Okay, so Smash Into Pieces was pretty obvious finalists here. I think they can absolutely win MF. So many think it's time for Sweden to finally send a rock band, the only one we ever really sent was The Ark in 2007, and that wasn't really rock.
The song was okay. I can see a lot of potential to revamp, however Sweden doesn't usually do that. I would have liked sharper drums, louder, more rhythmic guitars and some kind of "breakdown" part near the end. The staging was really good and appropriate, with some slight touches it could turn out amazing in ESC. There's still some contenders to win in the remaining semis, of course...
Adam Woods - very generic and anonymous, actually surprised at how professional the production felt musically and visually, but he didn't seem to belong on stage. The MF rule of plastic clothes=NQ remains, obviously.
Samir & Viktor - just horrible in every way. Bad vocals, amateurish stage presence, weak and disjointed song. Staging looked pretty cool though, they could have used that for a better song. I really hope this is their last attempt, they contribute nothing and i'm glad they're completely out.
Melinda Borglowe - forgettable song, very thin vocals, amateurish appearance.
Elisa Lindström - A bit disappointing actually, even though i wouldn't have liked it anyway, i thought she was a shoe-in for a certain segment of the voters, but her vocals weren't steady, the staging looked tacky, especially the skin paint that looked like some gross skin disease, and the song just felt too mass produced.
Lisa Ajax - Surprisingly good actually. Best vocals and staging of the night, very classy use of colors, dancers and background images. Vocals were absolutely on the spot, but i still don't like the song. It's a disjointed mish-mash of radio pop cliches with no memorable hook, but i can see why she made it over the others.
And then the overall presentation.... good god, i forget every year how bad and cringy the in-between bits are. I'm gonna say this was the WORST, but then i don't really want to remember how bad previous years were. If it goes on like this, i don't look forward to 6 weeks of this.
And ABBA covers as an interval act, what a brave and original choice!