Bror

Trying to find a song for this now and lacking for inspiration so far but I'll submit something eventually x edit: I'm in now

The contest you returned in (BJSC 181) also had 65 entries, this one matches that for the highest of the year if it stays as it is! The last contest with more than that was BJSC 158 with 66 entries (and BJSC 163 also had 65).

I know this pain from last month x (I ultimately lost my AQ because of someone withdrawing after the late vetoes came through so it's not over yet xo) Welcome back to Wholune as well!

Oh it's Zanmatony we're missing atm but I see Wardy in the thread now so maybe he is also just being slightly tardy x Welcome back to Beaverdonia, Hushkanukia (briefly), Macromia, Republic of Adonia (o:) and Summericia!

23:59 is 23:59 Trifoski on the other hand... I'm afraid we'll have to ban x (jk) I think we're only missing an entry from 1 country who entered last month but I haven't figured out who it is yet.

Broken out of my cycle of working, sleeping and obsessing over election results just long enough to find an entry for this at the last minute! (I'll try and get around to submitting my green thing later tonight as well x) Actually it's a song I saved as a YouTube recommendation a few months ago and then just forgot about it until looking at my Watch Later list the other day - I'll finally be brave enough to send a desert blues song to the main contest after my previous entries in spinoffs from Tinariwen and Imarhan, this song is somewhere in the middle of the vibes of those two songs, more melancholy than the former but more upbeat than the latter. (Sorry Popsephonia fans x). Those two spinoff entries both came top 15 for me so will see if the appeal expands to the main contest as well!

If you'd be happy to volunteer to host one then go ahead!

'Babydoll' doesn't really strike me as a song that Radio 1 would be that enthusiastic about so I'm not that surprised at the early removal. I'm sure it'll still get a good number of plays anyway while it's still high in the chart (but let's hope not x). Great adds for Angèle and BICEP!

That is also probably the only sensible choice for Adele though. So me being Adele confirmed! (Lucky her mentor hadn't played the original 'Hometown Glory' already). I fear that Sam Fender pick is this year's answer to 'Pussy Palace' being played as a ballad. I guess I can understand the justification but it'll still stick out like a sore thumb here (mind I don't know if he had any options that wouldn't!)

Rob is 1000% Darin x (I think that is now the only identity I am entirely confident about) Mind this being right after my also entirely confident guess of Jade being Gary Numan was confirmed wrong ddd.

Oh no I've lost another punching bag. Who to move onto next ~ Seriously though, I hope you didn't take the teasing from me too personally ElectroBoy, Tom's music is for the most part not really for me but I think you made mostly pretty good choices (his best song for me was in the round that we couldn't vote in unforch!), and he went out on a bit of a high for me as 'Royal Highness' was my favourite of the songs you sent from him that I didn't already know I think. Did well to make it to the live shows! A bit gutted to see Gary Numan dipping straight out again but I did say after the Wagner that he probably wouldn't last that much longer anyway so no great surprise - still glad that 'Intruder' got its moment even if it was his undoing in the end (although only because of the judges!!) I ranked him 1st in nearly every round prior to the live shows, mostly with songs I already knew (either from being classics or from already having discovered them through the SyncTube sessions) but 'My Name Is Ruin' was a brand new one to me and also one of the best songs I've discovered from this. Have to say though I am truly shook at Gary not being Jade...! Genuinely no idea who she will have sent now, I was going off assuming she'd have sent a solo male act to complete the trio (as I'm sure I remember her saying before she wanted to do that - Gary jumped out from day 1 as seeming like the kind of solo male act I thought she'd go for and none of the song choices really contradicted my assumption there) but there's no way she is any of the remaining men so x New Order should not have been in the mix to be eliminated but it was a risky entry and I see they got a little bit lucky being saved by a judging panel that didn't deadlock for once - good that they played it while they still could without completely dooming themselves I guess, I assume safer choices will be on the way! I only really have one sensible choice for the theme for the second live show so my hand is forced! May or may not be blocking myself from being able to send the original version which I also wanted to do at some point but who knows if I'd have got the chance to anyway x

The Georgia governor race going to the Dems as well surely clears the way for Ossoff to be a big contender for 2028 (as his seat would then just be filled with another Democrat) - but yes, very early. Looks like it'll be a little while before the last 2 Senate seats are called, Alaska always takes forever and Mississippi is insanely close and coming down to trickling provisional ballots (which apparently there is good reason to believe will be Dem-leaning - I'll still hold off on celebrating Blississippi for now but it looks promising and that'd be a great cherry on top if it was confirmed, though I am already satisfied with the South Carolina result meaning they've outdone my realistic expectation). 56 seats for Dems if they both come through which is wild given the overwhelming consensus as recently as a few months ago was that it would be an uphill battle for them to scrape 51 on this map even in a favourable environment. Polling for Kansas was strong enough that it's not exactly a surprise but still worth highlighting that this is the first Dem senator from Kansas since 1932. Seems they've also held onto the governor race there too which was much less expected!

Welp. It's taking its time to be called but New York Times now on >95% chance Dems win South Carolina!

1 Fontaines D.C. 2 Gary Numan 3 Kate Bush 4 New Order 5 Bananarama 6 Sam Smith 7 Adele 8 Sam Fender 9 Depeche Mode 10 Sophie Ellis-Bextor 11 Tom Grennan 12 Texas 13 Darin 14 Zara Larsson 15 MARINA the top 3 are well clear of the rest for me, but the New Order song is very good too (was a good discovery from the 80s sessions and nice that it's got used here, a bit of a risky choice but hopefully bailed out here by there being other not so safe choices as well), and 'Cruel Summer' is one of the best Nana songs. Solid picks for Adele and both Sams (both of those are better than I remember them being), pretty good if not a major highlight for Depeche Mode, I also liked the Sophie song a bit more than I remembered and the Tom song is actually quite a decent discovery as well, some questionable vocals on it but the actual tune of it is solid so he avoids last place for me again. Texas and Darin both ok. Find the last two both a bit annoying (the Zara song's hook is cool for a minute or so but it gets grating being on loop for the entire song). I thought I remembered not minding the MARINA song at the time but it's clearly not aged well for me oops!

Not this time x

esque

Let the public shaming continUe as the act in question has been sent 4 times within the last 30 contests so is definitely an auto-veto x (Vetoes for everyone!)

Pop Factor is serious business tho x

'Little Bit Of Love' x (That's the only time I've ranked him last so far! I just need a new punching bag now HRVY is gone hehe)

Apart from the one round where he really should have been struggling but didn't x #gaslighting

I think Ohio being competitive again this year is more down to the candidates (Ramaswamy being an awful Republican pick for governor / Sherrod Brown being the best possible pick for the Democrats for Senate), I wouldn't hold my breath on it returning to being competitive in a presidential election any time soon. (Even with the candidates this year it's one I have less faith in than the polls suggest as the state has a history of disappointing)

One of the covers of all time

SOTY incoming I fear

As it should be!!

The Americans can have it for this one tho Santa's banging on the back of the truck