Mp3 Monday: The Immortals

As if I don't refer to video game music enough, I have three songs inspired by a video game today. Mortal Kombat: The Album was done by a Belgian duo called The Immortals and was released in 1994. It's 90s eurodance in a similar style to 2 Unlimited, with raps and "diva" vocals, but with some game sounds thrown in.

The first song, "Techno-Syndrome (Mortal Kombat)", has come to be known as the Mortal Kombat theme, and the next two songs are about characters Sonya and Raiden (spelled Rayden in the song title). You can find lyrics here.
Download - The Immortals - "Techno-Syndrome (Mortal Kombat)"
Download - The Immortals - "Sonya (Go Go Go)"
Download - The Immortals - "Rayden (Eternal Life)"

Vampires Are Alive; I Am Not

Here it is...my top 10! I'm going to pull the "I have not been sleeping" excuse again for my short reactions, because I am too tired to think clearly. Last year I had the 2nd place song as number 9, and the 3rd place song as number 6, and while the former is likely to happen again this year, the latter most likely will not.

10. Georgia
Sopho – “Visionary Dream”
Reaction: This song is very quirky, a bit "Ray of Light"-ish. I don't know how well it will go on stage but the recording is very relaxing to listen to.
Best Part:Chorus
Rating: 4/5

9. Switzerland
DJ Bobo – “Vampires Are Alive”
Reaction:At first I hated this song, and now I really, really like it. It has worked its way into my head and it won’t get out. It’s a eurodance song about vampires!
Best Part:Second half of the chorus “Vampiiiiiires are alive/And we will be forever young”
Rating: 4/5

8. FYR Macedonia
Karolina Gocheva – “Mojot Svet”
Reaction: This song has lots of interesting ethnic instruments, an epic chorus, and if sung partially in English, the potential to be more amazing. The verses aren't that great, but the chorus makes up for it.
Best Part:False key change
Rating: 4/5

7. Slovenia
Alenka Gotar – “Cvet Z Juga”
Reaction:I'm not usually a fan of opera, but this is a special case. This has a dance beat and a catchy tune to rival last year's. Because she is a trained singer, Alenka is probably one of the better singers in this year's competition, and if there's anything that we can learn from the failure of "Je T'adore" it's that it doesn't matter how great the song is if the singer can't sing live.
Best Part:High note at the end
Rating: 4/5

6. Moldova
Natalia Barbu – “Fight”
Reaction:This has been one of my favorites since the beginning. It's a dramatic rock song with pretty good lyrics. It sounds a little like an Evanescence song (maybe "Bring Me To Life"), but much better.
Best Part:Key change
Rating: 4/5

Next week is my top 5, some of which I think will either be doomed to the lower half of the scoreboard for being early in the draw and others I think may have a chance at winning (this is going by the betting odds though, which have been wrong before).

Songs No. 11-15

Happy Sunday! This is the third-to-last Eurovision Sunday ranking post. Last year, the top 5 songs in the final were in my top 15 (the top 10 would have been in my top 20 too, if Lithuania hadn't done as well as it did). Hopefully, I will be just as accurate this year, or maybe even more!

15. Finland
Hanna Pakarinen – “Leave Me Alone”
Reaction: Not quite as good as last year's, but that's a very high standard. It sounds a little like Avril Lavigne (around the time of her second album - but Avril is for another post), which might be a bad thing for some, but not for me.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating: 3/5

14. Denmark
DQ – “Drama Queen”
Reaction: This is a disco-y song with a key change, which is good enough for some people. DQ is a good singer and the melody is very catchy, but I still can't get over the lyrics. Is "everything gonna be all right" with a drama queen around? No, because in the literal sense a drama queen creates drama, which means nothing is all right. And that line about the moonlit snow? According to the internet it is well above freezing in Helsinki, and I imagine it will get even warmer in 2 1/2 weeks.
Best Part: End: "Cause I'm your drama queen toniiiiiiiiight!"
Rating: 3/5

