Mojo Fury - Visiting Hours Of A Travelling Circus

Scatter-shot approaches work. Sometimes they do so against all odds, and the debut album from Lisburn-based Mojo Fury is proof of this. Having been on the scene for seven years at this stage, no-one could accuse the group of lacking in the experience required to pull off something as ambitious as their long-awaited debut album ‘Visiting Hours of a Travelling Circus’.

Their confidence allows them to be everywhere at once, to throw everything they know into their songs and do it skilfully. The result is a record that veers from electro-rock (‘We Should Just Run Away’) to unpredictable, hard-edged prog-pop songs like ‘Lemon Marine’. There is an accessibility running through the whole record that displays the knack for melody the trio possess.

As a result, even when they cut loose on ‘Pill Pigeon Is An Orange Wheel’ (no, I don’t get it either) they manage to draw the listener in long before doing so. There is a feeling that in the hands of any other band, this collection of ten extremely diverse songs would not work as an album, but ‘Visiting Hours…’ is surprisingly cohesive.

Mojo Fury can even chuck in a closer that’s as close to post-rock as they’ve ever come, namely the atmospheric ‘Electric Sea’ and ensure it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. It’s the equivalent of a patchwork quilt, but this is its best asset, something which renders it gloriously unpredictable and thrilling. Worth the wait? You’d better believe it.