The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to listen to and rank the 20 songs competing in Eesti Laul 2018. Next is Sibyl Vane — featuring Estonia’s ‘only singing female rock guitarist’ Helena Randlaht — and their song “Thousand Words”. Were we impressed by their words? Read on to find out!
Sibyl Vane – “Thousand Words”
“Thousand Words” reviews
Angus: “Thousand Words” sounds like a reject from a studio session for an early Kelly Clarkson album. Which is not to say it isn’t enjoyable, but is to say it feels sluggish and gloomy. Helena is a capable vocalist and with something with more guitar, and a more modern ear, might have had a different impact at Eesti Laul. Unfortunately you have to play with the card you’re dealt, and she’s been dealt a joker.
Score: 4/10
Deban: The instrumentation here reminds of the Manic Street Preachers — and that’s a great thing! The verses, lyrics, hook, pace and delivery have thought behind them. Sibyl Vane does rock fabulously. “A Thousands Words” has an ageless international feel to it, and let’s not forget that Eurovision has a wide pool of rock fans.
Score: 7.5/10
Antranig: The opening line of “shake your bones” reminds me of everyone’s favourite zombies. This is easy listening that is also an earworm but it doesn’t push any boundaries. The problem with “Thousand Words” is that it feels like it’s in third gear from start to finish — it never picks up or slows down. A respectable entry for Eesti Laul but unlikely to make much headway in the competition.
Score: 6/10
Jovana: I felt an immediate like for this band for The Picture of Dorian Gray reference in their name. And there is anything not to like about their entry, “Thousand Words”? It is upbeat, optimistic and kind of for everyone’s taste really, but that last bit is exactly why it doesn’t stand out. There is nothing risky, nothing different and nothing truly memorable about it.
Score: 6/10
Robyn: There’s a very strong ’90s indie rock vibe here, to the point where it wouldn’t be surprising to discover Kim Deal on bass. “Thousand Words” has a grand poppy spirit to it, but nothing really happens. If there is a ’90s indie rock vibe, it’s not as a hit single. “Thousand Words” is more like album filler, a strangely forgettable song.
Score: 6/10
Sebastian: Edgy rock pop that sounds like it’d be heard in an underground craft kombucha bar, “Thousand Words” might sound good as background music — but not as a Eurovision act. For a fairly upbeat pop-rock song, it plods and lingers along for three minutes without any impact. Sibyl does have an interesting rock edge to her voice, which would be more interesting if explored on a different track.
Score: 3/10
In our Eesti Laul Wiwi Jury, we have 15 jurors but only room for 6 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:
Barnabas: 8/10
Chris: 5.5/10
Cinan: 5.5/10
Jonathan: 6.5/10
Josh: 4.5/10
Luis: 7/10
Lukas: 6/10
Rick: 6.5/10
Steinunn: 4.5/10
Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 3 and a high of 8.
This song is freaking amazing. Great band. Big discovery for me. So happy they qualify to final.
Nice track, perfect for a road trip. It gets repetitive though.
5.5/10
Deserves better. It’s really catchy and enjoyable. Sybil Vane’s vocalist delivers it with attitude. I’ve been listening to it since it was released. Maybe this songs everyone, like Sudden Lights’ “Just Fine” in Supernova.
7.75/10
Hope both of them reach their respective finals. For now, they have a place on my playlist.
A very Eesti Laul song. Nothing about it really stands out whilst having little actually wrong with it. The vocalist’s style is not that unique or interesting and she does not seem to put a lot of effort into it. Sounds like the sort of music that university students would enjoy.
Sibyl Vane is a character from Oscar Wilde’s work “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, the name of the singer is Helena. ?
It’s a very connoted song “Californian rock of the 90s”, except for the bass line on the verses, which reminds me of “Every Breath you take” of Police (seriously pay attention to this point, it’s quite disconcerting).
This is the kind of music that makes you want to go on a road trip, hair in the wind. XD it could have been a huge hit if the singer had a voice more “catchy”. But in fact, even if it’s nice to hear, the sound cuts too sharply at the end.
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A 6/10 for me.
It has an old-school sound but still doesn’t sound out of place in today’s radio playlists. I like the vocals and the chorus. Being in the stronger semi it has its work cut out.
A 6/10.
It has an old-fashioned sound but wouldn’t mind listening to it on the radio. the vocals are good and it’s quite catchy.However being in the stronger semi…it might not reach the final.
A 6/10.
I’d love to see this reach top 5 honestly. I really like this.
I agree with you Purple Mask
I find this refreshing….if there is only 1 “Indie-Rock” sound song in this year’s contest, you wouldn’t be short changed if this was it!
In the interest of musical diversity, this would be a welcome addition to the party
Well done Sybil Vane??
Good vocals, lots of stringy guitars, a strong bassline…..tick tick tick!!
I like this one. I know the song’s not perfect, but the sound of the band and Sybil’s voice is awesome. 7.5/10
Helena’s voice then. (Apparently.)