they don't mention the black knight though...

do you remember i'm from barcelona? they were this huge, sprawling band actually from sweden that played joyful, twee tunes that made you happy and want to skip around with flowers in your hair...i'm sure you must have heard of them, they were really popular like last month! well, you know how time flies in the blogosphere, here one minute, gone the next. here's the band that i guarantee will replace their swedish charms in your heart: tournaments. yup. they don't even have an album yet. that's how cutting edge mr. mammoth is. we bring you the unsigned shit.

tournaments may only be a five-piece, but they give i'm from barcelona a run for their melodic money nonetheless (anyway, no one can actually hear all of the 29 instruments). fronted by acoustic guitarman gethin pearson, tournaments plays what can only be described as sweet-rock, gentle and repetitive melodies with violin embellishments that lift hearts and make faces smile. "boldest of colours," the best track streaming on their myspace, is delicate and spacious, and seems to find, as with a divining rod, the quickest way to cheerfulness. pearson's voice hovers over the music, propelling it and encouraging it, and "boldest of colours" comes to far too early of a conclusion at just over three minutes. tournaments also have a live video available for viewing, of a song entitled "message deleted." revolving around the oft-repeated chorus "yeah, i really really really really (really) wanna get close to you," the song is nothing but cheerful, with bouncy interplay between the organ and drums, and the violin soaring above it all, and pearson almost screaming - not with joy, not with despair, but just with energy.

tournaments isn't one-sided, though - it's not all major chords and chocolate drops for these five. "lone sailor," another streaming track, is longing, with an expansive violin and a much more stripped down feel (no i'm from barcelona references here). "turn and run," their final demo on myspace, is somewhere in between the others. it doesn't burst with energy and happiness, but isn't mopey or lonesome. it still has perky melodies, but tinged with a little more anxiety. these tracks are just demos, and i'm expectantly waiting for an LP and record deal from these guys. keep an eye out.

tournaments - "message deleted"