My Finland NF 2012 - Quarter Finals and Semi Finals!

Ok, so Finland is in the midst of a massive overhaul of their National Final selection process. YLE will select their song for Baku sometime in February. Preceding the Final, there will be a series of Concerts, Auditions, Club Gigs and live shows.

The first step YLE took was to put out a call for songs. A total of 550 Songs were submitted, which is a new record. Then, an "Expert" Jury chose 40 Songs from the 550 to compete in an online vote, from which the 12 competing songs will be selected. So let's get started!

Songs -

My Contest -

I started by dividing the 40 Songs into 4 Quarter Finals. In each QF, I awarded "Televotes" to select the 5 Advancing Songs and 2 Second Chance Songs. Then, I awarded 2 "Wild Cards.

01 - Quarter Finals -

Quarter Final 01 -

01 - Laululeija - 13 492 - 7th

02 - Habits Of Human Beings - 29 571 - 1st

03 - Aarmuyön Ikuisuus - 08 954 - 10th

04 - Pack Up - 27 039 - 2nd

05 - Burning - 09 287 - 9th

06 - Different Coloured Socks - 22 499 - 3rd

07 - Home - 19 038 - 4th

08 - We Are The Night - 17 935 -5th

09 - Janis Joplin - 11 714 - 8th

10 - Kunpa Vois - 15 683 - 6th

Comments -
In the Quarter Final, I think there were a lot of strong songs and I am supremely happy with my 5 Advancing Songs. "Habits Of Human Beings" is a nice uptempo song with a strong melody and fantastic in that Finnish way. "Pack Up" is such a cute, simple song. I love the ukelalie and the lyrics to this whole song. It's very cute and sincere and wonderful. "Different Coloured Socks" starts out as a nice ballad but then builds to be a super jazzy and swinging song...I really love it. "Home" is another fantasticly folksy song which is growing on me with each and every listen. Although it only got 4th in this QF, i feel like it will grow in my heart as i listen to it. "We Are The Night" is a strong dance song...but i feel like the singer's voice tarnishes it a bit...he comes off kinda whiney. I gave "Lauleleija" a second chance because I can't quite decide if I actually like it or simply don't hate it. "Kuna Vois" also gets a second chance because I fell like it's a strong ballad and I know from experience that they sometimes take a couple listens for me to "Get Them".  "Aarmuyön Ikulsuus" is currently leading the internet voting (by like 1500 votes) and i can't for the life of me figure out why...it just seems like another silly ballad with no real redeeming qualities. The only thing i can think is that Jari (Who represented Finland at ESC 2004) is an EXTREMELY popular Finnish singer and that people are voting for him as opposed to the song.


Quarter Final 02 -

01 - Mun Taivas - 18 751 - 5th

02 - Johnny - 26 028 - 3rd

03 - Usko Rakkauteen - 23 249 - 4th

04 - International Love Song - 08 452 - 10th

05 - Huominen Ei Ole Koskaan Nyt - 14 815 - 7th

06 - Meikin Alta - 17 994 - 6th

07 - Antaa Mennä - 12 571 - 8th

08 - Rytmit Rikkoutuu - 31 538 - 2nd

09 - Erase You - 34 097 - 1st

10 - Anna Aikaa - 10 893 - 9th

Comments -
This Quarter Final wasn't as strong as the previous QF, but there were still some pretty good songs. For sure, the best song is "Erase You", it's a huge dance song with a great hook and just a fantastic strength in it. "Rytmit Rikkoutuu"is Finnish without a doubt. It's dancy but has this really interesting darkness about it. I feel like it tells a story and i thoroughly enjoy that. I enjoy the constant beat that carries the song in a super strong way. "Johnny" is quite a cool, catchy, modern rock song and is a nice "different" song...i enjoy it! "Usko Rakkauteen" is a beautiful, soulful Finnish ballad. Simple and heartfelt...it's a great song to sway to. Raita's voice is suited perfectly for this song and she hits every note flawlessly. There's is something that is so hauntingly interesting about "Mun Taivas". It has definatly grown on me...at first it sounds like just another ballad...but there is something so sweet and genuine and mournful about it...it's like she just has this emptiness inside her...and she just expresses it perfectly in this great song. "Meikin Alta" gets a Second Chance because I have a sneaking suspicious it's one of those ballads that take a few listens for me to appreciate. The same goes for "Huominen Ei Ole Koskaan Nyt", although i intialy found it the more interesting of the two. I decided to give "Anna Aikaa" a wild card because I just can't seem to get it out of my head. I don't really think that Europeans can rap and it tends to annoy me but they actually do a pretty fair job.

