#tvw watches the esc
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It’s been a wild couple of weeks where I managed to travel across the country, get really sick, somehow manage to get home, then end up having emergency surgery.
When you get stuck on bedrest and have low energy there’s only so much you can do. I didn’t think I was much of an active person but being forced to not be active and seeing people around me having to do the tasks I had been doing point out that maybe I was being run into the ground.
There’s only so much tv I can watch to keep me in a good mood during this recovery period. Went through my streaming services trying to find content. Realized I got Peacock after this year’s ESC and was surprised to find that NBC had both a commentary-free and a “watch with Johnny” option to watch the contest!
I sort of watched the contest without commentary (though multitasking) so now choosing to experience with Johnny now that I can’t do anything else.
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FWIW, I’m not getting those reported ads on my YouTube though maybe that’s because I’m in the US. I am however getting news articles with comments that are pro-that-country.
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I think what I’ve learned of myself during this shitshow of an ESC week is that my favorite form of protest is deliberate on-air sabotage.
But if boycotting is your thing then I endorse it. You shouldn’t have to watch something that brings you no joy and makes you feel bad.
I’m just afraid that too many countries have shown their hand and won’t be able to sabotage on-air and the producers will just show taped performances from the semifinal broadcasts and hope we won’t notice.
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Because of how media works now with misinformation flooding the zone I have no idea where the truth is.
The troll in me wants to see this year’s contest burn to the ground and is thankful that Sweden is hosting because it really would’ve sucked hard for a country that doesn’t often get to host this thing.
Seems like EBU and the folks who are responsible for regularly working on this event created a hostile working environment that easily could’ve been avoided.
The best/worst thing that could happen is for the bullies to win this thing and then half the countries boycott the next year.
I don’t know the last time I’ve seen something mismanaged this badly.
#tvw watches the esc#tvw watches yum that’s been yucked#it’s the EBU’s fault for being so spineless and greedy#I want to see it and not just rely on reporting
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Listened to an ESC podcast…
…where they welcome the changes in the competition regarding backing vocals because it aligns it more with popular music and makes it more chart-friendly.
I know I’m old but does the ESC really need to be more popular?
On the one hand it’s nice for non-European nations to know that there are places like Moldova but does something have to be something for everyone?
It’s like how Instagram is homogenizing the world in that people’s expectations for certain things become more homogenous over time because it becomes hard for them to process or appreciate something different.
Feels bizarre to say this when more countries are using their own languages again.
And maybe I’m saying this as an old person who has finally reached that age when most new music sounds like garbage.
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tvw watches all 37 ESC songs vid
Honestly nothing stands out as really good. Only a couple feel like absolute duds. This might really be determined by staging, vocal performance and song placement in the running order.
The most basic of impressions after the cut. All of these are based solely on the short clip provided in that one video made by the ESC so it's just highlights. I don't know how songs start or end, whatever kind of changes there are in the song, etc. But are there a lot of painfully obvious hooks or what!
Also, a friend is visiting from out of town on ESC weekend so I'm not sure if I'll be able to watch the broadcast live.
Albania
I always kind of find it to be a cheat when there's that hook that it doesn't matter what language a song is in, just gets stuck in your head. Or, really, purposely designed to get stuck in your head but maybe doesn't.
Armenia
Tell me you're Armenia. Cultural.
Australia
More cultural elements.
Austria
Another one of those hooks. Kind of feeling like this song is too fast.
Azerbaijan
Singing in Azeri! More obvious hook. Maybe watching this ESC video is just bad for me if it's gonna be this over and over again.
Belgium
Does he sing any other words? I'm sick of it already.
Croatia
Rock. Finland inspired?
Cyprus
The most generic song so far.
Czechia
Girl rocker. Is this self-empowerment?
Denmark
More generic sounding. This is not compelling.
Estonia
Estonian rock stuff inspired by Finland.
Finland
Such a weird song.
France
Nope. Nope.
Georgia
Fires. Phoenixes. Ashes. Dancing.
Germany
Rock ballading? Painfully obvious hook. Bored.
Greece
Ugh. All hook again! Really wants to tell you it's from Greece.
Iceland
I dunno. Nothing compelling about this.
Ireland
LOL. Most Finland-inspired thus far.
Israel
Really wonder how this will play. Like we're all going to be hearing "October Rain" in our heads, aren't we?
Italy
I like that Italy doesn't always bring the same thing.
Latvia
Seems staging-dependent.
Lithuania
In Lithuanian? Feel like we've been seeing a lot of this type of song/performance in the last few years and it's been bottom-table and NQ stuff.
Luxembourg
I don't know what I'm listening to.