13. Russia
Serebro– “Song No. 1”
Reaction: This sounds a little like Girls Aloud ("Something Kinda Oooh" in particular) to me, but GA have Serebro beat in the lyrics department. This song's lyrics aren't that interesting, but the music is very catchy (and the lyrics are unintelligible enough that they don't really matter)
Best Part: "I've got my bitches standing up next to me" Tee hee.
Rating: 3/5

12. France
Les Fatals Picards– “L'amour a la francaise”
Reaction: This is a sweet rock song. It's half-English and half-French, but the French parts are mostly commonly known phrases so even non-French speakers like me can understand it. Also, the video is one of my favorites this year and is very cute. My only concern is that there is a fade-out in the studio recording, so I hope on stage they will end it well.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating: 4/5

11. Bulgaria
Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov – “Water”
Reaction: I went to a rave once. It was weird and it changed my view of the friends who dragged me to it, but I imagine that if they played this song (which would have fit right in) I would have liked it a little better. This song makes you want to dance bizarrely. It is, in my opinion, the best song from Bulgaria in the ESC so far.
Best Part: The part from about 1 minute 30 to 2 minutes where the singer is going "ho-ho-ho-ho-ho" and "ah-a-a-a-a", etc.
Rating: 4/5

Next week, songs 6-10.

Getting Vertigo

This week's Eurovision rankings include songs 16-20. I'm sorry if they're a little short but I've had a stressful week, and hopefully this week I can set aside some time to write a little more for next week's post.

20. Bosnia & Herzegovina
Marija Sestic – “Rijeka bez imena”
Reaction: Like I said a few weeks ago, this song is like a river. It starts off small and soft and by the last chorus it is big and powerful. It's a little bit like Lejla 2, but unfortunately is not as good as last year's song. If last year's song put you to sleep then this one might too.
Best Part: Last chorus
Rating: 3/5

19. Greece
Sarbel– “Yassou Maria”
Reaction: This is a typical Greek entry. It uses Greek instruments and you can dance to it. The chorus sounds a lot like "Gigolo" by Helena Paparizou, but I like her song better. It would be funny, though, if Serbia qualifies (and it would be a shock if it didn't) and draws the spot in the final after Greece, but besides the possibility of that happening there's nothing really exceptional about this song.
Best Part: "First off she's a lady" No, really?
Rating: 3/5

18. Netherlands
Edsilia Rombley – “On Top Of The World”
Reaction: This is a nice mid-tempo song that sounds like an Anastacia reject (even more so than the actual Anastacia reject in this year's competition). That's not a bad thing - it sounds good and greatly benefited from the translation to English. It might not be interesting enough to do that well, but since she can actually sing she should do better than Treble.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating: 3/5

17. Norway
Guri Schanke– “Ven A Bailar Conmigo”
Reaction: This is probably the best of the songs about dancing this year. It has the better singer and a nice key change. It actually makes you want to dance instead of covering your ears like the other two.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating: 3/5

16. Malta
Olivia Lewis – “Vertigo”
Reaction: At first I didn't like this song because it, appropriately, made me feel a little dizzy. But now I'm really enjoying it. It does make you feel like you're spinning around, but not so much that you puke.
Best Part: "Am I crazy? Could it be maybe/Solo is the way to go?"
Rating: 3/5

100th Post!

Today is a very special Eurovision Sunday, and not only because it is Easter. This is my 100th post on The Goggles Do Nothing! It took me over a year to do it, but it's here!

This week’s songs are a bit like Easter candy. Turkey is like a milk chocolate rabbit, because it may look different, but it is ordinary milk chocolate, and too sweet for my tastes. Iceland is like Peeps eaten properly, because it is a bit stale but still delicious. Ireland is like dark chocolate, because it is not to everyone’s taste, is a little plainer than the common option (milk chocolate), but might be good for you. Romania is like jelly beans, because there is a different flavor for everyone. Belgium is like creme-filled chocolate eggs, because while it looks boring on the outside it is surprisingly tasty.

