Another week, another show and this time it’s the turn of Sandviken to host Melodifestivalen. But what about the songs, I hear you ask? Based on SVT’s one-minute clips here’s what I think after just one listen:
"Manboy" - Eric Saade: That "manboy, manboy, you can call me manboy" hook is quite memorable on first listen. It initially sounds a bit too contrived though, as if "Baby Goodbye" was mixed with "If U Seek Amy" in a lab somewhere. But man, (or boy) this is a qualifier. And I really want to see him perform this one.
"Hippare Hoppare" - Andra Generationen and Dogge: What’s Dogge Doggelito doing in a place like this? "Kebabpizza..." still gives me nightmares even after all this time. This probably will too.
"Innan alla ljusen brunnit ut" - Anna Maria Espinosa: She has a very nice voice and this is perhaps more traditionally schlager than I’d originally imagined, but doesn’t really have a very strong hook and not memorable enough.
"Come and Get Me Now" - Highlights & MiSt: This was the web-joker wasn’t it? Haven’t heard it till now. This mix of schlager and dansband should keep a lot of the traditionalists very, very happy indeed.
"Sucker For Love" - Pauline: This week’s joker (wildcard) it’s perhaps more in that retro-contemporary style popular over the last couple of years. On first hearing very reminiscent of the Noisettes. But I’m disappointed that it lacks a distinctive hook.
"We Can Work It Out" - Andreas Johnson: Big swaying ballad, swaying all the way to qualification if you ask me, although it wasn’t as instant as "Sing For Me" or "A Little Bit of Love" for that matter. But he's Andreas Johnson! And he deserves just one more chance after the "One Love" fiasco!
"Underbart" - Kalle Moraeus & Orsa Spelman: Another chance for my "what the folk" blog post headline :) There is something nice and intrinsically Swedish about this and it’s softer and less obvious than, say, Nordman. If this taps into the Swedish soul it could be a qualifier.
"Manipulated" - Hanna Lindblad: Perhaps the most contemporary of all this week’s entries, it sounds as it’s come right out of the top 40, the recorded version is overloaded with autotune and I wonder how she’ll perform it live on the night? Expect a good visual show here.
Verdict: on first listen this week there is nothing this week to rival "Keep On Walking", but then you would expect me to say that, wouldn’t you. And you would be absolutely right :)))
Anyway you can't really judge a song/performance on 60 seconds so needless to say I'll be tuning in on Saturday night to see if any of them prove me wrong (or right).