Malta
You want to see me dance? You want to see me dance?
Moldova
Violins? This can be interesting. Not winning but interesting. Basically what Moldova is most of the time.
Netherlands
Dutch. A meta song.
Norway
In Norwegian!!! I like that Norway doesn't send the same stuff every year and has lately been sending "only in Eurovision" kind of entries.
Poland
English. Light pop....about power towers.
Portugal
Another country just doing its own thing.
San Marino
Rocking out. Wonder what this will look like. Is it supposed to be the rocking version of "Freaky" or something?
Serbia
Serbian ballad. Can benefit from being around so many fast songs.
Slovenia
Lots of wailing in the background. That's really the only thing that differentiates it.
Spain
Not really notable.
Sweden
Yet another Swedish entry I want to punch in the face. Epilepsy warning. It feels like a pastiche parody of a pop song that is featured in an ironic movie.
Switzerland
I'm incredibly annoyed by this song.
Ukraine
In Ukrainian mostly. More Ukraine hip hop.
United Kingdom
Sounds a bit 80s inspired. Like getting Pet Shop Boys vibes. Or maybe something else. I dunno. Don't care for it.
#tvw watches the esc#kind of intriguing with no clear favorite#...or is there a favorite I don't know about?
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Felt like I cheated by watching the ESC roundup of all of this year’s songs. I think my favorite way to watch ESC is by going in blind so I just kind of ruined that.
Not sure one can really judge based on these short clips but so far nothing stands out as a winner and I can probably count the duds on one hand. Might get around to writing impressions solely based on this one video and then not pay attention again until the actual contest.
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Finally got around to “watching” the ESC this year and…
I feel nothing.
It’s probably me more than the show but watching it after the fact after hearing that a lot of people were disappointed did not help.
Will probably end up downloading the album and listening to it a few times but nothing really stands out to me or hits me with delight.
Except maybe Moldova or something. That was an unexpected trip.
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On vacation in Hawaii but still partially on East Coast time so watched the acts of ESC SF1 during the quiet hours.
The only one that was really bad to me was Ireland. Netherlands was devoid of charisma but that was not really an ESC song so no loss there.
I know it’s a really weird thing for me to say but nothing stands out to me. I think it’s because I had already watched Finland before.
Finland feels like the televote winner.
I think my favorite way to experience ESC is blind going into ESC week. That way I can be surprised and delighted and numbers not feel like old hat.
I gotta say that the Swiss song felt disgusting to me, especially coming after Croatia. Felt like a world peace song of yore from the currently-banned country.
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Me listening to all of this year’s ESC songs: “Ugh, so weak.”
Me seeing the SF lineups: “SF1 is brutal! All the good songs are in there and SF2 is garbage!”
I don’t really have a favorite but am feeling sad that I don’t get to have the enjoyment of being surprised by Finland during a blind GF watch.
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Watching these ESC live performances and music videos without having listened to all the songs first...
Belgium
Party song...but stays at the same speed the whole way through so it becomes boring after a minute.
Ukraine
Okay song. Kind of interested what the staging will look like on a larger scale if they opt to do that.
Albania
You could tell it's the Albanian entry from the first few notes. Hmm, intergenerational song.
Norway
I know I'm just four songs in but there's something about the chorus of these songs that simply does not stand out. At least it went by fast, I guess. And the direction matched the music pretty well.
Spain
LOL, if I heard this before the Albanian song I'd have guessed from the first few notes that it was the Albanian entry. I don't care for the song but appreciate it being send to the ESC. It is staged very well. Interested in seeing how well this does with the ESC audience.
Slovenia
The camerawork is making me dizzy. And I am bored.
Latvia
Latvia being a little weird and experimental again. At least unlike the other songs it changes it up, I guess.
Romania
WTF? Has this been in English the whole time or did it .... oh, it switches back and forth. Okay tune, I guess.
Croatia
Okay, it just gets weirder. Except maybe this is too weird. I'm just assuming this is making a statement in Croatian that I simply cannot understand the nuances of but feels like that Mel Brooks school of making something seem utterly ridiculous as a way of criticizing it.
Denmark
I know I am a much older adult and everything but this kind of takes all the things I find boring about music from the last couple of years and puts them into a song. The repetition in this song is nauseating to me.
Malta
As I was saying with the previous song... Though this is the sort of thing you'd expect from Moldova. Yeah, this is Malta sending a Moldovan-style song.
Estonia
10-second gimmick. Hate to say it but boring ballad.
Lithuania
The beginning piano riff is that stand-out part of the song. Hmm, nice build and then ... the arrangement/orchestration is a bit too wildly different for me that it feels like it becomes a different song for the chorus. Actually listening to it more and I'm not sure if's the arrangement or the lighting in the staging being a bit too much the first time around.
