The 2015 “Expert” Panel – ARMENIA

Face The Shadow (Eurovision 2015 / Armenia)

The ESC United “Expert” Panel is back once again reviewing all Eurovision songs and rank them accordingly.

You are probably asking yourself on how we pick our panel and the criteria. We looked at people from all walks of life to bring together a unique group of panelists with a wide range in taste. They all bring different skills and tastes to the table so who are they?

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Arie – The Professional Musician
Daniel – The Noob
Katja – The Schlager Queen
Mike – The Smart One
Olivia – The Journalist

You can read more about them HERE

Disclaimer: While we picked, what we perceived individuals with a wide range in taste, it is subjective to a certain degree so just enjoy their thoughts and if you don’t agree, feel free to post your comments below.

From “Don’t Deny” to “Face The Shadows” Armenia is sending the project Genealogy to Vienna with representative from 5 different continents. But will that fool our Panel? Let’s find out

Arie – The Professional Musician
It’s unusual in most pop music to have a song that uses mixed meter.  It’s this constant unknowing of where the song is going that gives the piece most of my interest.  It’s subject matter is dramatic, and while it’s melody line embraces that, it also gives the song a lilting optimism.  That dichotomy along with dense harmonies and rhythmic pluralism set this piece apart from the rest.  Though I doubt the general public will embrace this composition, I believe that juries will appreciate for the intricate work that it is.  Not a fan of the ending and the mixing of the voices keeps the performances from breaking an emotional ceiling, but I believe that could all be fixed by dynamic staging in a live venue.
Points: 9/10

Olivia – The Journalist
I just don’t know what to make of this song. It is one of those songs which doesn’t know what it is, so just throws  a series of different elements, verses and choruses together and hopes for the best. The first half of the song is a bland listen. And it only pics up in the last 60 seconds when the drums, traditional Armenian instrumentation, and operatic high notes kick in. Why did they feel compelled to have six singers? It’s just unnecessary. They would have been better with two, and that way they could supplement the monotony of the song with some interesting choreography. For me these song is a big disappointment. Aram really placed Armenia on the Eurovision map last year, and now sadly. Genealogy’s performance will see Armenia fall back off it.
Points: 2/10

Mike – The Smart One
A very intensely political song, the most political of all the songs this year.  The memory of the genocide of a hundred years ago will never be forgotten by the Armenians.  The consequent diaspora caused by that is semiotically recalled by Geneology.  The diaspora is reversed in this song when singers from six continents return to Armenia to recall their people’s past, its tragedy, as well as its richness of culture.  This is a difficult and complex song, musically.  It is unclear how the performance will work live.  However it is difficult not to admire the piece.
Points: 8/10

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Not-so-subtly-hidden political messages aside, I actually enjoy the Armenian entry quite a lot this year. First of all, the idea of bringing together people with Armenian descent from different continents is a really nice one. Their vocals don’t harmonise perfectly but that’s not a huge problem in my opinion. The song itself is decent but nothing too special. It builds up very well though. My favourite part of the song is definitely the powerful instrumental bridge towards the end.
Points: 7/10

Daniel – The Noob
Okay, this is a difficult one because Genealogy is very patchy. Though I failed to count the member of this band, I was able to hear that some of their voices are not made for singing. By reason of that the other member’s voices sound  better. The song by itself sounds quite diverse and caught my interest. Some of its parts are really cool but others are really weird. To sum it up, there are good and horrible voices and good and horrible parts. All in all this entry under-performs.
Points: 4/10

Katja – The Schlager Queen
When I first heard about this, I was against it. Political activism through a song has nothing to do on ESC stage. But I remained hopeful that this would be a cheesefest with a keychange and all the possibilities for some cult-like arm waving, but – no. Already the intro makes me depressed and then it progresses into a tuneless mess with wails and ad libs in drones. No, Armenia – do like your neighbours do and buy something from G:son rather. Because this is just wrong.
Points: 2/10

Overall: 32 Points

Another polarizing entry but in order to end up high in the ranking, you’ll need support from more than just half of the panel. Overall a 32 score may not be too impressive but it’s not a complete disaster, either. How does this affect the ranking?

Do you think that the panel got this right?!? Share your thoughts below and join the convo on our Forum. See yah soon!