Music
Press
The Mojo Fins are polished performers in the indie tradition of Elbow, Editors and perhaps unwanted comparisons to Coldplay, they craft intricate, ethereal,slow building songs that get under the skin.
The songs from the EP are simpler, led by Brett's powerful yet mournful voice, providing a more natural sound, perfectly reflected in the beautiful Palace of Memories.
A great prog-rock instrumental followed, before they dipped back into Shake the Darkness and Memory Maps.
The band rounded things up with the highlight of the evening, Sweet Spirit, the lead song from the EP, which swells in reverb guitar and percussion, showing the developing organic sound of the band that puts them right up there with the best indie rock has to offer.(Paul Smith BA) - Brighton Argus
Dim lighting, an open-mind, and The Spirit EP is enough to cast any believer or non-believer into a deep ambient reflection. Brimming with potential, The Mojo Fins deliver nothing short of an ethereal odyssey on their most recent release.
The Brighton based contemporary rock quartet emerged from their debut album The Sound That I Still Hear released in 2009 to join the UK pop-rock swimming pool. Since, The Mojo Fins have joined forces with producer Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers) to assemble The Spirit EP – a refined collection of atmosphere rock embedded in a spiritual quest for self-identity.
For those familiar to the contemporary-rock sound of The Mojo Fins, The Spirit EP may – for about 55 seconds – turn fans into skeptics. However, when the swelling croon emerges into the ‘Sweet Spirit’ refrain – the unforgettable ingenuity of The Mojo Fins is remembered. Drifting through the reverbed guitar leads and pulsing percussion kicks, the ambient curtain raiser surges through the body in a growing desire.
Traces of Bon Iver prevail at the launch of ‘Palace of Memory’, but quickly dissolve into the atmospheric vocalese of front man Stephen Brett’s harmony. Meanwhile, the acoustic fingerings on ‘K2’ serve as architecture to the abstract synth decor and accented piano chords in the background. At times, the fourth track ‘When I Go’ recalls American rock-band Switchfoot purely in it’s vocal similarity, but for the most part it falls fittingly into the distinctive ambient rock collection of The Spirit EP.
As the record wanders over and over again it becomes clear The Mojo Fins have captured their elusive sound on this record. With the assistance of Dave Eringa, Rockfield Studios, and experimental songwriting, The Mojo Fins illuminate their sonorous new sound on The Spirit EP.
- The Gig Review
The Mojo Fins are something of a new name to me, but apparently the four-piece Brighton based dreamy indie band have racked up a couple of albums to date, with their second album, Shake The Darkness receiving airplay on the likes of Radio 2 and Juice FM among others, whilst back in 2009, recovering from the loss of their original lead singer Jon Chandler in a road accident (2007) the band performed at Glastonbury as well as reaching the finals of Q Magazine’s Emerging Talent Competition.
The Spirit EP is the band’s follow up to the aforementioned second album and is a stunning showcase of The Mojo Fins delicate take on the indie genre bringing to mind the likes of J. Tillman, Fleet Foxes and a perhaps a stripped down Doves among others. Acoustic guitars blend effortlessly with fragile, swirling electrics and ethereal keyboards, all topped off with Stephen Brett’s soulful croon and the group’s evocative use of vocal harmonies.
The EP opens with the stunning mood setter, Sweet Spirit, complete with a haunting intro, those aforementioned subtle vocal harmonies, gentle almost lulling guitars and Stephen delivering a passionate cooed vocal that instantly compells the listener to block out any distractions and allow The Mojo Fins to seep from the speakers.
K2 see’s the band on a sombre mood as the band mourn over loss drawing the listener into their blackened tale with frontman Stephen hit a stunning falsetto as the track draws towards a close, whilst the band blend a moody piano motif with those omnipresent acoustic guitars and a marching beat. Whilst the band perhaps save the best for last on the simply breathtaking When I Go, a track that features gorgeous, atmospheric opening complete with multi-layered backing vocals over a stripped down piano motif and the occasional chiming guitar that urges repeat continous repeat spins.
