The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — recently landed in Reykjavík, where we went whale watching, partied til the morning light, and of course dug into Söngvakeppni finalists. Today we turn to Elín Sif and Björn & Félagar. Were we overjoyed by the results or did we want to send the acts out to the sea? Read more to find out…
ELÍN SIF – Í KVÖLD
http://youtu.be/LXnGH2dbYxY
Sami: This one is quite boring. The chorus is fine, but the verses put me to sleep. She has a sweet voice though.
Score: 4/10
Mikhail: This is such a lovely song. When I listen to it I imagine a night with friends around the fire, talking, singing different songs and of course dreaming. But unfortunately this song is too calm for ESC, so it won’t do well if it goes.
Score: 7/10
Patrick: This could probably be the next “Eg a lif” — Like everybody thought it would do miserably but it in the end it did really well! She has such a lovely, childish voice and the song is pure sugar — I’m just concerned that she wouldn’t be remembered in Vienna.
Score: 6/10
Angus: Adorable and the personification of youth, Elín has a gorgeous tone to her voice and a sweet song. The dreamy minimalism here is beautiful. Playing it soft might be the smartest move Iceland can make this year.
Score: 7/10
Josh: Elín is just the cutest. She is really sweet and the tone of her voice is just so pretty. I can’t see this reaching the top of the scoreboard in Iceland, but it’s sweet and cute and I like it.
Score: 7/10
Kristín: This is a sweet little song, sung by a sweet little girl with a sweet little voice…it’s all so sweet and little. She’s doing really well for her age, but I don’t see this doing any serious damage, should it reach Vienna. She’s still too young, and would be completely overwhelmed. I’d like tell her to wait a year or two more, because she has serious talents, but isn’t quite ready.
Score: 6/10
Sopon: This girl has all the right intentions to entertain us, but this ain’t a coffee shop. “Í Kvöld” won’t make any impact in a stadium filled with 10,000 people come May, and while I do think the song is pretty and appreciate her efforts, I’d just rather stop for a latte and watch her perform in Reykjavík than see her poor heart get crushed in Vienna.
Score: 4/10
Denise: How cute is this? I like the song although it is a little boring. Elins voice suits the song perfectly and I wouldn’t mind seeing her in Vienna. On the other hand, I’m afraid she won’t have a chance at a top ten spot because this song is already forgotten after two minutes by a lot of viewers.
Score: 7/10
Robyn: It’s a good song, but it really survives on the charisma of Elín. She’s super cute and has really adorable charm when she performs. If she were a less interesting performer, it would fall flat. All up, it’s a good package.
Score: 8/10
We eliminated the highest score of 8 and the lowest score of 4 before calculating the average.
Wiwi Jury Verdict: 6.29
BJÖRN & FÉLAGAR – PILTUR OG STÚLKA
http://youtu.be/famQi18AEHI
Sami: They sound fine together, and this is very world peace. The song is little dated though. While juries may go for it, televoters will not. Not among my faves.
Score: 5/10
Mihail: This would have been a hit a few decades ago. I can see it at a New Year’s Eve concert, when everybody craves some kind of nostalgia, but not at ESC.
Score: 5/10
Patrick: This is really a strong ballad and I’m glad it went to the final! The voices are quite strong and the melody goes directly into your ears! I like it and I think many will like it too!
Score: 7/10
Angus: Did I fall through a wormhole and land in 2011? This is like exactly the same song and I don’t appreciate laziness.
Score: 2/10
Josh: There was a reason why Sjonni’s Friends won the Icelandic selection in 2011 – and that reason is so we didn’t have to hear that sort of act again. This song isn’t terrible. But it’s middle of the pack at best.
Score: 4/10
Kristín: I did not see that one coming! But here they are, in the finals, and I know for a fact that Björn is a party animal and would host the best parties in Vienna. The song itself kind of grows on you, but not enough. It has a hint of Switzerland in 2006, and that ain’t good, y’all! An anthem about joining forces and obliterating prejudices and raising awareness. I think we might have to wait just a little bit longer for a ESC party á la Bj0rn.
Score: 5/10
Sopon: First of all, that first guy is freakin’ creepy and the wink did not help reassure me that he ain’t! The song, combined with the shouting voices, fills the same purpose of “Sweet Caroline”: a feel-good song that fifty-somethings sing together when they had a little too much on a summer night. Not sure how much that would appeal to the younger fan group, which is growing more by the year.
Score: 3/10
Denise: I have to agree with Mihail about the nostalgia, I’m just not falling for it. They’re trying too hard to make it look like they’re the best friends in the world and it’s too rehearsed. Waving their hands and looking at each other at the same time and the guy standing at the corner of the stage who’s like ‘Okay, I can walk towords the lead singer in three, two, one….). Nope, they wouldn’t be my choice.
Score:4/10
Robyn: I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here, but I like it. Two extras from Mad Men and their gothic sister-wives singing a bold, cheesy song that sounds like a bank ad jingle from the 1980s? This is why Iceland is awesome.
Score: 9/10
We eliminated the highest score of 9 and the lowest score of 2 for the average: 4.71
elin sif to victory!