Let Us Sing and Swing

I spent the majority of this week’s writing time ordering and reordering my top 30 and didn’t remember to write anything about these five songs until (almost) too late.

35. Portugal
Flor-de-lis - “Todas as ruas de amor”
Reaction: This song is very sweet and sounds like it could be played in the background of some cafe or other charming sidewalk eating establishment. However, it doesn’t excite or captivate me. It's a sweet and sleepy song.
Best Part: Instrumental breaks
Rating: 2/5

34 Russia
Anastasiya Prikhodko - “Mamo“
Reaction: I really wish I liked this song more, since I’ve really liked the past three Russian entries. Maybe I just don’t like songs named after people’s mothers. I have similar complaints with this song to those that I had with Belarus’s 2006 song - too shouty, no memorable melody - although this one is more well sung.
Best Part: Last chorus
Rating: 2/5

33 Cyprus
Christina Metaxa - “Firefly”
Reaction: This is a soft, sweet ballad, with a somewhat unusual subject matter. It kind of drags on for the first two minutes, and only really picks up momentum in the last minute
Best Part: Last minute
Rating: 2/5

32 Germany
Alex Swings! Oscar Sings! - “Miss Kiss Kiss Bang”
Reaction: As the artist name implies, this is a swing song. As irrelevant as this style first seems, a lot of people seem to enjoy watching it on TV (Idol theme nights, and "I Don't Dance" from High School Musical 2). It will certainly make for a more energetic stage show than Germany’s last two entries with genres that are not commonly found in the contest (2006 and 2007).
Best Part: Final choruses
Rating: 3/5

31. Estonia
Urban Symphony - "Rändajad"
Reaction: This song uses several different strings to create a haunting and exotic feel. I the vocal melody isn’t that memorable in the long run, but during its three minutes of playtime it makes for an interesting experience.
Best Part: Instrumental break about two minutes in
Rating: 3/5