zibbz
Switzerland, Stefan Gfeller, 1

In just a few hours, we will know the winner of Switzerland’s Die Entscheidungsshow 2018, and their Eurovision act. The Wiwi Jury – our team of in-house music un-professionals – reviewed all the songs ahead of the show. In the end, the rock edge of Zibbz with “Stones” won our team over, as they received the highest mark in our Wiwi Jury.

It was very close at the top though. Zibbz only triumphed by an average mark of 0.04 — with the top four songs separated by less than 0.9 of a mark. We could be in for a close battle tonight, y’all!

You can check the highlights of our reviews below (as well as some lowlights). Simply click the song title to see the full review:

1. Zibbz – “Stones” (7.79)

The best: Zibbz iz cool — they’ve been knocking around the dirty LA rock scene and bring an edge to their Swiss entry. “Stones” is a solid song, and lead singer Co brings loads of attitude and confidence to her performance. Zibbz seems like an experienced group who wouldn’t feel intimidated by the Altice Arena. Go on, Switzerland. Give them the ticket to Lisbon. (Robyn, 9/10)

The worst: A middle of the road pop-rock effort that borders on annoying with repeat listens. Switzerland needs a revival, but this brother-sister duo are still playing it safe. A warm-up act at best. (Deban, 5/10)

2. Alejandro Reyes – “Compass” (7.75)

The best: It’s difficult not to review this song without referencing Justin Bieber. Alejandro’s song and singing style are clearly inspired by the Canadian megastar, and herein lie both its cons and pros. Cons: it’s not highly original,  it’s un peu passé, and some lyrics are downright dumb. Pros: it’s impeccably produced, it hooks you instantly…and it gets even better with repeat listens. The “Compass” clearly points to Lisbon! (Bogdan, 9/10)

The worst: “Compass” is a song that could easily pass as a song by Ed Sheeran. At the same time, it manages to be the best feature and the biggest flaw with this entry. It is contemporary and well-produced, and sounds like an instant radio hit. However, many viewers might think it sounds a little derivative from a lot of the radio hits from last year. (Jovana, 7/10)

3. Vanessa Iraci – “Redlights” (7.11)

The best: Vanessa and her song remind me of Tove Lo. She may lack the Swedish singer’s punch, but that could come alive on stage – after all, the Voice of Switzerland 2014 winner already proved that she’s got what it takes. Neatly packaged as a polished, stage-ready product, “Redlights” ticks all the boxes that would make Vanessa Iraci a successful Melodifestivalen act. (Bogdan, 8.5/10)

The worst: A good singer with a good song, that in any other year would probably cruise to victory in the Swiss selection. It’s testament to how big an improvement SRF have made that “Redlights” mostly just fades into the background. There’s just nothing memorable about it, whereas most of the other entries make that impact. (Chris, 6/10)

4. Chiara Dubey – “Secrets and Lies” (6.82)

The best: “Secrets and Lies” as a composition draws strength from the fragility in Chiara’s voice. Although this is an excellent submission, it worryingly relies heavily on several factors such as the producers’ running order, studio acoustics, staging effects and the mood of the nation. Nonetheless, I applaud entries that take risks whilst stripping back on production elements. (Deban, 7.5/10)

The worst: The studio cut does absolutely nothing for me — it’s a pastiche of melodrama and breathy vocals that feels self-indulgent and monotonous. HOWEVER, and I capitalise that deliberately, there could be real magic in the live version if she’s (1) able to match the pitch-perfect and delicate vocals on show here and (2) give this more dynamism with staging. My score is low, but Chiara sounds like she has the potential to make this magical. (William, 5/10)

5. Naeman – “Kiss Me” (6.43)

The best: Go on, Swiss Bieber! “Kiss Me” is a bop and wouldn’t sound out of place in Melodifestivalen. It’s a little generic, the sort of song that could slot into any Western European national final. But if Switzerland just wants to get into the grand final, this could do it. And if Naeman can deliver some pop charisma, they could do very well. (Robyn, 7.5/10)

The worst: Reductive, lyrically weak and vocally challenged, “Kiss Me” fails to impress me on any level whatsoever. Despite its supposed radio-friendliness, the track doesn’t elicit even the slightest positive emotion throughout and is instantly forgettable the moment it ends. This is fast-food music at its worst and Switzerland would be a definite NQ should they send Naeman to Lisbon. (Bogdan, 2/10)

6. Angie Ott – “A Thousand Times” (5.93)

The best: “A Thousand Times” is certainly dramatic, and could lend itself well to some very interesting staging. Angie could do with working on her English-annunciation at points (apparently, she’s ‘breeding out the truth’), but they’re only minor and will easily come with practice. If Angie can deliver the vocals and emotion live, then it could take the song that extra mile and provide the icing on the cake that it needs. (Jonathan, 7.5/10)

The worst: I feel like we’ve heard this song “A Thousand Times” before. This song is generic, formulaic and quite uninteresting. Even the key change sounds undone. There’s no drama to the performance – only Angie screaming. I don’t think this will fare higher than fifth place in Die Entscheidungsshow. (Luis, 3/10)

Zibbz wins both the Wiwi Jury and readers poll!

Our jurors and readers agree on who should fly the Swiss flag in Lisbon, with Zibbz in first on both. After that, however, the results aren’t quite the same. Here’s how the poll results were:

  1.  
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  

Therefore, if we combined the results, here is how Die Entscheidungsshow’s scoreboard should look like.

