#Intars Busulis

[eurovision-facts]

Eurovision Fact #661:

A number of past Eurovision stars have been cast in various dubs for the 2024 Garfield movie, such as Käärijä (Finland 2023), Baby Lasagna (Croatia 2024), Intars Busulis (Latvia 2009), and Sanna Nielsen (Sweden 2014)

[Sources]

Baby Lasagna in the Garfield Movie, u/initial_event_8144 on r/Eurovision, Reddit.com.

Kantola, Elisa. "Käärijä uudelle uralle," seiska.fi.

Jere via ig stories, @/jeres-red-g-string, Tumblr.com.

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2009 - Number 25 - Intars Busulis - "Probka"

Yes, it's Intars. He made it to Eurovision at his second attempt solo, fourth attempt in total. Keep on trying and just maybe, eventually you'll make it. If there's one thing Intars isn't short of it's perseverance. His previous song in 2007 ended up second in Eirodziesma, and given that success, he was keeping the band together.

During the national finals, Probka (Traffic Jam) was called Sastrēgums and was in Latvian. It was still written by the same team as his previous song. The composer was classical and theatre composer Kārlis Lācis, while the lyrics came from Sergejs Timofejev and Jānis Elsbergs. As all of them have theatrical experience as well as doing Russian translations of songs for bands such as Brainstorm, it's no surprise that the song itself is a touch musical theatre.

But let's start off with Intars' jazz trombone playing and muso background. The song has verses in seven-four time and for a reason. The song evokes the frustration and anger of being trapped in a Traffic Jam. The odd metre is there to give that unsettling, extra long phrasing that feels like it should be moving forward faster than it is. Maybe honking its horn as it does so. You can feel the tension build through every verse.

For Eurovision in Moscow, the song was translated into Russian - not an unusual thing for a song from Latvia at the time and given the context, it was probably almost certainly going to happen regardless of what song won Latvia's national final. Somehow though, the Russian language seems to increase the agitation that Intars's experiences singing the song, as his shoulders get higher and his neck gets shorter.

Maybe it was that emotional expression, maybe it was the stop-start irregularity of the rhythm, or maybe it was the projection screen staging that got a little lost in the vastness of the stage. Maybe Russians just enjoy traffic. Whatever the reason, Intars and Latvia finished nineteenth of the nineteen songs in the Eurovision 2009 second semi-final. An undeserving fate for a song so different, weird and spiky.

No matter, Intars returned the next year with a double-album and he continues to be a big name in the Latvian music scene including winning more TV talent shows, being a mentor on the Latvian X-Factor, winning several awards and being a regular at jazz festivals. He even teamed up with Reinis Sējāns in 2022 to form the band Bujāns to have another crack at the Latvian national final.

And he's still making music. He and his regular band, Abonementa Orķestris tour and record all the time. This is one of their songs from 2024, Es Došos Ārā (I'm Going Outside) from their 2023 album Spēlē Savā Burvju Flautā (Playing His Magic Flute)

[popsixsquishcicerolipschitz]

Belleville Rendez-Vous

virusart795

[eurovisionru]

Латвийский артист споет на «Евровидении» по-русски

Для выступления на конкурсе «Евровидение 2009», который состоится в мае 2009 года в Москве, латвийский певец Интрас Бусулис (Intars Busulis) выбрал песню на русском языке. Композиция называется «Sastrēgums» («Автомобильные пробки»). Певец пояснил, что он не космополит, а настоящий патриот Латвии. «Главное, я знаю, что творится у меня в душе, а там с народной любовью все в порядке!» - уточнил он. Отметив, что ознакомился с комментариями в интернете по поводу своего решения, Бусулис заявил, что п... Читать дальше »

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Latvia then vs. Latvia now

(left | right)

[eurovision-boys]

[eurovisionopinions]

[visariga-blog]

Event: Līgosim Krastmalā 2017

Location: 11. novembra krastmala (Vecrīga) Length of event: 19:00 - 4:30 Frequency of event: Once per year

Līgo, Līgo!

Happy solstice! While in the United States and much of the world the longest day of the year comes and goes with little fanfare, in Latvia and much of eastern and northern Europe mid-summer is still one of the most important dates on the calendar. Although technically the shortest night goes from June 21-22, in Latvia it's observed on the night of June 23-24 as the festival of Līgo (June 23) and Jāņi (24). I don't think it's an overstatement to say that this night is at least as important as Christmas for most of the country, with the festival often being called “the most Latvian holiday.”