Quarter Final 03 -

01 - Noitanainen - 27 581 - 3rd

02 - Want My Life Back - 19 157 - 6th

03 - Kisscollector - 24 038 - 4th

04 - Melt - 18 994 - 7th

05 - Perfect - 22 802 - 5th

06 - Checkmate - 36 917 - 1st

07 - Teleport My Heart - 15 725 - 9th
08 - Sinisulkien Viimeinen- 12 258 - 10th

09 - När Jag Blundar - 17 695 - 8th

10 - Hook On Wii - 32 418 - 2nd

Comments -
This was also a pretty strong Quarter Final, but I think that has more to do with having a few truely brilliant songs as opposed to a strong overall standard. "Noitanainen" is quite a cool, albeit, typically Finnish dance song. It's a little bit too chaotic for me to actual love it and dance along to it, but it's still pretty nice to listen to.  "Perfect" is a nice, simply uptempo pop song...not really amazing but a solid, nice song. I am completly obsessed with "Checkmate"! I think it's just perfect and amazing and i just can't stop dancing and singing along! It's so just fantastic and i can't help but think that this song would have the strongest chance of doing well at ESC, but it's Finland and they tend to pass over amazing songs in favor for something that tends to be odd...still, I think Martina does just a perfect job and i love love love love this high energy dance/pop song. There is something fantastically unique about "Hooked On Wii". It's has a great beat that just kinda drills it's way into your soul and makes you want to sway along before you even know you want to. I also really enjoy the somewhat "childish" nature about it. It makes it seem really fun and fresh. It's so simple and fun and catchy and cool, i can't help but adore it. I'm not gonna lie, I spent like 3 hours yesterday just listening to this song on repeat because it's just that sort of song. I gave "Want My Life Back" and "Melt" a second chance because i haven't really figured them out yet. I also gave "När Jag Blundar" a Wild Card because it's for sure growing on me from a "boring" ballad to a "Holy crap! How did i not realize how goregous this song it?!". I love it's soft, subtle emotionalness and i think that Pernilla has a wonderfully beautiful and expressive voice.

Quarter Final 04 -

01 - Roudassa - 34 735 - 2nd

02 - Better - 37 918 - 1st
03 - Miracle - 12 022 - 9th
04 - November's Touch - 29 839 - 3rd
05 - Joenvarren Tyttö - 09 127 - 10th

06 - Yksin Yhdessä - 18 304 - 6th

07 - Only 7 Days - 25 748 - 4th
08 - Every Day In The Sunshine -  13 573 - 8th
09 - Lasikaupunki - 22 459 - 5th

10 - Like Soldiers Go - 15 935 - 7th

Comments -
This was a pretty weak Quarter Final, but there were a couple impressive songs. "Roudassa" is another big, powerful Finnish dance song. I don't know what's changed this year, but Finland is finally producing just awesome dance songs...fun and dancey without being mechanical. This song is a perfect example. Great beat, fantastic chorus and the melody of the lyrics works just ever so perfectly with the general feel of the song. "Better" has a nice strong start to yet another simply phenomenal Finnish dance song. I love the slight vocal echo...it kinda sounds like a modern yodel. It's just so dancey and fun! It has a nice build and a great beat and the chorus is just awesome! It begs to be sung into a broom handle while drunk. Great. Just fantastic. At first listen, i was pretty taken with "November's Touch". It just struck me as a cool, unique ballad...but if a Ballad makes a good first impression on me, there's a 50/50 chance that over time, it'll fade on me completly...so we'll just have to wait and see. "Only 7 Days" has something about it that just touches me...it's kinda slow and melodic and well...i bit old fashioned but in a way that's absolutely charming and loveable. "Lasikaupunki" is a very cool, modernish uptempo Finnish pop song that I also enjoy. It's just sort of cool and honest and nice. I gave second chances to "Yksin Yhdessä" and "Like Soldiers Go" even though i didn't really find either of them super impressive. They were simply a little bit better than the other 3 songs. 

Quarter Final 05 -
01 - Like Soldiers Go - 22 815 Votes - 6th
02 - Huominen Ei Ole Koskaan Nyt - 16 029 Votes - 9th

03 - När Jag Blundar - 28 766 Votes - 3rd

04 - Kunpa Vois - 36 824 Votes - 1st

05 - Melt - 10 792 Votes - 10th
06 - Yksin Yhdessä - 23 254 Votes - 5th
07 - Want My Life Back - 18 002 Votes - 7th

08 - Anna Aikaa - 32 245 Votes - 2nd

09 - Meikin Alta - 25 776 Votes - 4th

10 - Laululeija - 16 303 Votes - 8th

Comments -
Although i really didn't think there were a bunch of songs worth of a "Second Chance", I'm glad i included this round. I was more than a little surprised that my 2 "Wild Cards" nabbed the top 2 Songs but that just goes to show that sometimes it takes me a while to understand and appreciate some songs.

