Eurovision: The Songs! The Spectacle! The Geopolitics!

This week, the 59th annual Eurovision Song Contest is in full swing. Every year the contest is hosted by the country that won the previous, so this year it's being held in Copenhagen, Denmark thanks to Emmelie de Forest who won last year with this little number, "Only Teardrops."

The contest, which reaches its glitzy finale on Saturday, features dozens of European countries competing to crown a new regional music champion. Set designs and costumes frequently look like they've arrived from space. Bad songs are lifted by stunning performances, and great songs are bungled by mediocre singers. And hundreds of millions of viewers vote from the comfort of their couch on the winning-est combination of talent and raw material. 

As in years past, the 2014 iteration has no shortage of political overtones, with Russia and Ukraine battling it out in real life. But the story that seems to be making the most waves is that of Austrian Thomas Neuwirth, who performs in drag by the name of Conchita Wurst.

In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Elisabeth Vincentelli -- the chief drama critic for New York Post, and, as regular listeners will know, an avid Eurovision fan -- discusses the Russian-Ukrainian conflagration and Crimean votes, Wurst, the playfulness of the Nordic countries, and why the French didn't get the memo to sing in English.

Check out some of this year's Eurovision contenders:

SEBALTER (SWITZERLAND)

Listen for: Infectious, ear-worm-y whistling.

MARIA YAREMCHUK (UKRAINE)

Listen for: More whistling.

ARAM MP3 (ARMENIA)

Listen for: Unexpected (and, in 2014, totally expected) bass drop at about 3:00 mark.

AARZEMNIEKI (LATVIA)

Listen for: Guileless and joyous absurdity.

TWIN TWIN (FRANCE)

Listen for: Dunno, can't understand. Something about a mustache.