Future of the Left is a band that knows how to channel incredible amounts of energy into their music, and The Plot Against Common Sense is no exception. From the first snare build-up of ‘Sheena is a T-Shirt Salesman’ to the slower paced songs like ‘Failed Olympic Bid’, Future of the Left have brought their entire arsenal to the game with this album. The production on the album remains quite raw, never crossing into ‘overproduced’ territory but it never fails to show off the band’s excellent ear for tone. The recording style has perfectly captured the sound of the band with everything straddling the fence between clean and overdriven.
The quartet, consisting of Andy “Falco” Falkous, Jack Eggleston, Jimmy Watkins and Julie Ruzick have really stepped up the song-writing in this outing. When the ‘wall of noise’ riffs hit, they really knock your socks off. It’s hard to pinpoint any bands that Future of the Left really sound like, varying between The Hives style guitar work, Enter Shikari synth parts and time signatures with a very unique vocal style, Future of the Left are easily one of the most exciting bands putting music out at the moment.
The longest song on the album only clocks in at four minutes and ten seconds, so even when the group drops into their more drone and shoegaze influenced songs there just isn’t enough time for it to become stale. ‘Polymers are Forever’ being an example of this. The song consists of only two riffs while Andy sings and screams his way through a vocal and lyrical onslaught, yet never allowing the song to grow boring.
Standout tracks on the album are ‘Camp Cappuccino’, ‘I am the Least of your Problems’ and ‘Anchor’. This is an album for those who like their alternative rock pushing into hardcore territory and infused with kooky elements. Occasional pop elements should have this album appealing to a very broad audience and with a new album coming in the next year, maybe we will see Future of the Left become a staple of the alternative scene.
8.5/10
Reviewer: Paul Graham