02 - Semi Finals -

I then divided the 24 Songs into 3 Semi Finals. In each SF, I voted in 2 Rounds. In the First Round, I awarded "Televotes" to select my top 5 Songs. In the Second Round, I awarded "Televotes" to chose the 3 Advancing Songs and 2 Second Chance Songs. Then, I awarded 2 "Wild Cards". In the Second Chance Round, I chose the last 3 Finalists in 2 Rounds. In the First Round, I divided the songs into 4 "Matches" and awarded "Televotes" to select the advancing song from each Match. In the Second Round, I divided the songs into 2 "Matches" and awarded "Televotes" to chose the advancing song from each Match. Then, I selected 1 "Wild Card".

Semi Final 01 -
Number - Title - Round 01 - Round 02 - Place
01 - Kisscollector - 23 764 Votes - X - 7th

02 - Different Coloured Socks - 35 481 Votes - 53 824 Votes - 4th

03 - Hooked On Wii - 46 998 Votes - 73 135 Votes - 1st

04 - November's Touch - 20 245 Votes - X - 8th

05 - När Jag Blundar - 27 925 Votes - 52 439 Votes - 5th

06 - Johnny - 25 417 Votes - X - 6th

07 - Erase You - 52 943 Votes - 68 751 Votes - 2nd

08 - Home - 36 391 Votes - 61 185 Votes - 3rd

Comments -
No Suprise that "Hooked On Wii" won, i'm loving it more and more with each listen. Same thing with "Erase You". "Home" has grown on me too and might actually be a dark horse when it comes to voting in my final. "Different Coloured Socks" is still just fantastic. I am falling more and more in love with "När Jag Blundar" and i like that.  Also, I am officially out of love with "November's Touch".

Semi Final 02 -
01 - Only 7 Days - 31 857 Votes - 51 250 Votes - 3rd
02 - Usko Rakkauteen - 29 389 Votes - 43 776 Votes - 5th
03 - Kunpa Vois - 23 304 Votes - X - 7th
04 - Better - 49 259 Votes - 76 384 Votes - 1st
05 - Noitanainen - 35 517 Votes - 44 852 Votes - 4th
06 - We Are The Night - 22 176 Votes - X - 8th
07 - Perfect - 24 425 Votes - X - 6th

08 - Habits Of Human Beings - 44 584 Votes - 73 279 Votes - 2nd

Comments -
Again, nothing really surprising about my advancing songs. "We Are The Night" has completly faded from my "love" list...now i think it's just a bit whiney and noisey.

Semi Final 03 -
01 - Lasikaupunki - 31 571 Votes - X - 8th
02 - Rytmit Rikkoutuu - 41 258 Votes - 51 852 Votes - 5th
03 - Meikin Alta - 33 520 Votes - X - 7th
04 - Pack Up - 46 183 Votes - 78 388 Votes - 2nd
05 - Mun Taivas - 38 954 Votes - 56 772 Votes - 4th
06 - Anna Aikaa - Anna Aikaa - 34 349 Votes - X - 6th

07 - Roudassa - 43 524 Votes - 65 542 Votes - 3rd

08 - Checkmate - 54 938 Votes - 80 245 Votes - 1st

Comments -
This was probably the strongest SF...however, i was pretty sure of my top 3 going into it. "Anna Aikaa" once again gets a "Wild Card" and i know i have to make a decision about this song pretty soon. "Meikin Alta" also gets a "Wild Card" just in case i only need a couple more listens to love it .

Semi Final 04 -

Round 01 -
Match 01 -
Number - Title - Televote - Place

01 - Different Coloured Socks - 54 799 Votes - 1st

02 - Rytmit Rikkoutuu - 47 135 Votes - 2nd

Match 02 -
01 - Noitanainen - 51 482 Votes - 2nd

02 - Anna Aikaa - 54 948 Votes - 1st

Match 03 -
01 - Meikin Alta - 41 977 Votes - 2nd

02 - När Jag Blundar - 48 238 Votes - 1st

Match 04 -

01 - Mun Taivas - 49 174 Votes - 1st

02 - Usko Rakkauteen - 45 813 Votes - 2nd

Round 02 -
Match 01 -

01 - Different Coloured Sock - 69 844 Votes - 1st

02 - Anna Aikaa - 57 143 Votes - 2nd

Match 02 -

01 - När Jag Blundar - 65 791 Votes - 1st

02 - Mun Taivas - 62 472 Votes - 2nd

Comments -
Haha life is so funny. When I first heard all 40 songs, I didn't really care for "När Jag Blundar" or "Anna Aikaa" but here we are a few dozen listens later and they are both getting spots in my final.

