Tere Estonia! Eesti Laul 2015 — Estonia’s national selection for Eurovision — begins on February 7 with the first semi-final. So over the next two weeks the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals — will review the ten acts from the first semi-final, then the ten acts from the second semi-final. First up it’s Karl-Erik Taukar and his song “Päev korraga”. Did Karl-Erik blow us away, or were we keen for him to go away? Read on to find out…

Reviews: Karl-Erik Taukar’s “Päev korraga”

Angus: If we were being hasty we’d write this off as a Softengine parody and be done with it. Karl-Erik has a much sweeter take on the scream pop that Finland peddled last year. However, everything about this song needs cutting down and speeding up.

Score: 6/10

Anthony: Accompanied by his band, Karl-Erik has opted for the soft rock route shown by Softengine in Copenhagen last year. Unfortunately, and unlike his Finnish counterparts, his song ends up forgettable, and even after several listens I’m still struggling to get to grips with it.

Score: 3/10

Karl-Erik Taukar 3Chris: Tragically dated, there’s nothing that really grips you with “Päev Korraga”. It takes far too long to get through that opening guitar section for starters and then, whilst Karl-Erik has a strong voice, it’s completely unremarkable. It sounds like the music for the start of a “coming-of-age” Estonian TV show. Too light for Eurovision.

Score: 4.5/10

Josh: ‘Päev Korraga’ is a stock-standard pop-rock track. Karl-Erik has a great voice and suits the song nicely. It’s got a catchy tune and it’s pleasant to listen to, but it’s lacking a little bit of oomph for my liking. One thing that Karl-Erik has working in his favour is his look. He’s a total babe and I love his style in the video for the song. This song isn’t bad. I’m not mad at it.

Score: 7/10

Patrick: Estonian is a beautiful language! Sadly, “Päev Korraga” is not that nice. I’m not the biggest fan of rock-pop wannabe songs which appear in literally all National Selections during the season! Karl-Eric can sing really well and he is definitely there for the fangirls in Estonia. The song is fine, nothing more…I can’t feel any vibe of a good song and that’s a bad sign… I would not vote for him but glady I’m from Austria and not fom Estonia!

Score: 4/10

Ramadan: I’m not really a fan of pop-rock, but I’m loving this! Thumbs up for singing in Estonian, as I really think it’s a beautiful language. Karl-Erik suits this type of song and flows so well in it. However, I do find there’s something missing. Maybe it needs to be a bit faster? If this goes to Eurovision, a revamp would be in order.

Score: 7.5/10

Robyn: What is it with Estonia and the ’90s alt rock sound? This would have been amazing in 1993, but 22 years later, not so much. And that feeble guitar solo isn’t helping. There’s a good pop song in there, but this arrangement isn’t doing it any favours.

Score: 5/10

Karl-Erik Taukar 2

Sami: The intro is way too long and I get bored before the song even starts. I like his voice and I like the melody, but I could imagine hearing this song in some cheesy teen-movie, when the girls are getting ready for a party. He has the looks, which might help him reach the final, but there’s not much good to say about the song.

Score: 3/10

Sopon: “Päev korraga” has left me feeling nonplussed. It’s dated, middle of the road, and overall a poor piece of music. While I may #mancrushmonday over Karl-Erik, the group seems very uncoordinated and sloppy in both music and style. This is not how you follow Softengine, and I’d rather just erase Karl-Erik from my mind. Topi is bae, and Karl-Erik and his group can’t keep up.

Score: 3.5/10

WIWI JURY AVERAGE: 4.83/10

See the latest Eesti Laul 2015 reviews and rankings

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ESCaddict
ESCaddict
9 years ago

I am not usually a fan of this music style but I do like this song. The hook got me. I am still humming it. I remember it. This is suitable for Vienna.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

It’s not like there haven’t been successful rock acts in ESC in recent years, though. Softengine, Mor ve Otesi, and Eldrine come to mind. Of course many of them don’t necessarily do as well (3JS, Andrius Pojavis, Izabo, Sinplus, Lovebugs, ESDM), especially the softer, more chill bands… but yes, it is a less common genre in ESC, which is mostly populated by ballads and midtempo or uptempo pop music.

D
D
9 years ago

Honestly, this is one of my favourite Eesti Laul songs this year. 8/10

Charles
Charles
9 years ago

This takes me to early 80’s new wave-ish, punk-rock music though it was not as popular as some other stuff back in those days … so this does not scream 90s to me unless this was something in the vein of Metallica or Nirvana. But since I am not a fan of this particular type of music genre to be honest, I couldn’t care less. But from a technical standpoint it’s a well crafted song regarding its own genre. But Eurovision-wise it would not work for just one reason: fans want glitz and dance music, what else? Besides, apart from… Read more »