![]() Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta – A-Ba-Ni-Bi (Israel, 1978)īy now, Eurovision’s Abba tendency was beginning to look a bit clapped-out: witness the Alphabeta – three boys and three girls – and the cantering but club-footed cod-disco of A-Ba-Ni-Bi, its chorus catchy only because you are clobbered over the head with it about 7,000 times. It is startlingly pallid, although be thankful for small mercies: it originally had seven verses. The old Father Ted joke about Ireland deliberately entering a terrible song in Eurovision because it couldn’t afford to host the contest the following year had its basis in a persistent rumour about Rock ’n’ Roll Kids. Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan – Rock ’n’ Roll Kids (Ireland, 1994) It was hhistoric in some ways – Dave Benton was the first black performer to win Eurovision and it was the first entry from a former Soviet country to win – but not, alas, musically. Middling disco-house, like a less impactful version of Phats and Small’s Turn Around, with a cheesy chorus and a lot of irksome vocal ad-libbing. Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL – Everybody (Estonia, 2001) ![]() Obviously, no one was expecting Eurovision to come up with a winner that reflected 1979’s cutting-edge pop – Gary Numan, the Specials etc – but there are limits. ![]() Milk and Honey – Hallelujah (Israel, 1979)Ī song so weedy that a light breeze would knock it flat, sung by an ineffably annoying cabaret turn in sequinned braces. Perhaps it is kindest to say that there were evidently plenty of people who found Netta’s performance of the staccato Toy, replete with onomatopoeic vocalising, chicken noises, flapping arms and much self-consciously wacky gurning to camera, endearing rather than wildly infuriating and leave it at that. And most importantly, they still supply a well-needed burst of something absolutely beautiful.Endearing or wildly infuriating? Israel’s Netta performs Toy at Eurovision in Lisbon in 2018. While the tracks on the album can’t necessarily be played in one sitting, they still feel genuine and played by two people who are clearly passionate about what they do. I’m always such a sucker for a good nostalgia inducing track, and the fact that with Gentle Warnings I get an entire album filled with them makes me incredibly grateful, even though at times that wish wasn’t exactly what I expected. I’m so glad they included bonus track “White Satin,” and judging by it’s intricate, yet somehow simple instrumentation, it’s definitely one of the best tracks the duo has ever done. However, what the album lacks in dimension definitely makes up for in emotion, considering the absolutely gorgeous melancholy feeling that practically swallows up the album. I found myself repeatedly wishing to hear more of their own voices isolated from each other in order to further understand the magic of how they become intertwined so well, and the fact that this just wasn’t available made Gentle Warnings lose just a little bit of dimension. However, at times, the constant harmonized vocals can start to get draining after a while, and tracks like “Simple Strait” and “On Again” become nothing more than filler, no matter how gorgeous the instrumentation. The vintage, almost far away feeling to the instrumentals and the pure, raw emotion presented in the harmonized vocals create a euphoric experience that begs to be replayed over and over again. Jack Staffen and Eliza Callahan seem to really understand how their voices mesh together, and no other tracks seem to boast that than “Secrets” and “Hold The Line,” two of their first singles. “Diamonds” brings new meaning to the word sweet, and it’s playful lyrics and delicate vocals never seem rushed or out of tune with each other, which is incredibly important, especially in a group of two whose debut album is exclusively harmonized. However, in Gentle Warnings, they take a more minimal approach to the same sort of faded, colorful sound and the stripped down, harmony filled tracks become more precious as a result. ![]() Since then, they have been expanding their hazy, nostalgic dream pop into a full length album, and while it (and they) may seem small at the moment, it’s definitely worth the listen – not only for the lucid, beautiful sounds, but as well as the overall journey into a sun-bleached world that seems more simple and forgiving.įrom the first track “One Too Far,” it’s clear that the duo derives most of their inspiration from 1960’s psychedelia, which explains their fascination with groups like The Mamas and The Papas and The Beach Boys. Indie songwriting duo Jack + Eliza have continuously had my attention since the release of their mesmerizing single “Secrets,” which was posted to the site last year. ![]()
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