Traditionally, Latvians go out to the countryside, build bonfires to dance around, sing songs, grill food over open fires, jump over campfires, make flower crowns (girls) or oak wreaths (boys), and do a host of other traditions and rituals. Many Latvians still go out to the countryside for this event each year, around 30% according to a recent study published. Līga and I went out with friends in the last two years far away from Rīga, and although we were looking forward to doing the same this year, we decided it was probably best to stick around in Rīga with our wedding coming up in just a few days. Staying in the city to celebrate such a countryside-related holiday is considered sacrilegious by many Latvians, but I also saw this as an opportunity to see how Rīga celebrates this important night.

The day before Līgo, we decided to check out the “Zāļu tirgu” (green market) that had been set up in Doma laukums (Dome Square). These types of markets happen here in the square every few months for different holidays, and feature artisans, craftsmen, artists, farmers, florists, and other merchants from throughout the entire country. As always, there was singing and dancing on a main stage right in the middle of the event.

One of the favorite traditions for Līgo is the making of flower crowns for girls and women and oak wreaths for boys and men. Traditionally, only unmarried girls are supposed to wear the crowns, but that's a technicality that's overlooked by almost everyone.

Uh oh... There was a guy selling reprints of vintage maps. Maps are like an electromagnet to me, so I had absolutely no hope. I left with a very cool reprint of an old map of Rīga showing all of the traditional manor territories we usually write about in our different posts. I justified it by telling myself it would be useful when writing about those places. 

We also found Līga's aunt who was taking part in the market, selling very cool silk scarves.

The next day, festivities began on the road along the Daugava's coast at 7:00 PM. We didn't get there until a bit after that, but we hadn't missed much by the time we arrived. As we walked toward the event area, I took a picture of Līga wearing the flower crown she had just bought in the almost empty central market with the train bridge and national library in the background. As you can see, the normally bustling 11. novembra krastmala between Akmens tilts (stone bridge) and Vanšu tilts (suspension bridge) was completely closed to traffic.

As we walked into the event area, we were impressed by just how expansive the festivities were. The first stage we came across had a folk band playing music designed for dancing to, and the crowd in front of it was being taught how to dance together to each song. This provided a perfect opportunity for people new to Latvian folk culture to dip their toes into singing and dancing for the first time.

There were different food and drink stands set up all throughout the krastmala, as well as picnic tables as far as the eye could see. The biggest shock of the night for me was just how cheap beer was going for. 500 ml of Mežpils (a very good Latvian beer) was just €2.50, virtually unheard of in any of the bars in Vecrīga. Although the event was designed to be affordable for ordinary people, I feel like they easily could have charged at least €4.00.

In the very middle of the event was a massive festival-sized stage where Intars Busulis and Labvēlīgais Tips would be performing later in the evening. A sitting area facing the stage had been set up for people wanting to enjoy the music in a more relaxed setting.

Further on down the krastmala were some different games set up for children, including a large memory flipping game, tic tac toe, and bowling. 

At the far end of the event was another outdoor stage with more folk musicians and space for dancing. This stage shut down a bit earlier in the night, but up until about 22:00 or so quite a few people were enjoying the music and dancing along.

My favorite thing by far about the event was how even though tasty food was for sale all throughout the area (especially traditional shaslik meat cooked on a skewer over hot coals), there were many fire pits which were completely open for people to use by bringing their own meat, vegetables, or whatever they wanted to cook. Many other such events would have discouraged or outright banned people from bringing their own outside food with so many vendors here, so I thought it was very cool that the organizers were promoting the spirit of Līgo and encouraging people to do it themselves as they would in the countryside.

Intars Busulis and his “Abonementa orķestris” (subscription orchestra) started at 21.00 and played an impressive nearly three hours straight, with just two short breaks. The show was a mix of his own songs and a few traditional Līgo songs thrown in here and there. He tried his best to get the audience to sing along with him, but there weren't enough people who knew the words (or willing to sing) for it to be audible. I at least sang along to all the words of “Nākamā pietura Depo” although I'm pretty sure I was the only person who did so.

In one large tent at the very far end of the event near Vanšu tilts and the castle, nearly a thousand people were packed in sitting around tables and standing, singing and dancing along to different Latvian songs with lyrics on projector screens at the front. The screens were too small to be useful for most of the people in the tent, but so many people already knew all the words to most of the songs that it didn't particularly matter.

At 22.30, just as the sun was going down, Intars Busulis paused the show for a few minutes so that the large bonfires could be lit. There were two large stacks of logs, one on each side of the stage. Men had been pouring lighter fluid over the logs for the twenty minutes before they lit them, so I think that most of the crowd were expecting the logs to go up in an impressive blinding flash as soon as they were lit. Thankfully, they had been designed in a more safety-conscious way as you can see in the video. The announcers reminded the crowd over the loudspeaker that the fires would stay lit until the first light of the morning shone over the krastmala, per Latvian tradition.

