Mojo Fury - Visiting Hours Of A Travelling Circus (Album Review)
Monday, 09 May 2011
Written by Ben Bland
Having played with everyone from recently departed legends Oceansize to fellow countrymen And So I Watch You From Afar on recent UK tours, Mojo Fury’s debut full-length comes highly anticipated by many who have been impressed by the Northern Irish quartet’s spiky live shows. The impressively titled 'Visiting Hours of a Travelling Circus' is a record in which Mojo Fury try to forge their own sound whilst also paying tribute to the bands that have clearly influenced them along the way.
Opening up with the exhilarating kick in the balls that is 'The Mann', this is a record that is energetic from the start. Even when things do let up a little and the band wander into shimmering post-rock territory there is always the sense that things could jump straight back into At the Drive-In esque post-hardcore at any moment.
This band lives on the edge and throughout this record the edge sounds pretty great. The piano part to 'Bones' provides an immediate highlight and the trumpet appearing on 'Lemon Marine' and 'Kill Cock Robin' provides a moment of wonderfully executed originality. 'We Should Just Run Away' meanwhile is the band at their most catchy.
Underpinned by a throbbing synth line that is straight out of 'The Fragile' era Nine Inch Nails, this is where Mojo Fury make the most apparent impact. It is undoubtedly when they are being either particularly experimental or especially tuneful that they are at their best, and their best is pretty damn good for a band this early in their career.
However there is a slight issue with 'Visiting Hours of a Travelling Circus'. Everything on the record is up to a certain standard of excellence but very little really stands out immediately. The problem with this occurring on debut records is that it makes things harder to listen to than one would perhaps hope. Mojo Fury will impress the more discerning listeners who give this album a spin because said listeners will give the record more than one chance. However, those who prefer their music to jump out at them may not be that enthused. This is strange because Mojo Fury are heavy in the same exciting off the wall way as the likes of Glassjaw and Reuben but, because pretty much everything is on the same level, there is a lack of moments that really make you sit up and pay attention.
Perhaps it is just that Mojo Fury have not quite mastered how to take their live kick and bring it into the studio or perhaps they just need more time to develop before they are quite on the same level as some of their more consistently enthralling influences and peers. What is for certain is that 'Visiting Hours of a Travelling Circus', whilst nowhere near a classic debut record, is a fine attempt that should really impress given the repeated listens it truly deserves and needs. 2011 and beyond is looking very bright for Mojo Fury.
Album rating: 7/10
Mojo Fury are currently on tour with And So I Watch You from Afar and play Sonisphere and 2000 Trees, no doubt amongst other things, this summer.
'Visiting Hours of a Travelling Circus' is released on the 9th May via Graphite Records.
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This band lives on the edge and throughout this record the edge sounds pretty great. The piano part to 'Bones' provides an immediate highlight and the trumpet appearing on 'Lemon Marine' and 'Kill Cock Robin' provides a moment of wonderfully executed originality. 'We Should Just Run Away' meanwhile is the band at their most catchy. 
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