We are getting close to Estonia’s national selection for Eurovision Eesti Laul 2016, which kicks off on February 13. In recent weeks the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has been listening to and reviewing all of the songs. Next up are Go Away Bird with their song “Sally”. They are bringing a great Western, modern, rock sound, Were we covered with the same euphoric wave? Find out below!
GO AWAY BIRD — “SALLY”
“SALLY” REVIEWS
Mikhail: This song slays the pack! This is quality! This captivating sound makes you imagine everything you can, from kikimora spirits on the swamp to a cowboy shootout. But oh wait — “I certify your official excuse for the booze” Yas! The lyrics are mixed with so much crack and I love it. So many metaphorical comparisons, incredible switches. This is something to keep an eye on! Oh, this strawberry juice — what did they put in it?
Score: 10/10
Josh: “Sally” is a perfect track to play for someone if they need a description of current-day rock ‘n’ roll music. Combining talents from Estonia, Russia and the USA, Go Away Bird exude cool music with attitude.
Score: 7/10
Angus: This song is waaaaay too cool for school. It has a real swagger and throwback neo-noir glamour that totally sets it apart from the competition. Twangy Western-style guitars and a hazy rock vocal has me hooked.
Score: 10/10
Kristin: In the words of the great George Takei, “Oh myyy!” Go Away Bird completely slays! I love this raspy, throwback sound of theirs and they’re all just so darn cute as well! “Sally” is one of the strongest entries in Eesti Laul this year, and is certainly a force to be reckoned with. They’re actually just too cool to function!
Score: 10/10
Cristian: I like those influences a little gangster, a bit Western. The song sounds a bit dated, as if it came out of the early 2000s but I really appreciate it and surely you can recognize it among the other entries. A delicious piece of pop!
Score: 8/10
Luis: “Sally” is a perfect earworm. That guitar riff, that voice, that chorus: it all feels just gorgeous. I kneel before Go Away Bird, this piece is pure gold. And it’s going to kill my replay button.
Score: 9/10
Antranig: Any song that starts with the words “strawberry juice” deserves a medal. This is such a bizarre song and yet I am obsessed with it. The chorus is peculiar but extremely catchy. I don’t see this being a contender but I would love to see it do well.
Score: 8/10
William: The ’60s opening reminds me of Franz Ferdinand’s “Walk Away”. Sadly, this song is nowhere as good as that one. The breathy vocals ooze sex and sass, but the monotonous backing and shapeless melody get old fast. This works as a canapé, but not a main course.
Score: 4/10
Zakaria: When they shout “Sally” in the chorus, it reminds me of “Sunny” from Boney M. Anyway, the song has a very cool vibe and the lead singer has a very sensual and mysterious voice, but it is definitely not made for Eurovision and if “Sally” goes to Eurovision, I’m afraid this would be the toilet break for a lot of us.
Score: 6/10
Sinan: An interesting song from Go Away Bird (da hell is dat name, honey?). I like this type of music, but I can’t listen to it more than two or three times, maybe. The chorus is naturally beautiful, but I dont like the verses much – they sound very depressing.
Score: 5/10
“SALLY” SCORES
Robyn: 7/10
Bogdan: 8/10
Patrick: 7/10
Deban: 6/10
Bernardo: 6.5/10
George: 6.5/10
Anthony: 7/10
Renske: 8/10
Denise: 4/10
Dayana: 4/10
The highest and lowest scores are removed before calculating the final score. We have dropped a low of 4 and a high of 10.
guys, it is not “putsman”, it is POOTSMAN, you pronounce it as it is written, how hard can that be?
ok I know it is hard for foreigners.
you don´t want to know how it sounds when you pronounce it as “putsman” though. Nope, you really don´t want to know.
Extremely captivating! I am SO addicted!
10/10
What the hell? This is an alright trick, but multiple people gave this a straight 10 out of 10? So far, every comparison I’ve written down on my own personal cheat sheet has been made by the Wiwi Jury as well. I love Boney M, which is why this annoys me so much ’cause it’s not as good. It’s fine, it’s okay, it’s well-constructed and gets stuck in your head. And I’ll admit that the girl on vocals is very cool and very cute and I like looking at her. The song itself is just slightly too bland for me… Read more »
It’s not exactly ‘modern’, could just as well have been released in the 70s, but there ain’t nuthin’ wrong with that… but yeah, the ‘Sally’ is a bit too reminiscent of Boney M, as one of the reviewers has already pointed out.
It will probably be a breath of fresh air in between the prefab Swedopop though, if this were to reach the Eurovision stage.
The first 30 seconds of the melody is kind of catchy with its 60s style, but I think its too repetitive…I felt like “okay thats enough of Sally” after 2 minutes =/
5/10
As with more or less every EL song this year, it’s grwon on me 😉
It isn’t perfection; especially the backing track at William said, and also the ending just doesn’t feel right. But it’s damn good. 8.5/10
Really love it but it will have a hard time winning Eesti Laul. The style is too similar to last year’s winner and as that underperformed at Eurovision, I think voters are going to avoid this.
It has grown on me on the first listening! Love it! Triple P track! Pure Pop PLeasure!