It's kitschy, it's silly and it's undeniably cheesy, but the Eurovision Song Contest is also a ton of fun if you let your "music snob" guard down for a minute. This year, this MC editor yelled at the TV with a furious energy, as great songs were passed over in favor of the more turgid. Here are our 10 faves.
ESTONIA
Vanilla Ninja
"Too Epic to Be True"
Estonia was absolutely robbed. The fact that this power-pop gem was overlooked in favor of dullard efforts from Sweden, Israel, Belgium and Greece defies belief. Incidentally, Vanilla Ninja is an Estonian band but they represented Switzerland in a previous year.
FINLAND
Linda Lampenius X Pete Parkkonen
"Liekinheitin"
The male singer was ok, but the star was violinist Lampenius. Suitably dramatic.
CROATIA
LELEK
"Andromeda"
Very Game of Thrones-esque tune, courtesy of what look like medieval nuns.
SAN MARINO
Senhit (featuring Boy George)
"Superstar"
Like Estonia, San Marino didn't make it past the semi-final. The disco anthem was fun, and a surprise appearance from Boy George was a joy.
SERBIA
LAVINA
"Kraj Mene"
Dark, crunching metal from Serbia. As this writer's wife put it, "Serbia summed up the mood of the world."
ROMANIA
Alexandra Căpitănescu
"Choke Me"
Melodic, gothic hard rock from Romania, with an Evanescence vibe.
FRANCE
Monroe
"Regarde !"
Unlike Belgium, France chose to at least submit a song in their native language, and that was enough for us. Great song, operatic singer, and all in French. Lovely!
UNITED KINGDOM
Look Mum No Computer
"Eins, Zwei, Drei"
For the first time in years, the U.K. put in a song that was fun, rather than some boy/girlband studio reject. A wildly silly, enjoyable song.
NORWAY
Jonas Lovv
"Ya Ya Ya"
A garage rock riff and some disco-pop vocals. That works.
BULGARIA
DARA
"Bangaranga"
The eventual competition winner marked a first for Bulgaria. The zany pop banger wasn't our first choice, but we were fine with it.
