The Mojo Fins’ third album, recorded at Rockfield Studios in Brighton and produced by Dave Eringa, renowned for his work with big-name acts including Manic Street Preachers, Idlewild and, most recently, Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey on their ‘Going Back Home’ album is unquestionably an chievement.
While The Mojo Fins personally cite The Shins, Ryan Adams and Elliot Smith as their leading musical inspirations, it’s easy enough to hear why they’re often likened to bands like Elbow, REM and early Coldplay. That said, ‘Circa’ shares as much common ground with the likes of Mr Mister and Mike and the Mechanics, but that’s not the criticism it may initially appear.
There are ripples of nostalgia and waves of introspection that are an integral part of the album’s flow – and flow it does, the fluid strings tugging at the heartstrings on the reflective ‘Longwave Reach’, transitioning effortlessly into the delicately interlooping guitar line on the dreamy ‘Exhale’. ‘Exhale’ is spacious and evocative, and some sweet harmonies and neat guitar detail gives ‘Grass’ a deceptive punch. Further broadening the contrasting components and the diversity of the musical elements, ‘White Heart Beats’ incorporates a danceable beat beneath a gently rolling synth and piano-led tune.
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Layered, tuneful and faultlessly accessible, the greatest triumph of ‘Circa’ is that is succeeds as an album with huge mass-market potential without being painfully insipid.
The Mojo Fins Online
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