Re: SWITZERLAND 2018
I used to put the blame for the unbearable blandness of Swiss entries on the format: force songs through a bunch of different juries, excise a song if it doesn't float the boat of even one of them, end up with six songs that may or may not be good but are always pretty vacuum-packed,* have one song stand out because it sounds professional and vaguely modern (read: has one synth), let that win the NF in a landslide, get hyped for a couple days, collectively realize that it's only standout by Swiss NF standards, flop. But there's clearly something else going on. These songs are no change from any other Swiss national final, even with a more streamlined format. "Kiss Me" and "Compass" are obnoxious and unlistenable, which I guess is interesting, but it's not really a recipe to get me on board. Pick any of them; I can't say I can tell them apart beyond the two particularly bad ones. Heck, pick one of those two. At least I'll give a shit.
*I'll admit to a soft spot for "Fly" from 2015, "Disque d'or"** & "Another World" from 2016, and I guess "Cet air la" from 2017.
** Which wasn't supposed to be in the final 6 anyway.