escYOUnited
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Iceland ICELAND 2020 - Daði & Gagnamagnið - Think About Things
- Thread starter escYOUnited
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Uto
Veteran
People who like this like this, there's no way around this. But a normally somewhat reputable news site dropping a clickbait about an Icelandic entry showing the clip of Dathi song while a Dutchie is competing? No way, they got paid to do that.
I would be okay with any of those 4 winning. While I lack a big favorite Iceland got a pretty overall strong selection.
Dadi - Think About Things
The biggest grower, I just love his flow and voice.
DIMMA - Almyrkvi
It's a pretty decent ESC rock song, though I won't lie, I'm not 100% sod ont the rythm and melody in general. Now that it has been said, I need my yearly rock dose in eurovision so this will do. I especially love the part from 2:20 to 2:40
Iva - Oculis Videre
While I appreciate it for all the reasons already evoked, it doesn't take me to greater heights
Nina - Echo
The Icelandic version would have gotten a 10 from me. I swear, I just had to listen to it to be lost between glaciers and volcanoes. What a loss. Still, I like the melody so it's a 7 for me.
Dadi - Think About Things
The biggest grower, I just love his flow and voice.
DIMMA - Almyrkvi
It's a pretty decent ESC rock song, though I won't lie, I'm not 100% sod ont the rythm and melody in general. Now that it has been said, I need my yearly rock dose in eurovision so this will do. I especially love the part from 2:20 to 2:40
Iva - Oculis Videre
While I appreciate it for all the reasons already evoked, it doesn't take me to greater heights
Nina - Echo
The Icelandic version would have gotten a 10 from me. I swear, I just had to listen to it to be lost between glaciers and volcanoes. What a loss. Still, I like the melody so it's a 7 for me.
RainyWoods
Croak-kay
My ranking:
1. Iva - Oculis Videre 9/10 I think this might be my favourite serious go at a pop opera song we've had at our contest. Usually I can only stomach this stuff when it's kitsched up to the high heavens. There's something so charming about Oculis Videre though. It's a sophisticated, cheddarless experience. If you pick this you can work on the staging, keeping it simple and tasteful. Let the beauty of the song and Iva's voice be the flash here.
2. Dimma - Almyrkvi 8.5/10 I know that we've got Georgia coming soon with something that will likely be a bit of a hybrid of genres with Tornike's rocker edge, but we really, really need more rock at the contest. We're being starved at this point. Dimma are good. Their sound leans towards more of a classic hard rock thing. Almyrkvi is interesting in that you're rocking out with it during the verses then things slow down, taking a more melodic, hypnotic turn for the chorus. I think it's cool and works well. I like this one a lot. Also give your weird old bush dragged pal Rainy some more of his kind of eye candy for 2020 please
3. Daði Freyr - Gagnamagnið 7/10 Still not 100% sold on this but for certain I pick up on its charms, and much easier than say something like On Fire. Here you've actually got a song to invest in. It's a groovy number and Dadi has a lovely rich voice. I don't particularly care much for the staging and such, but it's their thing so I wouldn't want to change anything. I'm not going to be screaming from the roof tops with joy if this wins but it's a fine option.
4. Nína - Ekkó 5.5/10 She's super cute and the song is actually very pleasant. Pretty much the definition of mid, but it weirdly has its charms still. I wouldn't hate it. It's something I'd add to my playlist at least, but then it's nothing to get excited about.
5. Isold og Helga - Klukkan tifar 3/10 From those opening piano chords you know you're in for an incredibly basic ride. So incredibly bland. This is the one to absolutely avoid tonight.
Seeing as CHAKRAS were slain last night by a random Kelly Osborne in Belarus, I will now say to you "send Iva". I was willing to lose her tonight, but I think she's the smart choice. Dimma feel like a flop but it's rock at Eurovision. I wouldn't turn them down. I'd love you for picking them. Dadi is another one of these weird fan hypes of late I just don't understand. He's a fine enough choice however, and in the party that is semi 2 it can be anyone's game. Still, the song alone is not a Eurovision finalist. You'll be counting on the meme power.
