Mojo Fury

Visiting Hours of a Travelling Circus

Granite Records

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

Somewhere on here there's an old review of People in Planes' first album, ...As Far As The Eye Can See; as I recall, it was actually probably more lukewarm on paper than I intended, for I fucking love that record, but the point I want to make with regards Visiting Hours is this: like PiP's first, Mojo Fury's debut is stunningly eclectic and capriciously brilliant. Unlike PiP's first, there are prominent synths, heavier guitars and a general industrial atmosphere that recalls Nine Inch Nails' first two records. The industrial People in Planes then? Maybe, but live at least you do get the impression that Mojo Fury have got so much more up their collective sleeves, just waiting to be set loose.

Though there's pretty much every texture from full-on alternative metal ('The Mann') to post-rock ('Electric Sea' and 'Lemon Marine'; no it is not fucking 'blissed-out' you hack fucks... rant over, I promise), somehow the all-pervading atmosphere of industrial gloom manages to make it all hang together in one coherent package. On 'Pill Pigeon is an Orange Wheel' (rad name, I know), there's even a brass solo over a kinda early Yes proggy bit, though I feel like I have to mention I'm a little disappointed with the recorded version of live highlight 'Runaway'. Here, named 'We Should Just Run Away' it lacks the jagged punch of its live counterpart and comes across more like Filter sanitised a little for radio play, which is kind of a shame.

They say that your first album is basically your greatest hits up to that point (or that you have your whole life to write it, depending on which idiom you prefer), and with Mojo Fury that really shows; clearly all these tracks are representative of the same group of musicians working together, but in the detail it becomes clear that this is more a flex of the muscles, a test of strength before their real bid for the prize begins.

Did I mention that it's still a fucking ace record in spite of all that? Well it is.