As Busulis and his orchestra continued, we finally decided to start standing in line for some chicken shashlik. Līga elected to get some fries as a side, while I went for the more traditional sautéed cabbage. All of the picnic tables were full as far as we could see, so we sat on the grass in true Līgo fashion.

After dinner we went back to the dancing area we walked by first, which by now was completely full with a mix of people from all walks of lives and corners of the Earth. We stayed for a few minutes but weren't quite in the mood for folk dancing, so we headed back to the main stage where Labvēlīgais Tips was getting ready to perform at midnight.

Labvēlīgais Tips played a respectable two-hour set that included virtually all of their hits, although I was a bit disappointed that they didn't play my two favorites Desmetais Tramvajs and Koka Klucis Konstantīns. Līga and I were glad though that they ended with their new song Frāzes, which we've been overplaying lately.

We left at 2:00 at the end of LT's set. Although there were still two and a half hours to go until daylight, we were quite tired and still had a lot of wedding planning to do at that point. When we left, the Jāņi fires were still burning strong.

Overall, I was quite impressed by Līgo on the krastmala. Considering that Līgo/Jāņi is a festival that is so heavily associated with the countryside, I had very low expectations for what would be achievable by this kind of event. What the city was able to pull off was a perfect mix of countryside traditions and modern convenience. I find it difficult to imagine that virtually anyone who came down to the event aside from those with horrible attitudes could have had a bad time. Although it wasn't enough to convince me that Līgo/Jāņi shouldn't be celebrated in the countryside away from the loud and busy city, I would highly recommend checking it out next year if you can't make it out of Rīga on the 23rd for whatever reason.

A Few Final Thoughts:

Līgo is also Līga's name day. Daudz laimes vārda dienā, Līga!

According to the city government, there were 100,000 people who attended the event, making it the largest known collective celebration of Līgo/Jāņi ever. According to Līga and my very informal and unscientific observations, a bit less than half of the attendees seemed to be tourists or foreigners who live in the city. Despite this, virtually the entire event and all of the music was in Latvian.

This event could serve as the perfect rorschach test for one's views on globalism. On one hand you could look at this event as a corruption of Latvian tradition being watered down by all of the modern influences and showiness, while on the other hand you could say that it's a successful evolution of tradition for the 21st century. You could argue that the foreigners and tourists had no idea what they were really celebrating and were just there to generically party, or you could argue that Latvian tradition was being successfully dispersed and promoted in a way that no amount of money could buy.

There was a separate event taking place on Dzeguškalns in Dzirciems which was a far more traditional Līgo/Jaņi that Līga and I were planning on checking out at some point, but we were having so much fun on the krastmala that we had no motivation to make it over there.

It's always amazing just how bright it is all night this time of year. Līga took this picture just a few days before at MIDNIGHT from her family's home in Jelgava just 45 km southwest.

Līgo, Līgo!

[whenitsdarkweilluminate]

Moscow 2009 – Semi-Final 2

Host: Russia Slogan: [none] Participants: 42 Voting method: 12-point system (50/50 system - combined; televoting only for the semi-finals) Format: 2 Semi-Finals / Grand Final = the top 10 of semi 1 & 2 + the Big 4 + host General Overview: So Semi-Final 2 opens with a Russian folk band playing an instrumental medley of Eurovision classics. Namely “Volare”, “Waterloo”, “Ding A Dong”, “Diva”, and “Believe”. This segment also includes Russian kick-dancing, a giant Russian doll, and dancing polar bears (amongst other things). How quaint. The interval act, meanwhile, features more lively Russian folk dancing. It's enjoyable enough. SF2 definitely contains a stronger set of qualifiers than SF1. There's so many obvious picks in this one. The running order is lopsided, though. The first half is heavy on the ballads and novelty songs, and it includes most of the DNQ's. While the second half queues 7 qualifiers in a row, many of which are the big favourites. Spain reverted to a back-up jury for this semi because the broadcast was delayed there. The results portion features more foolishness from the hosts. At one point they attempt to activate the button by blowing on it together (gross). The male presenter (Andrey) is creepy too, with how he keeps grabbing Natalia. She doesn't look pleased.