25. Turkey
Kenan Dogulu – “Shake It Up Sekerim”
Reaction: This song has been described by many as a Turkish Justin Timberlake, and I would have to agree. While the song has a nice beat, it is just not exciting enough to stand out among other similar songs. Also, the lyrics are too silly to be sexy, with “sweet thing” and “lovey dovey” featuring heavily.
Best Part:”I got lots of candy to make you mine” How old exactly is this girl that he can lure with candy?
Rating: 3/5

24. Iceland
Eirikur Hauksson – “Valentine Lost”
Reaction: This is a completely average power ballad with very cheesy and clichéd lyrics that make little sense. Despite all that, or maybe because of all that, I like it, even though I know I shouldn't, and it is definitely my guilty pleasure of this year's contest (you should see the ones I feel no shame about liking). I guess I'm just a sucker for an over-the-top vocal performance.
Best Part: "A passion killed by acid rain/A roller coaster in my brain"
Rating: 3/5

23. Ireland
Dervish – “They Can’t Stop The Spring”
Reaction: This is a fairly traditional Irish song with a positive message and a pleasant chorus. Unfortunately, it is too slow in the beginning (even after having been re-done to make it faster) and doesn’t pick up the pace until halfway through.
Best Part: Last chorus
Rating: 3/5

22. Romania
Todomondo– “Liubi liubi I love you”
Reaction: Despite being an obvious vote-grabber (the song features several different languages), this is a pleasant song that is soft but not too boring. Besides the different languages to keep you interested, the song gets faster as it goes on.
Best Part: The end when it is the fastest
Rating: 3/5

21. Belgium
The KMGs– “Love Power”
Reaction: Completely different from anything else in this year’s competition, this is a disco/funk throwback to the 70’s. It might be a little low-energy, but it is pleasant enough to make you smile and maybe even dance. I know I have terrible prediction skills, but I think it could be a dark horse.
Best Part: The part with the vocoders
Rating: 3/5

Next week I crack open the top 20, and might even get to some above average songs, so stick around for next week and see!

Unsubstantial Songs

It's another week of Eurovision songs. This week, I finally get to some songs that I like!

30. Hungary
Magdi Ruzsa – “Unsubstantial Blues”
Reaction: I am not a fan of blues-rock. It bores me, but I understand that lots of people like it. I'm sure the lyrics could be good, but I can't understand them.
Best Part: Don't know
Rating:2/5

29. Portugal
Sabrina – “Danca Comigo (vem ser feliz)”
Reaction: It's a fun song about dancing, but Sabrina has a weak voice and the song is similar to, but not as good as, the similarly-titled "Ven A Bailar Conmigo"
Best Part: Chorus
Rating:2/5

28. Germany
Roger Cicero – “Frauen regier'n die Welt”
Reaction: I have a hard time rating this song because I have a problem with the lyrics - or at least, the translation, and I don't know if the actual lyrics have the same feeling as the translation from which I am getting my impression. The gist of the song is that women rule the world because they have (presumably, sexual) power over men in power. I have a problem with this because that is not women ruling the world - sure, in these examples women are influencing the men, but it is still the men that are in the positions of power and thus are the ones actually ruling the world. Of course, I could just be overreacting and getting the meaning of the song wrong, but since I am basing my dislike of the song only on a translation, I will try to rate it based on the music alone - in that case, it is a catchy little jazz song.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating:3/5

27. Poland
The Jet Set – “Time To Party”
Reaction: This sounds a little like a Fergie song, but with a brass band in the background. The lyrics are very simple, but not at all bad or offensive like Fergie's might be. Because it sounds like something a bigger artist might do, it's one of the more modern songs this year.
Best Part: "Everybody has a right to party – get crazy"
Rating:3/5

26. Estonia
Gerli Padar – “Partners In Crime”
Reaction: This year has quite a few rock songs with female vocals, and this is my least favorite of them. It's still a pretty good song, but the lyrics and melody aren't as interesting as some of the others.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating:3/5

Next week: Songs 21-25, another bunch of average songs (get used to it, because I won't be giving out a 4/5 for a while).