1. Iva - Oculis Videre 9/10 I think this might be my favourite serious go at a pop opera song we've had at our contest. Usually I can only stomach this stuff when it's kitsched up to the high heavens. There's something so charming about Oculis Videre though. It's a sophisticated, cheddarless experience. If you pick this you can work on the staging, keeping it simple and tasteful. Let the beauty of the song and Iva's voice be the flash here.
2. Dimma - Almyrkvi 8.5/10 I know that we've got Georgia coming soon with something that will likely be a bit of a hybrid of genres with Tornike's rocker edge, but we really, really need more rock at the contest. We're being starved at this point. Dimma are good. Their sound leans towards more of a classic hard rock thing. Almyrkvi is interesting in that you're rocking out with it during the verses then things slow down, taking a more melodic, hypnotic turn for the chorus. I think it's cool and works well. I like this one a lot. Also give your weird old bush dragged pal Rainy some more of his kind of eye candy for 2020 please
3. Daði Freyr - Gagnamagnið 7/10 Still not 100% sold on this but for certain I pick up on its charms, and much easier than say something like On Fire. Here you've actually got a song to invest in. It's a groovy number and Dadi has a lovely rich voice. I don't particularly care much for the staging and such, but it's their thing so I wouldn't want to change anything. I'm not going to be screaming from the roof tops with joy if this wins but it's a fine option.
4. Nína - Ekkó 5.5/10 She's super cute and the song is actually very pleasant. Pretty much the definition of mid, but it weirdly has its charms still. I wouldn't hate it. It's something I'd add to my playlist at least, but then it's nothing to get excited about.
5. Isold og Helga - Klukkan tifar 3/10 From those opening piano chords you know you're in for an incredibly basic ride. So incredibly bland. This is the one to absolutely avoid tonight.
Seeing as CHAKRAS were slain last night by a random Kelly Osborne in Belarus, I will now say to you "send Iva". I was willing to lose her tonight, but I think she's the smart choice. Dimma feel like a flop but it's rock at Eurovision. I wouldn't turn them down. I'd love you for picking them. Dadi is another one of these weird fan hypes of late I just don't understand. He's a fine enough choice however, and in the party that is semi 2 it can be anyone's game. Still, the song alone is not a Eurovision finalist. You'll be counting on the meme power.
opinionsigotem
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BorisBubbles
Veteran
Or... the people of that website saw the clip, laughed and wanted to share their source of mirth.
It's not that deep.
It's not that deep.
Uto
Veteran
Doesn't quite work like that. If they were paid directly this would be true, but their Eurovision news is created and curated by these influencer types that don't really have to keep to those rules. I thought it was weird that they weren't pushing Iva. There has been some buzz about Stefania. Not a fair comparison though as she is a chosen entry instead of just an NF competitor though, but seemed strange to me.
NemesisNick
Well-known member
I've listened to the five songs for Söngvakeppnin 2020 Final on YouTube a few times each today. According to Eurovision World, this is the order in which they will be performed. Here are my opinions on each one:
Ísold & Helga - "Meet Me Halfway"
A ballad. The introduction and first verse are quite gentle; somehow they remind me of Iceland's 1987 entry. The first chorus is also quite gentle. The song gets more upbeat at the start of the second verse (one minute and 15 seconds in), and the second chorus is even more upbeat. Perhaps a bit more could have been put into the bridge than "ooh oh ooh oh". The song ends with a chorus at a pace which is intermediate between the first and second choruses. A good song to open the final.
Daði & Gagnamagnið - "Think About Things"
This is a much livelier song, with a good beat throughout. Going by the English lyrics, this is clearly a love song. However, I've listened to both the Icelandic and English versions of this song on YouTube, and in all honesty, whichever of the world's languages this is sung in, I think this sounds like a pop song from the late 1970s or early 1980s, and could therefore be considered a tad dated, or behind the times, by some countries if this gets to the Eurovision Song Contest in May. This is currently the favourite to win, but you can't necessarily go by the bookmakers' odds!
