There's a lot of history behind Future of the Left, but I'll do what I can to keep that short. The band was formed by two members formerly of the band mclusky (Andy Falkous on vocals/guitar and Jack Egglestone on drums). The other band members were in some bands too, and Future of the Left was a result of those bands splitting up in the mid 2000's.
Future of the Left sound sort of like an evolution of mclusky, and "The Plot Against Common Sense" sounds even more evolved. There's more of an electronic vibe to several songs on this album, but it never seems to overshadow the ferocity of the music or the wit of the lyrics. I'd say it even sounds out of place in some places, but for the most part the electronic sounds add some layers to some fairly minimalist arrangements.
All the elements this band has shown before are still here. The clunky bass, simple but effective guitar parts, and punk rock drums. Andy Falkous is as rowdy as ever, spitting veiled, and sometimes not so veiled insults at everything from modern music and overproduced films to environmental issues and hippies.
The energy on this album is just outstanding, and it rarely lets up. Tracks like "Sheena is a T-shirt Salesman" and "Camp Cappuccino" show off the bouncy punk rock sound the band is known for with Andy Falkous' rather impressive yell. "Beneath the Waves an Ocean" shows that Falkous can sing a melodic part and make it work, as well as "Polymers are Forever" with it's expertly places electronic sounds and Falkous chanting to us as song comes to a close. "Robocop 4: Fuck Off Robocop" may have the best song title I've ever heard and backs it up with lyrics like "if Michael Bay wants a bigger house, let's help him!"
Not everything here is gold, however. "Failed Olympic Bid" is a bit too repetitive and runs a bit too long considering the song's melody isn't very ear catching. "Cosmo's Ladder" sounds a bit too silly to really enjoy, and Falkous sounds more annoying than interesting on "Sorry Dad, I Was Late for the Riots."
I'd recommend "The Plot Against Common Sense" to anyone who might be a fan of Shellac, Pixies, or Cloud Nothings. It's a pretty good starting point for people unfamiliar with Falkous' music, and should definitely lead you to some of Falkous' older (and better) stuff like mclusky's "mclusky Do Dallas."
Rating: 82%
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