Totallympics Open International Song Contest 2020

[heywoodu 15,139]

Veluwe sunrise

 

[heywoodu 15,139]

And one for good measure, with the sun itself

 

[dcro 10,210]

OlympicIRL: "I Simply Let My Ears Do the Judging"

 

 

Despite winning the event five times, Ireland has never placed second. Therefore, if you find yourself in a close race with them - you will lose. Most likely because Ireland is also the only nation which has scored points from the majority of all-time juries (275/494; 55.7%).

 

Irish track record is indeed genuinely astonishing. Record 5+1 victories, two more podiums, record three team championships, and Music'thlon silver for good measure. In spite of it all, however, OlympicIRL's voting patterns usually lean towards the anti-establishment. What's the deal here?

 

Q: How do you go about evaluating TISC entries? Do you use a specific system when picking out your Top 12?

A: I don't have a method of evaluating entries other than listening to the songs to see what I like the most. By that I mean I don't break it down to criteria like vocals, style, etc. I simply let my ears do the judging, and if I like a song, then it doesn't matter about criteria.

 

I listen to the songs once before making any sort of list. Then on the second listen I start listing the songs I want to hear again (generally this can range from 18-25 songs depending on how strong the edition is).

 

The third listen is crucial as I try to carve the songs down to 16 (which would be enough for 12 + 4 reserves). Sometimes it's not possible to get down to 16 at that point which is fine, but the goal then on each listen is to keep eliminating more songs until I have around 16 left.

 

Meanwhile, a general ranking is taking shape, and I then keep listening to make sure I am happy with my order, by listening in both directions (from lowest ranked to highest and from highest to lowest). Some parts of the voting order will have been set in stone by this point (maybe I have already decided a couple of the reserves have no chance of making the top 12 so they drop out) so it becomes easier, but there is always some movement. The final listen is always from lowest to highest ranked, just to ensure I am happy with my final order (each song should sound better than the previous one or else there is something wrong in my ranking).

 

It sounds complicated, but it's not really. Just keep listening until enough songs are eliminated and then keep listening until I get a final order.

 

Q: And what about the maximum 12 points? Can you recognize it immediately? Or do you take a certain amount of time before deciding on it?

A: Yes, sometimes, I can recognize it immediately. That has happened maybe 4 times so far out of all the contests. And true enough, each time I got that feeling, the song did not drop from first place in my ranking.

 

However, it is much more common for me to have around 3 songs (usually not more) fighting for that top spot and after each listen I become more and more certain which song will take my top mark. The order of my top-ranked song doesn't really change going into my final listen as my mind is usually made up that "yes, that is the one for me".

 

Q: Do you have a favorite music genre? Is there any genre you would like to hear more of on the TISC stage?

A: I think my votes reflect the fact I have a wide variety when it comes to music taste. I remember my votes closely resembled the combined French jury vote of Bohemia and benolympique in a recent contest and considering those 2 users have very different tastes, it must mean I am all over the place in terms of what I like. But I've always known that and I'm thrilled it's that way.

 

My favourite genre is probably indie-rock, but anything from pop, rock, electronic, folk, reggae, punk rock can capture my attention. In terms of era, I love the sound of the 80s, it can't be denied.

 

Q: How important are lyrics to you?

A: Not at all. If a song is catchy and I end up singing or humming it, then I don't care about the lyrics at all. Same for foreign language songs. I never read a translation of the lyrics because I honestly don't want to understand the lyrics. The song means something unique to me, and that's how I like it.

 

Q: And finally... How can we get 12 points from OlympicIRL?

A: There is no magic formula, I guess some of the answers above could help, but I just don't know how to describe in words how to tell someone this is how you get my 12. If you want something evidence-based, look back at my previous 12 pointers and see if there's anything in there you can gather from that.

 

If OlympicIRL's musical preferences still feel like a jigsaw puzzle - maybe this will help. Our resident Irish juror has outlined the following entries as favorites during the most recent editions...

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned for more user interviews to come, as we count down to TOISC 2020...

[Werloc 3,164]

 AUSTRALIA 

 

Angus & Julia Stone are probably the best brother & sister duet in the entire world. Their music is mesmerising and they cover genres between folk and indie pop. Have been listening to their music for many many years and you guys definitely heard some of their more popular songs like "Big Jet Plane" or "Chateau", but I chose a song from their 2014 self-titled album 'Angus & Julia Stone' and the song's name is "Grizzly Bear"

 

[Griff88 1,952]

Oh lol I thought the interviews on the few last pages are red carpet interviews for a few lucky users, before I realized that the final is actually postponed until next week

[dcro 10,210]

13 minutes ago, Griff88 said:

Oh lol I thought the interviews on the few last pages are red carpet interviews for a few lucky users, before I realized that the final is actually postponed until next week

Is it possible that you missed your memo?

[Dragon 1,844]

Bit of cheating here. I've already posted a song in Cornish so I might as well go for one in every Celtic language

 

 Welsh

 

 

 Irish Gaelic  

 

 

 Scots Gaelic

 

 

 Breton 

 

 

Manx

 

 

And now back to normal posts...

[Bohemia 1,411]

22 minutes ago, Dragon said:

 

 

 Irish Gaelic  

 

 

As much as I love this song (and this show), I think you mixed up the links

[Dragon 1,844]

38 minutes ago, Bohemia said:

As much as I love this song (and this show), I think you mixed up the links

What's the problem?

[Sindo 1,504]

5 minutes ago, Dragon said:

What's the problem?

I see one of my favorite songs all time here, but it's surely not in gaelic And I guess everyone sees a different song here ? It would be weired you really posted Giulio Cesare from Antonello Venditti