The 2015 “Expert” Panel – ICELAND

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.

Iceland is sending the entry “Unbroken” to Vienna. Our panel had the opportunity to review and rank it. Let’s see if they were kind to the little Island nation.

Daniel – The Noob
“Till I’m unbrooooooken .. la la la”. Awesome song! She completely blew me away. I am still speechless. This entry is one of the most powerful I heard yet. In some way she reminds me of Emmelie De Forest. That does not mean I think it is a mimicry because Maria and her voice are amazing in their own way. Anyhow “Unbroken” is one of my favorites and it has big hit potential.
Points: 10/10

Katja – The Schlager Queen
Poor Iceland. They’re like this Semi Final Marlain Angelidou. She was sandwiched between two of 1999 contest’s top favorites. Iceland and Sweden! And Maria Olafs is sandwiched between Azeri epic-ness and Swedish gnomes in a similar way. It’s a cute song, to be honest and Maria is adorable. (she reminds me a whole lot of Emmelie de forest, only that unlike some people, I don’t think it’s a bad thing) and can sing. But the Emmelie-comparison can harm Iceland’s chances. Th more they tone down the similarities with Emmelie, the better their chances will be. I hope they qualify to the Final and are more lucky with the draw there.
Points: 7/10

Olivia – The Journalist
Catchy. This song is packed with infectious hooks and bold passages filled with booming drums and soaring vocals. Their frontwoman, Maria Olafs certainly knows how to work it vocally. There is a lovely sense of light and shade in this tune. It grows slowly, and then bites by the middle eight. This is like anything you would hear in the current charts, and as humans, we like familiarity. However, here’s my beef. It’s just a little too slow. Though it is far superior to the Netherlands entry, it does have a similar, slightly lethargic vibe. And if you listen to it one too many times it just get’s a little dull. But fortunately. Most of our audience will only be hearing this once in the Semi’s, and once in the final, if it qualifies. And I hope it does make it to the 23rd, because frankly, there is little reason for it not to. It’s melodic, catchy, and the singer is top-notch. So in all good, but not the best.
Points: 6/10

Mike – The Smart One
From my august perspective I do enjoy so many “gosh darn cute” Eurovision performers.  This year’s Iceland lead singer certainly qualifies.  This song is again a “nice” song.  A lot of people really like this song.  I listened to the official video three times just now.  OK.  This is a really good song.  However, it reminds me of so many other songs this year.  It doesn’t stand out in any way at all.  Iceland has been pretty edgy in the 2000s and has moved ESC on in some ways.  This song doesn’t in any way.
Points: 5/10

Arie – The Professional Musician
First of all, I’m interested to hear what the vocals sound like live when they aren’t fixed digitally, but since I only have this recording to go off of, I will say that the vocals are clear and crisp.  The lyrics are very “whatever” (as in they are supposed to be generically uplifting, but actually succeed at nothing).  Also, the melody line is okay and the beat is fine.  The song itself is not bad, but it certainly doesn’t strike me as any where near a winner (even on somebody’s own album, quite frankly).   Not even the chorus can distinguish itself from the verse!
Points: 5/10

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Hmm nah, Iceland is a lost case for me this year. While it does sound solid and uplifting to a certain degree the song comes off as terribly middle-of-the-road and uninspired. Iceland also had several great options in their national final so it’s a pity they went for something like this. I also clearly get Emmelie de Forest vibes from this (I’ll leave it up to you to judge whether that’s a good thing or not).
Points: 3/10

Overall: 36 Points

It started out well in terms of point distribution for Iceland. But while Daniel is in love with this entry, several others don’t see the appeal. But 36 points isn’t too shabby. This appears to be a common score as Belarus and Russia received the same points. But thanks to the big 10 pointer from the Noob, Iceland wins the tiebreaker.

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