Iceland has never won the Eurovision Song Contest. Will Pollapönk's peppy "Enga Fordóma" finally bring them a victory?
Iceland bears the unique distinction of being the only Northern European country to have never hosted the Contest. This aside, it has a strong history in the contest, having never missed the final since the introduction of the two-semifinal system and almost winning things in 2009 with Yohanna's "Is It True?" (were it not for the juggernaut that was Alexander Rybak's "Fairytale"). With all this history in mind, whoever won Söngvakeppnin 2014 had a lot resting on their shoulders; will Pollapönk's "Enga Fordóma" bring it home for the island? Take a listen:
It's a little too early for me to be able to say whether this is a contender or not, but I really like this song - it's earwormed its way into my heart after only a few listens. What concerns me a bit in terms of whether this could win the contest or not is the bands that come to mind when I hear the song. Modest Mouse and Arctic Monkeys are great references if you follow Pitchfork, but I'm not sure they're a good standard for Eurovision success; the last time a Eurovision track made me think of indie pop/rock, it was Hungary's dismal "Kedvesem". The fact that "Enga Fordóma" is way more uptempo gives me hope that these guys can at least make it to the final round.
As far as stage presence goes, Pollapönk appears to have that in spades, which should serve them well. Their bright colors, dance moves, and unusual backing singers really only helped capture my eye and actually root for them amongst their competitors in Söngvakeppnin 2014. When I first saw their picture, I thought they looked like an adult version of The Wiggles (well, not an adult version, but you get what I'm saying). Now that I've actually seen them perform, I think I mean that as a compliment. Whether the rest of Europe agrees with me remains to be seen.