✓ Croatia: Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea - Lijepa Tena Croatia are the jury wildcard pick of SF2, and I believe the juries saved the right song on both occasions this year. “Lijepa Tena” emits a romantic atmosphere, thanks to the nostalgic, daydream-y instrumentation. It illustrates the image of the Mediterranean seaside. Conversely, the bursting vocal moments add a hint of tragedy. The intensity is compelling too. The lyrics, meanwhile, praise a lover's beauty and graciousness. Although it implies a religious context (ie. “you're turning water into wine”). Staging-wise, there's an elegance to the bodies and fabric swaying against the wind machine. And Igor exudes comfortable stage presence. × Ireland: Sinéad Mulvey and Black Daisy - Et Cetera Ireland sends a pop-punk song! Which is a refreshing choice considering their previous entries in this decade. The electric guitar rhythm and the attitude are very 2000s. It's reminiscent of Avril Lavigne's style. Indeed, “Et Cetera” emanates angst-y teenage energy. The story told in the lyrics is exactly that – it reads like high school dating drama. Although, “Et Cetera” lacks an individual personality. Still, the guitar rhythm is invigorating, the “et cetera” hook is sufficient, and the chorus is a release of anxiety. × Latvia: Intars Busulis - Probka Ummmmmm. The Baltic countries sure love to submit confusingly weird entries. The lead singer's body language is intense, jittery, and agitated. He moves around like he's losing his sanity. Which matches the lyrical content, where he desperately needs to escape a traffic jam. The shouting and the rock instrumentation enhances that stressful mood. But the singer's performance is honestly unsettling and disturbing to watch. It's like he's about to violently lash out. Furthermore, all the shouting and the stammering in the chorus are obnoxious. Throw in some tempo accelerations, and “Probka” is aggressively unpleasantly to listen to. The song ultimately placed last in SF2, and became the first of 6 consecutive DNQs for Latvia. × Serbia: Marko Kon and Milaan - Cipela Interesting fact: Each of Serbia's three DNQs were one position away from qualifying. Including this one, which placed 10th in the televote, but the juries denied it from advancing. “Cipela” is one the better joke entries this year – although that isn't saying much. Only because the chorus hook and the accordion/percussion rhythm are serviceable. The ridiculous staging is the most memorable aspect, though. The general choreography is goofy but amusing. It includes fake shoe shining and a girl crossing her arms and pouting multiple times. Marko's aesthetic also stands out, thanks to his afro and yellow jacket. And the screens display pixelated caricatures. The song's premise, meanwhile, is intended to be comical – Marko travels the world to chase a girl that rejects him for being poor. But the performance is too “try-hard” to fully land. Also Marko's casual vocal in the verses is a no. × Poland: Lidia Kopania - I Don't Wanna Leave Poland's pained ballad is too dreary and depressing for me. The song just draaaags on and on. It fails to be emotionally impactful because of that. I'm over it before the key change hits. As for the lyrics, my interpretation is that Lidia is leaving home for the first time. She won't sever that familial connection completely, but she needs to take this step to progress and to “find herself”. But this message can be delivered in a more empowering way (see Cyprus), instead of this bawling, whiny tone. The ballet/ribbon dancing on stage is neat though. And Lidia is a decent vocalist. ✓ Norway: Alexander Rybak - Fairytale (winner review in Grand Final post) × Cyprus: Christina Metaxa - Firefly The Cypriot entry carefully builds anticipation across a prolonged journey, but the eventual climax is underwhelming. The final minute of floating euphoria requires a more “epic” release. Christina's shaky vocal undermines the destination. Otherwise, “Firefly” is a cute song with an inspirational message delivered in a heartfelt tone. It feels genuinely encouraging. The lyrics are centred around this firefly symbolism, where Christina describes facing the fear of the unknown, overcoming the nerves, and partaking on life's journey. The song's structure embodies that progression well. The first half is nervous and uncertain, while the second half is when she “goes for it”. There's also fairytale-esque twinkling at the start to establish the youthful context. The white light boxes are a cool prop too. × Slovakia: Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková - Leť tmou Slovakia returns after a 9-year absence, but their comeback entry is too stylistically dated for modern Eurovision. The song is an orchestral ballad, and the staging channels a classical aesthetic, including formal attire. The escalating pre-chorus is intriguing, though, in