Future Of The Left - The Plot Against Common Sense Review

Plot smoothes some edges and makes others more ragged, but the songs, shaped by the sharp guitars and martial drumming, are some of the strongest Falkous has ever written. Whether he’s attacking Trustafarians (“Sorry Dad, I Was Late For The Riots”) or considering the environmental impact of plastics (“Polymers Are Forever”), Falkous strikes the right balance of aggressive and catchy. “Goals In Slow Motion” might be the most musically straightforward thing FOTL has ever done—squint and you could hear it on commercial radio—but it’s juxtaposed with the sinister, incredible “Beneath The Waves An Ocean,” whose chorus (“no way you’ll ever find peace with the name they gave you”) is more hissed than sung....full text Andy Falkous is something of a personal hero, and if he ever decides to give up on music, I just hope an institution of higher learning allows him an emeritus professorship based on the philosophical principles set forth by Mclusky's Do Dallas. Our children deserve it. I say all of this because the corporate-slick production on Future of the Left 's third album makes me wonder if this is still the guy who made the music of "To Hell With Good Intentions" and "You Need Satan More Than He Needs You" as sharp as their wit. And what about the cover and the goddamn title of The Plot Against Common Sense? What in god's name is the author of "Fuck This Band" doing stealing ideas from unpublished John Stossel books?
As it turns out, those fears aren't fully realized on The Plot Against Common Sense, though they are definitely warranted. Little has changed musically for the always-contradictory Future of the Left. The constituent parts are primitively composed but played with vice-tight musicianship, while the blindingly bright, major-key synth riffs still come off as abrasive as anything produced by an atonal noise band. ...full text For Future Of The Left’s third album, frontman Andy Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone are fortified by a second guitarist (Jimmy Watkins), a new bassist (Julia Ruzicka) and some new synthesizer settings, all in the name of high-decibel spleen venting. This time out, the Lefties are pretty tempered, at times trading velocity for mood (“City Of Exploded Children”) and the occasional jokey histrionic display (dig the gruff Yankee dude-setto on “Camp Cappuccino”). But the paydirt is when the band flail in jagged, spiked glory (“Anchor,” “Sheena Is A T-Shirt Salesman”) and channel everyone from Fugazi to Hammerhead. Come for the rock, but stay for Falkous’ sarcasm-dripping bon mots such as “If Michael Bay wants a bigger house, let’s help him” (“Robocop 4 – Fuck Off Robocop”) and “Where were you when Russell Brand discovered fire?” (“Notes On Achieving Orbit”)....full text