Comments on: Europop 2008: Group D - Greece v Russia

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:05:44 +0000

A good performance from the Greeks - I think the cover version and shonky MP3 hurt us and we could have pressed on for a win here.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:41:01 +0000

OK this is closing VERY SOON so vote while ye may!

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:01:26 +0000

Another day to vote (maybe another 2 days if I don’t see the Czech Group A track, but don’t bet on that!)

By: Pete Baran

Pete Baran — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:13:21 +0000

I like the drum break in the Russian track, so that gets my nod.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:52:27 +0000

I found it hard this week - being a big fan of Eurovision type music, there’s a lot of Russian Europop which I like, but not much I think is really interesting and unusual like the first track I posted for this contest. I decided to just go for the best Russian Europoppy track I had on my computer - I think it’s lovely, personally!

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:28:28 +0000

I actually prefer the vocals on this - that chestbeating 80s style isnt working for me - but the production I think is way too tentative, it doesn’t know what to keep or discard from the “80s vibe”

VOTE FOR IT ANYWAY OBV. ahem.

Marsheaux also do an OK cover of New Order’s “Regret” and an enjoyable one of Hot Butter’s “Popcorn”.

By: lockedintheattic

lockedintheattic — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:21:58 +0000

This is a real struggle - although I think it would have been a lot easier for me had an american colleague not introduced me to the original of The Promise about a year ago.

In comparison to the original, the Greek cover sounds so anaemic, both the production and the vocals.

The Russian one also has a lot of promise but doesn’t really go anywhere either, and doesn’t even have the catchiness of the Greek tune.

So it’s a reluctant vote for Greece for me.

By: lex

lex — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:59:57 +0000

both of these = BLAHHHHHHHH

RUS has a bit more verve and panache, though not much of either, so gets the tick. honestly though this type of generic europop suxx completely.

By: Matt DC

Matt DC — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:38:34 +0000

Not really sure about the Russian entry, it sort of ambles along bouncily enough but I’m finding this strain of jaunty route-one Eurodisco a bit wearing by this stage of the competition. Nice drums in the breakdown though.

The plucky Greeks on the other hand turn out a winning performance. I initially thought it sounded a bit on the drippy side but then I heard those intertwining boy/girl vocals and imagined the credits rolling at the end of a teen flick set in 80s American suburbia and suddenly became enraptured. I’ve never heard the original, which helps. This might be one of my favourites of the tournament so far.

By: koganbot

koganbot — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:53:57 +0000

(I voted but there’s no indication that it registered.)(EDIT: Oh, now it seems to have. Very strange: it showed up, disappeared, then reappeared.)

(Also, France seems to have vanished from the standings.)

By: koganbot

koganbot — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:27:07 +0000

I find both entries strange. Marsheaux sound deliberately affectless, as if determined not to submit to the catchiness of “Promise” (a song that I remember not at all from 1988, as it was neither “Pour Some Sugar On Me” nor “Sweet Child Of Mine”). Zhanna Friske is hop-skipping nicely on a two-step four-beat disco synthesis (or something), performing in front of a freestyle-italodisco motif, but Zhanna is not the most nonaffectless singer in pop either, though I don’t see any intent in her woodenness. She’ll get my tick, though, thanks to the motif.

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:03:20 +0000

the greek mp3 is encoded at 48kHz, and will be playing as if it was 44 (because of Flash’s limited mp3 playing), so yes it’s about 10% too slow as played inline

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:42:44 +0000

When looking for a YouTube version of the Greek track I discovered to my somewhat horror that it is an COVER VERSION of a track by When In Rome that was a big hit in the US (but not in the UK).

The performers are Greek though! But I felt I ought to own up to this - I thought it was somewhat more tuneful than the rest of their record…

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:34:17 +0000

The Greek track sounds quite a bit slower on this than on my MP3 of it.