Lopez Blogs

The rehearsals for this year's Eurovision Song Contest have started in Moscow, with the first semi-final just over a week away. Of course regular readers of this blog will be aware that I've had some big important stuff occupying my time over recent weeks, meaning that this year's contest has probably passed me by - I only really followed Melodifestivalen in any detail, and haven't heard too many of this year's ESC entries so I'm a bit late to the party I guess :) anyway my favourites so far are still Finland, Denmark and Hungary, who knows, I may even find some other songs I like among the ones I haven't heard yet....

(I think "La Voix" is in with a good chance, but I still can't get the same enthusiasm for it as I would have for "Hope and Glory". Sverige should just have sent "Tingeliin" anyway!!)

Anyway one that I just recently came across is the Swiss entry, "The Highest Heights" by a band called Lovebugs. Possibly the most un-Eurovision song this year, it's different and contemporary and I really hope that it's enough to stand out within its semi-final. I can tell you that this will be one of the songs which will definitely have a post-Eurovision run on my iPod. Here's the official preview video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OE5Cww_Jx0

The problem I have with Eurovision is that it's just got too big, and so many of the entries from one year to the next are interchangeable same-old same-old "My Number One" ripoffs - and that song was one of my least favourite winners ever. No doubt this year will bring a new crop, many of which will inevitably pick up more votes than they deserve: I'm just so tired of that style of Eurovision song which seems to have taken over the contest in recent years.

When I come back from my holiday I'll have to do a crash-course in this year's ESC before the semi-finals kick off. According to what I've been reading on the web, Norway seems to be the "chosen one" this year...