Bundesvision 2012: North Rhine-Westphalia

Next, in no particular rational order, we bring you North Rhine-Westphalia's entry to the 2012 Bundesvision Song Contest:  Luxuslärm with Liebt sie Dich wie ich?

As I have said many times before, I often don't get why people like certain songs over others.  For example, as a general rule, I cannot stand power ballads.  They just strike me as being the ultimate in self-indulgent blunt-force emotional manipulation.  But vast numbers of people around the world live for that kind of music.  Fair enough, I suppose.

That all having been said, it is nice when every once in a while a power ballad comes along that has enough depth and a decent enough musical hook that I can enjoy it along with the masses.  Luxuslärm brings us just such a song with Liebt sie Dich wie ich?  Maybe the difference is that it is an alt-rock power ballad rather than a dreaded metal power ballad.  Maybe the difference is that the singer, Jini Meyer, can really belt out a tune.  Maybe the difference is that this song goes deeper than simply trying to emotionally manipulate the listener in the most basic possible way, by having a musical hook that is enjoyable without being oppressive.

Prediction:  Luxuslärm's Liebt sie Dich wie ich? is not my favorite song in Bundesvision 2012 by far.  But it's pretty decent all the same.  I think it will appeal to a lot of listeners, and should propel Liebt sie Dich wie ich? into the top third.

Bundesvision 2011 Bands Announced!

For those of you who didn't get enough of my Bundesvision 2010 preview, in which my predictions were largely shown to be hideously flawed, the band lineup for Bundesvision 2011 has just been announced.  While the individual songs have yet to be announced, the entrants by state are:

Baden-Württemberg:  Glasperlenspiel
Bavaria:  Andreas Bourani
Berlin:  Tim Bendzko
Brandenburg:  Doreen
Bremen:  Flo Mega
Hamburg:  Thees Uhlmann
Hesse:  Juli
Lower Saxony:  Bosse feat. Anna Loos
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern:  Jennifer Rostock
North Rhine-Westphalia:  Frida Gold
Rhineland-Palatinate:  Jupiter Jones
Saarland:  Pierre Ferdinand et les Charmeurs
Saxony:  Flimmerfrühstück
Saxony-Anhalt:  Kraftklub
Schleswig-Holstein:  Muttersöhnchen
Thüringen:  Alin Coen Band

Bundesvision 2011 will be held on September 29th.  As with the Eurovision Song Contest, Bundesvision is always hosted by the home state of the previous year's winner.  Since last year's Bundesvision was won by Unheilig (whose entry, Unter deiner Flagge, I described as, ". . . all atmospheric build up with no climax - no emotional release - no point."), this year's will be held at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Once they announce the songs, I'll start the process of reviewing each entry.  Stay tuned for more. . .

Bundesvision 2010: North Rhine-Westphalia

Unheilig: Unter deiner Flagge

Sssssnnnnnrrrrkkkkkggggghhhhhh. . . huh?. . . wha'?. . . was I asleep again?

Oh man! Here I was listening to Unheilig's metal(ish) ballad Unter deiner Flagge, and I must have just lost consciousness for a few moments. But I'm back now.

Sssssnnnrrrrkkkkkgggghhhhhh. . . pflable???. . . urrrrkkk. . . whoa!!!!

Okay! I'm back again. I just need some more coffee. And maybe a quick run around the block. Oh, yeah, and a song that isn't quite so mind bendingly boring.

Yeah, I know that Unheilig has been around for years. And yeah, I know that Unheilig has a solid following among the Neue Deutsche Härte crowd. But that all just promises way more than Unter deiner Flagge either can deliver, or frankly even tries to deliver. It's all atmospheric build up with no climax - no emotional release - no point.

Prediction: Unheilig's Unter deiner Flagge may garner some of the broody, black fingernail polish crowd, but even that won't save it from a long and dreary night - which seems appropriate as it's a long and dreary song. I predict Unter deiner Flagge to be put to sleep near the bottom of the pile.