Album Review: Future Of The Left - The Plot Against Common Sense

The title of the new FOTL album is proof that the razor wit of Andy 'Falco' Falkous is as sharp as ever. His lyrics often take on the role of social commentator, and he certainly isn't having trouble finding things to comment on. Failed Olympic Bid is timely and obviously a response to what is no doubt Olympic fever across the UK at the moment. More 'ripped from the headlines' lyrics in the form of Sorry Dad I Was Late For The Riots, but really both titles are an excuse to dig deeper than the stories and heap shit on people who are almost certainly deserving of it – those involved in The Plot Against Common Sense no doubt. More light-hearted targets include Michael Bay's film-making genre of 'movies-for-eight-year-old-boys' on the track Robocop 4 – Fuck Off Robocop. Falco has made a more intelligent and succinct commentary on the dire state of the modern film industry than most proper film critics would dare.

With two new players on board for this, the third FOTL record since the disbanding of McLusky, the band sound larger than ever. The opening track Sheena Is A T-Shirt Salesman is high tempo, with frantic changes and several different hook sections that all somehow fit in at just over two minutes. Failed Olympic Bid features some minimal keyboard lines and is reminiscent of the single note repetitiveness of You Need Satan More Than He Needs You from Travels With Myself And Another.

The album itself is the next chapter in the flaming arc of FOTL's trajectory, and it creates a level of unbridled anticipation for seeing them onstage smashing this record out sometime soon.