Italy
As someone who found out how much she got seriously fucked over by a couple of Italians and a Greek in the past year I cannot judge this song or the Greek one all that fairly this year. But even just listening to this I am bored in addition to feelings of rage.
Finland
...which makes this beat from Finland perfect for my rage monster. I am all down for this WTF-ery. This is one of those "All in and never stop" kind of numbers. It's the only way it can work. For some reason it turns into something somewhat melodic and...loses something. It needs to go harder at the end.
San Marino
The sound on this is terrible. I like to think I have the most forgiving audio setup at home too. (I am watching this on my surround sound system.) Bored again. It sucks that I kind of have expectations now for a San Marino entry.
Poland
Honestly don't care for it. Blank girl-power, I-don't-need-you song.
France
Not sure dance beats really work with just a singular person at a microphone. The staging for the build isn't enough. Tempted to call it kind of "Gaga-esque" because I want to say "cabaret."
Czech Republic
Harder to judge music videos. Would really be interested in how this would be staged.
YouTube is feeding me Disney+, St Jude, and outdoorsy, and firearms-related ads like I am going out hunting. Like who else is using my YouTube?
Australia
More of that trendy sound that I'm tired of. Poor use of "oh oh"s. Like if you're going to use them, make them catchy. This is kind of all over the place.
Netherlands
Starting emo. This feels like a "real song" if you know what I mean. Man-woman duet = the least successful kind of ESC song. Now I'm curious how I would've felt about this song if I did the whole "just listen" thing I had been doing the previous years.
...
Don't feel like hunting down the other countries even though I know there are clips out there. Just gonna wait for them to appear on the official channel. (Yeah, I'm talking Cyprus, Germany, and Ireland.)
...
I kind of believe that anything could work as long as your staging is really good. I don't really know what I'd vote for in this batch of songs though. Kind of weird when I actually can vote this year.
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I am going to be away on a vacation during the whole week of Eurovision 2023 so won’t be around for any of the commentary.
I might do the thing I stopped doing ages ago and consume all the content before the event, then catch up on the event when I get back.
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They’re allowing the rest of the world to vote online too.
I’m not sure I like this development. It’s open for even more exploitation but, really, I don’t want any “responsibility” for voting.
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There is a huge difference between listening through headphones and listening to a surround sound system configured for music concert performance.
The latter is very, very, very forgiving. It adds area and echo. Headphones more precise and, like, wow some things sound awful!
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So I’ve had a few long car drives in the last week (4) and have been listening to this year’s ESC songs with no escape. I’ve listened to all of them and got to the part where I now skip.
Songs I don’t skip (yet):
Spain (I know I’ve called it a “nothing” song but it does have a nice beat and everything)
France
UK
Georgia (I dig the weirdness)
Croatia
Iceland (will deliberately go to this song; but it’s also after Israel and I always skip that)
Netherlands
Norway (will also deliberately go to this song)
Portugal (will also deliberately go to this song; is probably my favorite song)
Serbia
Sweden (I pick it apart when I listen to it)
Ukraine
More likely to skip:
Azerbaijan
Switzerland
Germany
Denmark
Finland (but I listen to like half of it before skipping; I just get tired of it very quickly. Honestly it’s how I listen to “Toy”)
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Always skip:
Bulgaria
Israel
For some reason it felt like more positive ways of dealing with love or disappointment (or just straight up self-empowerment) didn’t make the final but unhelpful sad breakup stuff bordering on toxic did!
Also I listen in the track listing order. Poland is between Norway and Portugal so I don’t know how much that gets affected by my going back and forth between those two tracks or just getting lazy and listening to it anyway. But I do wonder from listening what made people think it was a winner of a song as a song alone. Maybe at-best a top 5 but not a winner to me.
#tvw watches the esc#seriously though that ‘pa-pa-pa-pa-pa’ part in Spain’s song is refreshing when you’re sat on your butt on a long car drive
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I’m an old person so I don’t have TikTok which means it takes willpower to not install it because that seems to be where all the prime Subwoolfer content lives.
Also people seem to be sending me more non-ESC TikTok links as well.
Between Tix last year and Subwoolfer this year Norway’s had some strong social media that hasn’t really translated into votes. Made everything a lot more entertaining though if you search outside the broadcast.
#tvw watches the esc#I have more reasons to distrust TikTok that I cannot disclose#like more than you’ve heard in media#I feel like a conspiracy theorist a lot of times#but I do come across a lot of actual people who know things#…probably because of where I live
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