how the duo impatiently repeats each other. Throughout the song, the instrumentation and the vocals shift between calm reflection and intense despair. Nela holds long notes at the end too. The lyrics, meanwhile, are written as a conversation between Kamil and Nela. The pair wishes to restart their former relationship, because their lives are currently filled with “darkness”. But there's fears and uncertainties standing in the way. I appreciate the songwriting and the ebb/flow structure on “Leť tmou”. But the competition is fierce in this semi-final. ✓ Denmark: Brinck - Believe Again The Danish entry was co-written by Ronan Keating, and his influence on “Believe Again” is obvious. It sounds exactly like a Ronan Keating song, right down to the vocal texture and the instrumental. Both have a country flair. The band dresses appropriately for the genre too. So the chorus is the M.V.P. of “Believe Again”. It conveys such a bittersweet yet uplifting vibe. The sentiment resonates with me. The melody is strong. And the elongated “I-I-I-I” hook is an effective gear shift into said chorus. The verses also contain a decent hook (ie. “but someTHING... is missING”). And lyrically, “Believe Again” is an introspective song, where Brinck comes to accept that his relationship is over. He adopts a positive outlook and focuses on moving on. It's comforting, but some other entries stand out more. × Slovenia: Quartissimo feat. Martina - Love Symphony The first of two symphonic songs on the card tonight, but Slovenia's attempt fell short of qualifying. “Love Symphony” is one of the rare Eurovision entries to contain barely any vocals, alongside “Nocturne” and “DJ Take Me Away”. Incidentally, the entire first minute is instrumental. Singer Martina spends most of the performance hidden as a silhouette behind a curtain, later revealing herself towards the end. Her sections are brief, and her voice is implied to originate from a mysterious source. The instrumentation mixes an array of classical strings with an overpowering dance beat. It's like a force of nature. While it is a cohesive and complex composition, the instrumental sections are too long and repetitive; although there is a slow down divergence in the bridge. Martina is ultimately too inconsequential. × Hungary: Zoli Ádok - Dance with Me LMAO this is horrendous and cringe-worthy. The most glaring annoyance is Zoli's sexy overconfidence, which is a huge turn off. Furthermore, the staging resembles an aerobics instruction video. Zoli's vocals are awful, if it can even be considered “singing”. He basically talks the words. The disco groove is cheap-sounding. The lyrics are generic. And the ticking beat foundation doesn't salvage it much. “In The Disco” did it better. ✓ Azerbaijan: AySel and Arash - Always Now for 7 qualifiers in a row. Most of which are heavy hitters, including this one. “Always” is a thunderous “Ethnic pop” entry, with a chorus melody that is catchy AF. Arash built his music career in Sweden after all. That hook is so instant, effortless and irresistible. No wonder Azerbaijan placed 3rd. The resounding emphasis during the “always...” parts is particularly effective. As is AySel's ensuing solo responses. Furthermore, the duet displays chemistry and giddy choreography. The percussion rhythm and the stringed instrument supply the “Ethnic” aspect. The flow is dance-able. And the song maintains robust momentum for its entirety. The opening with Arash's traditional vocal is a good transition too. This is probably the song Azerbaijan should have won with instead of “Running Scared”, but “Fairytale” was insurmountable. ✓ Greece: Sakis Rouvas - This Is Our Night WOW! Sakis walked so Måns could run. The staging is impressive, between the meticulously timed choreo and the interactions with the rectangular platform contraption. The synchronized arm movements create a strong first impression. Later, Sakis glides back and forth across the platform like a treadmill. And at the end, the structure opens up like a stapler, with Sakis towering above. The song is certainly suited for the staging with all the jump-shouts (ie. “this is our night... FLY!”). They're forceful hooks too. The production, meanwhile, is a darker, colder strain of dance/pop. The verses emit ominous yet anticipatory bubbling synths, which I love. But the chorus melody lacks smoothness. It's too choppy. Still, Sakis serves sexy charisma once again, and his vocals are an improvement from 2004. Oh, and this was written by Dimitris Kontopoulos. ✓ Lithuania: Sasha Son - Love Lithuania are the only SF2 qualifier that I don't care for. “Love” is a piano ballad, where Sasha Son reflects on his personal experiences with being a child star. Namely the price of fame and the sacrifices made. His voice is decent and there's a melancholic tone, but he literally says the word “love” 54 times in the song (in the full English version – the final