Nína Dagbjört - "Echo"
A beautiful ballad. It's certainly got a good structure, with a fairly gentle first verse, a slightly more upbeat pre-chorus and quite a catchy chorus (with a fairly strong beat). Interestingly, the bridge, consisting of "Oh you hear it" three times, is very quiet; is there any reason for that? The song ends with two instances of the chorus.
Iva - "Oculis videre"
An operatic song. Operatic songs can do well at Eurovision, because Estonia's "La forza" finished 8th in the ESC 2018 Grand Final. I've heard the English and Icelandic versions of "Oculis videre". In both cases, the choruses are entirely, or include, "Oculis videre, Volentibus ero", which is Latin (according to Google Translate, it means Eye can see, I wished). Including such an ancient language, which is no longer commonly spoken, makes this a Eurovision entry with a difference. After being sung quite softly and gently, this becomes more powerful and upbeat when the line "(Oculis videre) A storm is brewing at high sea" is reached. For some mysterious reason, the final line "This is all I have to say" is spoken, rather than sung.
DIMMA - "Almyrkvi"
It looks like this will be the only entry to be sung in Icelandic tonight; the title means "Eclipses". The opening section sounds like another ballad, but from the line "Myrkur máttur slóttugur sem skuggi", this suddenly becomes a heavy rock song. I'm not a fan of heavy rock songs, but going by an English translation of the lyrics, this seems to be about someone leaving behind one's past problems and heading off in a new direction. This has clearly got a totally different message to Hatari's "Hatrið mun sigra" (Hate will prevail) last year.
After all that, it's difficult for me to decide how I'd like to rank them, or pick which one I think should represent Iceland in Rotterdam in May. It remembered, this is a national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, and the staging will inevitably play an important part. I'll be in a better position to judge the five finalists when I see the live performances this evening (if an online webcast of Söngvakeppnin 2020 is viewable from the UK tonight).
Ísold & Helga - "Meet Me Halfway"
A ballad. The introduction and first verse are quite gentle; somehow they remind me of Iceland's 1987 entry. The first chorus is also quite gentle. The song gets more upbeat at the start of the second verse (one minute and 15 seconds in), and the second chorus is even more upbeat. Perhaps a bit more could have been put into the bridge than "ooh oh ooh oh". The song ends with a chorus at a pace which is intermediate between the first and second choruses. A good song to open the final.
Daði & Gagnamagnið - "Think About Things"
This is a much livelier song, with a good beat throughout. Going by the English lyrics, this is clearly a love song. However, I've listened to both the Icelandic and English versions of this song on YouTube, and in all honesty, whichever of the world's languages this is sung in, I think this sounds like a pop song from the late 1970s or early 1980s, and could therefore be considered a tad dated, or behind the times, by some countries if this gets to the Eurovision Song Contest in May. This is currently the favourite to win, but you can't necessarily go by the bookmakers' odds!
Nína Dagbjört - "Echo"
A beautiful ballad. It's certainly got a good structure, with a fairly gentle first verse, a slightly more upbeat pre-chorus and quite a catchy chorus (with a fairly strong beat). Interestingly, the bridge, consisting of "Oh you hear it" three times, is very quiet; is there any reason for that? The song ends with two instances of the chorus.
Iva - "Oculis videre"
An operatic song. Operatic songs can do well at Eurovision, because Estonia's "La forza" finished 8th in the ESC 2018 Grand Final. I've heard the English and Icelandic versions of "Oculis videre". In both cases, the choruses are entirely, or include, "Oculis videre, Volentibus ero", which is Latin (according to Google Translate, it means Eye can see, I wished). Including such an ancient language, which is no longer commonly spoken, makes this a Eurovision entry with a difference. After being sung quite softly and gently, this becomes more powerful and upbeat when the line "(Oculis videre) A storm is brewing at high sea" is reached. For some mysterious reason, the final line "This is all I have to say" is spoken, rather than sung.