Anywho, So here we go! I have selected my 12 Finalsits!

Here's a reminder of the Songs who are competing to be my favorite -
Anna Aikaa (Allow) - Kakskaks And Alisa

Better - Jessica Wolff

Checkmate - Martina

Different Coloured Sock -  Fatima Koroma

Erase You - DCX

Habits Of Human Beings - Kaisa Vala

Home - Malin Kojola

Hooked On Wii - Captor

När Jag Blundar (When I Close My Eyes) - Pernilla Karlsson

Only 7 Days - Hans On The Bass

Pack Up - Selja Sini

Roudassa (Frozen) - ARTo

I will post my Final in a seperate, upcoming post :) But i'll talk about it a little bit. For sure, going into my final, I'm pretty sure it's gonna end up being a three way race between "Checkmate", "Better" and "Hooked On Wii"...if i had to chose right now, i'd pick "Checkmate" as it just stands out in my mind as a winner...but "Better" is close on it's heels and might overtake it. Also, i'm growing dangerously infatuated with "Hooked On Wii" and who knows what may happen! I am also expecting "habits Of Human Beings", "Erase You" and "Pack Up" to do quite well. "Home" could be a dark horse because it's growing on me more and more. I also would watch out for "När Jag Blundar" and "Anna Aikaa" to climb the ranks...but honestly anything could happen over the next few days of listening!

So what are your thoughts/favorites?!


Anywho, here are the current rankings in the Online Voting - Remember! Only the top 12 Songs will advance to the Televised Rounds! So if you like a song...VOTE FOR IT! You can vote for as many songs as you want one time every day! It's super easy! Just follow these directions!

To vote for your favorites go to –

http://satumaa.yle.fi/umk

A little further down from the top, you will see a section on the right called "Fanitusbarometri".

Click on “Katso Koko Lista” and it will bring up a list of all the songs and their current rankings. Click on the song(s) you wish to vote for and it will open up that songs page. On that page click the button marked “Tykkään!” and you have voted for that song! You can vote for as many songs as you wish but only once for each song.

Don't forget to leave your voting preference in the comments section!

1^st – 7 571 Votes – Aamuyön Ikulsuus

2nd – 5 933 Votes - Better
3rd - 5 558Votes - Usko Rakkauteen

4^th – 5 521 Votes – Teleport My Heart
5th - 5 359 Votes - Erase You
6th – 5 063 Votes - We Are The Night
7th - 4 974 Votes - Pack Up

8^th – 4 901 Votes – Burning

9^th – 4 799 Votes – Yksin Yhdessä

10^th – 4 742 Votes – International Love Song

11^th – 4 736 Votes – Anna Aikaa
12th - 4 624 Votes – Roudassa

13^th – 3 956 Votes – Want My Life Back

14^th – 3 302 Votes – Huominen Oi Ole Koskaan Nyt

15^th – 3 128 Votes – När Jag Blundar
16^th – 3 069 Votes – Checkmate

17^th – 2 863 Votes - Laululejia
18th - 2 740 Votes - Home
19th - 2 631 Votes – Rytmit Rikkoutuu

20^th – 2 628 Votes – Sinisulkien Viimeinen

21^st – 2 450 Votes – Lasikaupunki

22^nd – 2 350 Votes - Miracle
23rd - 2 146 Votes – Johnny

24^th – 2 000 Votes – Antaa Mennä
25^th – 1 886 Votes - Only 7 Days
26th - 1 723 Votes - Different Coloured Socks
27th - 1 646 Votes – Noitanainen

28^th – 1 359 Votes – Kisscollector

29^th – 1 206 Votes – Like Soldiers Go

30^th – 1 190 Votes – Kunpa Vois

31^st – 1 186 Votes – Janis Joplin

32^nd – 1 036 Votes – Every Day In The Sunshine

33^rd – 895 Votes – Joenvarren Tyttö
34th - 812 Votes - Mun Taivas

35^th – 756 Votes – Meikin Alta
36th - 728 Votes - Hooked On Wii
37th - 636 Votes - Habits Of Human

38^th – 591 Votes - Melt
39th - 564 Votes - Perfect
40th - 549 Votes - November's Touch