are involuntarily rolling. "What does he look like? Does he wear a hat?" is the kind of lyric that I'm going to be
very
slow to give points to. There's really no need to fetishize a long-dead rapist-murderer in jolly old Britain.
BURKINA FASO -- The Gift {11:33}
-- I was a lot more excited for this before the vocals kicked in. What followed was okay, if kinda distracting.
BOLIVIA -- Chromatics {Kill For Love}
-- This feels very '80s, but it's newer, hm? But I'm not sure if this stands out in any way compared to expectations.
VERMONT -- 385 {MKO}
-- I've never heard of the Green Mountain Independence Movement... There's nothing wrong with this; it just doesn't grab me.
TIER: NO POINTS.
CANADA -- Poppy {I Disagree}
-- This is an aesthetic. The artist reminds me uncomfortably of my estranged cousin. Actually this package reminds me uncomfortably of my estranged cousin's attitude. The song itself is a bit far afield of my preferences.
POLAND -- The Wombats {Let's Dance to Joy Division}
-- I looked into this band during the BoB, and I'm not sure this is their best work. Garage rock is a tough sell for me and I'm not sold.
USA -- Forests {Kawaii Hawaii}
-- memes
ANGUILLA -- Boldy James / Sterling Toles {Birth of Bold (the christening)}
-- Nothing about this works for me. The background is very busy, and the laconic feel of the vocals isn't my groove. The lyrics are leaving me nonplussed.
JAMAICA -- Damien Escobar {FUSE}
-- I didn't have a lot of confidence in my original entry - I've actually had the tab with the song open for a year waiting for me to think it was worth submitting - so I asked my mother what she was listening to. It's not really that different from what I was going to submit, but I figured there would be more of an audience for this kind of fusion. If you have to take your career further when you started as an orch dork, this is the right way to do it.