  1. Zibbz – “Stones”
  2. Vanessa Iraci – “Redlights”
  3. Alejandro Reyes – “Compass”
  4. Chiara Dubey – “Secrets and lies”
  5. Naeman – “Kiss me” and Angie Ott – “A thousand times”

Do you agree with the Wiwi Jury? And with our poll? Do you think the combined results will be close to the final results? Tell us in the comment section below!

READ MORE SWITZERLAND NEWS HERE!

27 Comments
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Colin
Colin
6 years ago

YES!!! Congrats, Zibbs! The best song won! Good luck!

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago

Stones!! Yaaasss! 🙂

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

My top 6:

01 – “Stones”
02 – “Redlights”
03 – “Secrets and Lies”
04 – “Compass”
05 – “A Thousand Times”
06 – “Kiss Me”

My prediction:

01 – “Redlights”
02 – “Stones”
03 – “Compass”
04 – “A Thousand Times”
05 – “Kiss Me”
06 – “Secrets and Lies”

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago

Hello everyone. So, it’s an open door to all of them. Everyone was about 9/10 in performance. No-one was perfect. Playback was often used. So it’s up to the Swiss public now. Tough choice. Could be any of them.
I would pick either “Stones”, “Compass” or “Redlights”.

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

Stones is still my favorite song, but based on performances alone, Vanessa impressed me the most.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Nah, sorry. She used playback and she was screeching those high notes. Not my taste on performance, although I understand why the crowd liked it. It’s an emotive song and a dramatic performance.

Colin
Colin
6 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Her staging was the most complete one and she was the most into her song. Didn’t notice the high note failure, but I trust that you did 🙂 She was the one I would remember the most had I heard them all today for the first time.

Stones didn’t use any imagery to help to strengthen the meaning of the song (I mean, like Mercy and Wars For Nothing did). The staging seemed too simple for a big topic like that. Still, best of luck!

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

06 – “Redlights” Sorry, my dear Swiss friends, but I have to admit it’s nice to hear some German German for a change (even though Germans can understand Swiss German quite easily, it gives many people – including myself – a headache after a while). This is actually much better than I expected. Vanessa’s vocals are not flawless, but she manages to create a certain atmosphere on stage. It’s a mature and very professional performance. There is still some work to be done but I wouldn’t mind this being the Swiss entry for Lisbon (even though “Stones” is still my… Read more »

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

05 – “Compass”

The song starts off nicely. It has a current sound but gets monotonous very quickly. Alejandro’s performance isn’t too charismatic, either (RBF?). During the green room interview he said that the guitar “is his thing” so it’s a shame than it can hardly be heard in the backing track as there is much more focus on the drums. The lyrics are another example of trying to build a three minute song around a single metaphor.

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

04 – “Secrets and Lies”

This is the first entry tonight of which I prefer the studio version to the live version. It’s a well-composed gentle ballad but Chiara doesn’t manage to reach me on an emotional level. Sorry.

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

03 – “Kiss Me”

The lyrics are actually a quite precise and witty depiction of a one night stand. However, music and lyrics don’t match at all. I can’t find anything sexy in this 90s disco pop sound. Naema looks like a deer in the headlights, which doesn’t help either. On the quality scale it’s somewhere between “6th place in MF semi final” and “talent search winner’s single reject”.

up!
up!
6 years ago

Zibbz were great live… But I still fear those international juries with their usual Björkman-taste. I don’t see why so many countries give them so much power this year…

M_K
M_K
6 years ago
Reply to  up!

Christer Björkman has much influence. I guess many countries seek his advice (and invite him to their national jury in return) because Sweden is so successful.

up!
up!
6 years ago
Reply to  M_K

I know… Unfortunately, I don’t share his taste on many occasions:-). I often prefer the unusual, the special to the mainstream pap…

Christian
Christian
6 years ago

I don’t like Alejandro’s song, just sorry

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

The translator sounds like she’s reading the script of a “German for Beginners” CD.

Colin
Colin
6 years ago
Reply to  M_K

The dubbing is irritating. One would assume that general Swiss audience understands French and Italian at least on a basic level. I mean, they are their official languages too.

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

02 – “A Thousand Times”

It’s a quite regular Eurovision ballad. During the first half of the noughties this would have still been a runaway top 10 favourite. Nowadays it feels a little irrelevant.

Jo
Jo
6 years ago

It’s my choice too. Still a borderline entry though.

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

01 – “Stones”

The live version is so much better than the studio cut. Very good entry! The staging is simple, but works quite well with the song. This might be Switzerland’s best shot at making it to the final since 2014.

Joe
Joe
6 years ago

I usually have a little faith if the Wiwi jury and the commenters are d’accord (as has been the case, I think, for every country so far but Malta), so hopefully it’ll be Zibbz going to Lisbon.

Yellowman96
Yellowman96
6 years ago

Any links to watch the finals?

ts
ts
6 years ago

Stones for the win 100%!

lalalland
lalalland
6 years ago

Zibbs would be awful

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

I am really interested in how it will sound in live. All six songs are quite decent. Stones is my favorite one, an easy 9/10. Chiara Dubey is my second with 8/10, while other four are all in the range of 6 – 7 /10. So, unless a winner is tone-deaf in live, Switzerland cannot pick a bad song. But the problem is that Switzerland usually picks a nice song, but seldom an outstanding one, usually resulting in non-qualification nonetheless. Best of luck tonight, guys.

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

I agree 100%. “Stones” is by far the best song in terms of music and lyrics, even though it lacks a more elaborate arrangement and the general production is rather cheap. It’s still a kind of song that needs amazing staging (while staging has been Switzerland’s Achilles heel since 2015).