Melodifestivalen Heat One: Preliminary Judgement

February is great for two reasons: the Oscars and Melodifestivalen! Sweden's biggest musical month is back, and I am more than ready for it! As usual, I'll be live blogging tomorrow during the show, but for now I'd like to offer my first thoughts on the song clips provided by svt. As always, my opinions are likely to change when I hear the full things tomorrow...

(Listen to clips here)

David Lindgren - Skyline
I'd imagine he will do well just based on his success in last year's competition. The song sounds like a great uptempo start to the festivities, though maybe not as instant as Shout It Out was. I think in the long run, I'll like it better, though. 4/5

Cookies 'N' Beans - Burning Flags
Another act that's not new to the competition. This sounds bigger than I expected it to, and I could easily see it progressing onward. It doesn't mean that it's my favorite track, though. 2.5/5

Jay-Jay Johanson - Paris
A well-respected artist in Sweden, but as far as I can tell, a pretty boring song. It just seems too subdued for a contest like this. I'm not getting a lot of melody from the clip, but maybe the full song will be better. 2/5

Mary N'diaye - Gosa ("Cuddle")
Quite a departure from the past two tracks, this Brazilian dance song will certainly stand out. While I like the sound of it, I'm not sure that hook registers as strongly as it could. We'll see. 3/5

Eric Gadd - Vi kommer aldrig att förlora ("We'll Never Lose")
I've always liked this type of indie Swedish rock, and while I don't think it belongs in MF, this sounds like something I might enjoy after the competition. Nice production flourishes throughout, though I do fear that the full version will get a little boring. 3.5/5

Yohio - Heartbreak Hotel
I love the general weirdness of the look and the sound (if not the strength) of the vocals, but I was hoping fora bit more melodically. The text below the preview references The Ark, but The Ark would never write a melody this dull. I hope the full version is better! 3/5

Anna Järvinen - Porslin ("Porcelain")
The only real ballad of the heat, and it's pretty boring, as expected. There's a chance that Sweden might go for her on name recognition alone, but (although there's a hint of a nice, familiar melody), the song's pretty darn sleepy. 1.5/5

Michael Feiner & Caisa - We're Still Kids
Now we're talking! Despite the shaky live vocals, I am loving what I'm hearing so far. The saxophone is unique (and super 80's) and the melody is exactly what I'm looking for. This could easily end up being a five when I hear the whole thing, especially in studio version. 4.5/5

Well, based on the previews, this is definitely stronger than last year's first heat. Although, that week had the eventual winner in the line-up, and I don't think our 2013 winner is amongst these eight. I hope Michael and Caisa sail through, but I'm thinking it's more likely that we see David and Cookies 'N' Beans straight to the final, which would be odd considering they're the first two acts.