portion was switched to Russian for Moscow). The chorus becomes confusingly worded because of it. Sasha Son is also dressed like the early 20th century, and he later holds a flame in his hand. This entry is just too eccentric for me. ✓ Moldova: Nelly Ciobanu - Hora din Moldova “Hora din Moldova” is so rambunctious and chaotic. The song continually jumps into manic flurries of brass instruments, accompanied by a bonkers choreography routine. It represents a folksy Moldovan dance party. There's an outdoor festival drinking vibe to it. The verses offer a necessary respite, though. And the traditional outfits complete the image. Meanwhile, Nelly and the backing dancers serve uninhibited, high-spirited fun, which allows this an enjoyable experience. It feels organic. “Hora din Moldova” is a fairly straightforward song but it makes me smile!  ✓ Albania: Kejsi Tola - Carry Me in Your Dreams Albania continues to deliver! Wikipedia claims “Carry Me” contains elements of electronic, disco, folk, Schlager, French pop and “psychedelic turbo-folk”. I can't confirm that entire list, but the instrumentation is definitely slick and multi-faceted. The song is predominantly driven by a thumping bass dance beat, which is a banger. The opening, however, incorporates a fierce stop/start section of drums and strings, which is later repeated after the bridge. And the bridge itself diverges into an “Ethnic pop” direction. The staging, meanwhile, is inspired by the circus. It involves dancing mimes, a pink ballerina outfit on Kejsi, and a “faceless” person completely concealed in teal. It's a memorable aesthetic and the choreography is engaging. Furthermore, the chorus vocal melody captures the wistful sentiment expressed in the lyrics. ✓ Ukraine: Svetlana Loboda - Be My Valentine! (Anti-Crisis Girl) The staging is elaborate on this one too. “Be My Valentine!” is a bold and attention-holding entry. Perhaps Ukraine wanted to place in the top 2 for a third year. The set-up involves a set of spinning, human-sized hamster wheels inside cog-shaped structures. Svetlana seductively dances inside the middle one. She serves sexy confidence with a forward stance throughout the performance. Accompanying her are three backing dancers wearing skimpy Roman warrior outfits. At one point, they physically rotate Svetlana, which is a fierce visual. They also tug her drum platform to the center of the stage. As for the song, “Be My Valentine!” has an in-your-face approach. There's harsh electro-synths in the chorus, like a revving motor. While the verses follow a commanding flow, featuring horns, strutting percussion, excessive rhyming, and some silly “bom”s. It flows cohesively enough, and “Be My Valentine!” balances fierce and campy well, but it's a lot to take in.  ✓ Estonia: Urban Symphony - Rändajad “Rändajad” paints such an ominous, chilly and desolate atmosphere. It's vivid and breathtaking. This is established by the symphonic strings, the booming bass, the dark lighting on stage, and the vocal tone. The lyrics describe nomads endlessly wandering the desert. There's a risky escape path in front of them, but it's invisible to the nomads. It's a bleak metaphorical image. Furthermore, the chorus melody employs a careful succession of Estonian phonetics. The strings are atmospheric, especially in the bridge. The smoke machine also enters to enhance the aura. And the instrumental includes some subtle details. Fun fact: this is Estonia's first qualification since the semi-finals were instated. × Netherlands: The Toppers - Shine *Face palm* This is just embarrassing. “Shine” is such a cheesy and campy peace song. The glittery outfits are dated and cringe. The tone is overly wholesome. The rickety beat doesn't belong. And the group harmonies are a mess. It's too many layered vocals at once and it becomes a wall of noise. The lady with the headphones and turntable is amusing though. This entry is very 2000s ESC, and not in a good way. My Ranking: 01. Norway: Alexander Rybak - Fairytale ✓ 02. Estonia: Urban Symphony - Rändajad ✓ 03. Azerbaijan: AySel and Arash - Always ✓ 04. Albania: Kejsi Tola - Carry Me in Your Dreams ✓ 05. Moldova: Nelly Ciobanu - Hora din Moldova ✓ 06. Ukraine: Svetlana Loboda - Be My Valentine! (Anti-Crisis Girl) ✓ 07. Denmark: Brinck - Believe Again ✓ 08. Croatia: Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea - Lijepa Tena ✓ 09. Greece: Sakis Rouvas - This Is Our Night ✓ 10. Ireland: Sinéad Mulvey and Black Daisy - Et Cetera 11. Cyprus: Christina Metaxa - Firefly 12. Slovenia: Quartissimo feat. Martina - Love Symphony 13. Slovakia: Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková - Leť tmou 14. Serbia: Marko Kon and Milaan - Cipela 15. Lithuania: Sasha Son - Love ✓ 16. Poland: Lidia Kopania - I Don't Wanna Leave 17. Hungary: Zoli Ádok - Dance with Me 18. Netherlands: The Toppers - Shine 19. Latvia: Intars Busulis - Probka 9/10 is a first!