On the evidence of The Spirit EP, I’ve got a bit of catching up to do, The Mojo Fins are a wonderful combination of infectious intimate melodies, passionate vocals and sparse yet mesmeric arrangements that allow the songs to really breathe. Turn down the lights and submerge into the majestic dreamy indie of The Mojo Fins.
Rhythm & Booze Rating 9
Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast) - Rhythm and Booze
Discography
The Spirit EP - June 2012
Shake the Darkness - Album - June 2011
The Sound that I Still Hear - Album - June 2009
Photos
Bio
“Since their debut album in 2009 The Mojo Fins have cranked up the epic levels; these songs soar with anthemic confidence with the release of their new album 'Shake the Darkness' . The production stewardship of Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers & Idlewild) truly bring the songs to life, juggling crescendos of analogue guitar warmth with live strings and keys against towering vocal harmonies. The tunes are there, the hooks are there – you’re unlikely to hear a more accomplished and self-assured album this year. The Mojo Fins just have to transfer it to a national audience, and that can only be a matter of time.” (NC) Brighton Source.
Brighton band The Mojo Fins emerge from recent recording sessions at the legendary Rockfield Studios with producer Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers, Idlewild) to deliver The Spirit EP – four brand new tracks available May 27th 2012. A release that sees this emerging UK act take their brand of contemporary rock to new heights with a collection of songs that feature heartfelt lyrics and dreamlike guitar arrangements.
The Mojo Fins create melodic, rhapsodic, evocative and unforgettable rock that traverses the poles of emotion and speaks to the soul and on many occasions have been likened to bands such as; Fleet Foxes, Elbow and early Coldplay, crafting electrifying, moving and uplifting songs that revive and build upon many of the lost qualities of great British guitar music with soaring harmonies, needlework guitar lattices, towering arrangements and a vintage sound palette of valve compressors, Rhodes keys and live strings.
Yet things could have been so different when The Mojo Fins’ vocalist and guitarist Jon Chandler was tragically killed in a road accident in May 2007 only days before the release of their first single ‘Pinata Face’. There were many who wondered if the band would continue but Stephen Brett (vocals/guitar), Steve Hoile (bass/keys) and Dave Russell (drums), did not. They knew it had to because music, like friendship, transcends death and the dream that four school mates once swore they’d make a reality lives on. Several months later, galvanised by the addition of a new member (friend and guitarist, Adam Luke Atkins) the Brighton based quartet set about recording and producing their debut album ‘The Sound That I Still Hear’, which culminated in an exhilarating performance at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival as one of the finalists in Q Magazine’s ‘Emerging Talent Competition’, followed by the recording of a live EP (The Mojo Fins: Live At The Red Room) featuring acoustic versions of the albums more poignant songs.
Talk to The Mojo Fins and you’ll get to know a band in love with music, rather than the celebrity it can bring, their devotion to the art inspired by the likes of Elliot Smith, Ryan Adams and The Shins. Listen to their ever-expanding repertoire and you’ll hear songs composed with painstaking care and attention to detail, coruscating guitars, intricate rhythms and driving bass bound together by the unifying force of melody, so often lost to haircuts and swagger or within walls of noise.
Further inspired by what they had achieved and the emergence of a solid and devoted following through various headline performances (at Brighton’s Duke of York’s Cinema, Komedia and Pavilion Theatre), The Mojo Fins embarked on their most prolific period, finally completing more than 40 songs which were then submitted to a number of major producers both in the UK and America. The eventual outcome is ‘Shake the Darkness’, 12 tracks which reflect their wide musical tastes and showcase their continuing refinement of melody and lyrical inventiveness.
With their latest release ‘The Spirit EP’ receiving excellent reviews The Mojo Fins are on track to set 2012 alight. United in the spirit that brought them together they find themselves today on the brink of a new stage, as excited, as bold, as exceptional as ever.
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