DIMMA - "Almyrkvi"
It looks like this will be the only entry to be sung in Icelandic tonight; the title means "Eclipses". The opening section sounds like another ballad, but from the line "Myrkur máttur slóttugur sem skuggi", this suddenly becomes a heavy rock song. I'm not a fan of heavy rock songs, but going by an English translation of the lyrics, this seems to be about someone leaving behind one's past problems and heading off in a new direction. This has clearly got a totally different message to Hatari's "Hatrið mun sigra" (Hate will prevail) last year.
After all that, it's difficult for me to decide how I'd like to rank them, or pick which one I think should represent Iceland in Rotterdam in May. It remembered, this is a national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, and the staging will inevitably play an important part. I'll be in a better position to judge the five finalists when I see the live performances this evening (if an online webcast of Söngvakeppnin 2020 is viewable from the UK tonight).
Last edited:
gingerale
Well-known member
2019: I love u so much!
2020: thank u, next
2020: thank u, next
NemesisNick
Well-known member
This afternoon I listened to the five Söngvakeppnin 2020 finalists on YouTube, and have created a video of me commenting on the songs. Here is my video. Sorry I've chopped off most of my head; evidently I didn't position my camcorder high enough above the table.
Nemesis Nick Talks Eurovision: Söngvakeppnin 2020 Final 29 Feb 2020
Nemesis Nick Talks Eurovision: Söngvakeppnin 2020 Final 29 Feb 2020
BarefootBoogaloo
Veteran
KEiiNO
Uto
Veteran
This video is hard to get through because there's nothing to look at right now (evidently) and you're just reading your own lines in some permanent stop/start manner which just destroys any emotion you want to work into your lines. It's really not engaging to watch. It's definitely best to do some editing and try to get your video done in a couple of stages. Whenever you read a line and you're not really getting it done the way you want, just start again, you can simply cut out the mistakes later.
BarefootBoogaloo
Veteran
Honestly, I'm fine with Dimma, Dadi, or Iva winning tonight.
Uto
Veteran
I want to see it so that I can simply hate Iceland and feel gleeful whenever some unreadable jokull erupts.I will not be watching Iceland tonight because we all know that Dadi is going to win and even though it might be the best choice for Iceland in Eurovision this year.. I don't wanna have my heart broken seeing Iva lose on screen
NemesisNick
Well-known member
I'm now watching the Icelandic national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020,
Söngvakeppnin 2020 Final, online from the UK. The five finalists competing tonight are:
Song 1: Ísold & Helga - "Meet Me Halfway"
Song 2: Daði & Gagnamagnið - "Think About Things"
Song 3: Nína Dagbjört - "Echo"
Song 4: Iva - "Oculis videre"
Song 5: DIMMA - "Almyrkvi"
Good luck to all of tonight's finalists. I've already heard the song more than once each on YouTube earlier today, and I'm about to see them being performed live. I will be in a better position to rank them once they have all been performed live tonight. May the best song win.
Söngvakeppnin 2020 Final, online from the UK. The five finalists competing tonight are:
Song 1: Ísold & Helga - "Meet Me Halfway"
Song 2: Daði & Gagnamagnið - "Think About Things"
Song 3: Nína Dagbjört - "Echo"
Song 4: Iva - "Oculis videre"
Song 5: DIMMA - "Almyrkvi"
Good luck to all of tonight's finalists. I've already heard the song more than once each on YouTube earlier today, and I'm about to see them being performed live. I will be in a better position to rank them once they have all been performed live tonight. May the best song win.
Uto
Veteran
Isold og Helga: Competent performance, but the song is just too weak and the vocals weren't perfect. Staging isn't quite working either. This would be utterly hopeless in Rotterdam and will be utterly hopeless tonight.
Musicosity
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- February 22, 2011
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"Meet me Halfway" - an attempt on "Sisters" done right?!