[anilorakgifs]

Ani Lorak at The Repository of the Republic with Intars Busulis

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2007 - Number 28 - Intars Busulis - "Гонки"

Intars Busulis has form. Not only has he entered Eirodziesma twice before, as part of the band Caffe - albeit without much success - but he's already won a LTV talent show. He'd spent his early years in children's bands and later jazz groups. His education was through music schools and colleges, but instead of guitar, piano or violin, Intars's first instrument is the trombone.

When those first efforts at Eurovision in 2002 and 2003 came to naught, he moved on to talent shows, entering the 2005 edition of the Jaunais vilnis or New Wave show - the same show that Sopho Khalvashi got her break on. Intars went one better than Sopho and actually won the competition. After a few more appearances and performances with a variety of jazz groups, he came back to Eirodziesma under his own, now household name.

Гонки (Gonki/Race) is a bit of a weird one. For a start Intars is a bit shouty. There's an element of jazz in it, as well as at the art school. It wears is affectation on its sleeve. Notably it's being sung in Russian and not Latvian. The theme is going to become a regular one for Intars. It's about traffic. The race in the title is the rat race metaphorically represented by a range of vehicles racing to get to their destinations.

The song's structure is open - both in terms of not really having verses and choruses (although there is one there, lurking), but even the structure of the lines doesn't have any form of regularity. It's as frustrating as creeping forward a few metres in a traffic jam before having to slam the brakes on again. The song-writers are Intars himself along with Kārlis Lācis, a composer who normally writes for theatrical presentations and Sergejs Timofejevs a poet and DJ.

It chugs along with ever increasing tension and a few Russian/Latvian musical motifs thrown in there before being ground under the wheels of the musical cars honking their horns.

It turned out to be Intars best results (so far) at Eirodziesma, although it wasn't without hiccoughs. He only got out of the semi-final on the jury vote. He finished fourth in the televote which wasn't enough. However, in the final the televoters had come around to his charms and put him second. Still a long way behind the runaway winner.

Intars wasn't done with it yet though, and he of course went on to win the Latvian national final in 2009 and represent them at Eurovision. He tried one last time in 2022 too. He also has become a fixture both in the Latvian music industry and on Latvian TV. He's currently one of the judges and mentors on the Latvian version of the X Factor.

[xfactorlatvia-blog]

Meet the X Factor Latvia judges

Aija Auškāpa

Reinis Sējāns

Intars Busulis

[carlosdimitri54]

Elena Vaenga e Intars Busulis- Елена ВАЕНГА и Интарс БУСУЛИС - НЕВА - Neva

MÚSICA RUSSA,РУССКАЯ МУЗЫКА,RUSSIAN MUSIC,RUSSISCHE MUSIK, 俄羅斯音樂,MUSIQUE RUSSE,РОСІЙСЬКА МУЗИКА,MUSICA RUSA…

[visariga-blog]

Nākamā Pietura: Songs Inspired by Rīga’s Public Transportation

For many Rīdzinieki, public transportation is as much of an unavoidable part of everyday life as it is in any other city in the world. Unsurprisingly, they city's trams, trolleybusses, and busses have inspired countless Latvian artists since at least as early as famous poet Aleksandrs Čaks' works in the early 20th century. These five songs all come from the last 30 years of Latvian music and cover a wide variety of musical styles and range from serious poetry to lackadaisical schtick. 

1. “Mana Dienišķā Dziesma” by Pērkons: 

One of Latvia’s most popular and controversial Soviet-era stadium rock groups, Pērkons (thunder) released “Mana Dienišķā Dziesma” (my everyday song) in 1988 after having already been banned and un-banned by the Soviet government twice. The first half of the song recounts the narrator standing by the trolleybus stop and watching people get on and off. The song was a hit and still gets played on the radio today, and the style is very typical of Latvian rock music from just before the collapse of the USSR.

2. “Desmetais Tramvajs” by Labvēlīgais Tips

Latvia's beloved goofballs Labvēlīgais Tips regularly release songs with subjects as ordinary as a useless piece of wood named Konstantin (their attempt to get to Eurovision) or as absurd as an omnibus that drives through people's gardens and destroys their vegetables. Therefore, it's no surprise that in 1999 they released this classic ode to the #10 tram that drives everyday from Bišumuiža to the center. To give you an idea of the lyrics, here's the chorus:

The tenth tram, two-track splendor Take me away for two weeks The tenth tram, our hearts beat together Come and sit in this wagon of dreams

There's no ironic or sarcastic meaning behind their lyrics, it's meant to more or less be taken at its silly face value as with most of their songs. The style and instrumentation is fairly typical of the modern Latvian pop music commonly found on Radio 2.

3. “Daļa Rīgas” by Astro'n'out

This one is a little bit of a stretch, but Astro'n'out's breakout ode to Maskačka, Rīga's most unfairly maligned neighborhood, features the lyric “piecpadsmitais trolejbuss jau leģendārs” (the fifteenth trolleybus is already legendary). The #15 trolleybus which I take to and from Ķengarags every day is indeed legendary, and something I will be writing about in the near future. I like this song a lot because it's nice to hear something positive about Maskačka which has undergone a lot of positive development lately, and not just the kind of “urban renewal” that's code language for tearing down old buildings and replacing them with unaffordable modern monstrosities like in many other parts of the city. In fact, when this song was released more than ten years ago it was quite ahead of its time, as Maskačka's renewal had only just begun. While the neighborhood's condition and reputation has improved quite a bit since then, unfortunately the same can't quite be said about the #15 trolleybus... 

4. “Tramvajs” by Dziļi Violets

My personal favorite in the list, this short and uber-minimalist post-rock ballad is based around the following simple lyrics:

Everyday the tram  routine is to drive Along the one same path But he dreams that he'll one day have tires And be able to drive away

The words might seem a bit silly out of context, but they go perfectly when paired with the sparse piano and post-rock guitar. The fact that the lead singer is able to nearly flawlessly impersonate a trumpet with his mouth is only the icing on the cake for this song, and the guitarist saying the names of the #6 tram stops as the song fades out completes the effect. At first I wasn’t sure if the lyrics were meant to be tongue-in-cheek like the typical Labvēlīgais Tips track, but after listening to a few more of this relatively new band’s songs it seems that they’re likely serious about using the image of this tram stuck on the same tracks everyday dreaming of tires as a metaphor for how many of us wish that we could break out of our daily grinds and find somewhere better. Most impressive to me is the mood and message that they were able to achieve in just more than two minutes, although I’m pretty sure that now I’ll never be able to take the #6 tram again without feeling at least a bit melancholy.

5. “Nākamā Pieturā — Depo” by Intars Busulis

The most recent on this list and the one that inspired me to make this list in the first place, this melodramatic power ballad sung by Intars Busulis was penned by legendary Latvian poet and lyricist Māra Zālīte, who wrote the Lāčplesis rock opera among her many other works. Busulis has been quite successful in Russia thanks to his dramatic style typical of Russian pop music (as well as his appearances on Russian TV contests), and this lead single and title track off of his 2017 album is no exception. 

The narrator recounts the moment he is sitting on a tram “like a full bottle” where everyone is coughing, and out of the corner of his eye he sees “her.” He instantly falls in love when he looks into her “eyes as warm as home,” and wants to change the entire world just for her. Of course, just as quickly as she bursts into his world, she gets off at the next stop - “Depo.” He rushes off the tram after her, but when he steps onto the boulevard he sees that she's greeted by another man waiting for her with a “kiss that lasted as long as hell.” All alone, he gets back on the tram. Cheesy and cliché-ridden for sure, but any song that can derive so much emotion and drama from a ride on the #7 tram is a rousing success in my book. The album that this song is from will be out soon, so if you enjoy this type of music I would check it out.

And that covers it for now! If you think we missed any of your favorite public transportation-related Latvian songs, make sure to let us know.

[cilvekimeza-blog]

7 cilvēki skrēja; 2 vajadzēja paskriet līdzi; 3 vīrieši; 8 sievietes.

1. Ar draugiem atpūtīsies. Ik pa laikam uz kaut kādiem pasākumiem dodas, bet parasti pavada brīvdienu vakarus ar draugiem. Jāņi te būs jautri.

2. Darbosies pa mājām. Atkarībā, vai kaut kas notiek Liepājā. Teica, lai skatos liepājniekiem.lv.

3. Nav jūsu interesēs. Ja vienatnē, tad pie TV, ja ar draugiem - dažādi. Nezina, neseko līdzi.

4. Intars Busulis. Biežāk mekl�� kaut ko ārpus Liepājas, jo nedēļas laikā apnīk sēdēt iekštelpās. Nākamnedēļ Jāņus svinēs Liepājā.

5. Skatīsies TV. Patīk vienatnē atslābt.

6. Gan jau kaut ko ar draugiem izdomāsim. Ar draugiem atpūšas. Kaut ko jau vienmēr var te atrast.

7. Vienkārši atpūtīšos. “Laikam jau iziešu paskriet.” (smejas) “Nezin, gan jau Jāņos...”

8. Pa mājām kaut ko. Pa mājām vai ar draugiem. Nav ne jausmas.

9. Es ar draudzenēm pavadīšu šo vakaru. Dažādi. Jāskatās uz afišām

10. Kaut kad atpakaļ piedāvāja uz kaut kādu mūzikas pasākumu pie ezera. Laikam uz to ies. Parasti ar draugiem atpūšas. Lai skatos, kas uz Jāņiem notiek šajā apkārtnē.

11. Nekas tāds nav ieplānots. Ja neviens nekur neaicina, tad pa mājām. Jāņus te var svinēt pie pludmales ar draugiem.