A Music Album Review of ‘The Plot against Common Sense’ by Future of the Left

Do you feel like being preached to? ‘The Plot against Common Sense‘ is an interesting by Future of the Left. We are reviewing it out of a mixture of curiosity and genuine interest. Appearances can be deceptive because this is not a preachy rock singer. In fact he has been dubbed one of the funniest angry men in Indie Rock. It is a new compliment for the singer from Wales. Nevertheless Andy Falkous continues to create benchmarks for the music industry. He is indeed a tough act to follow.

During his days with Mclusky, he created an arguably seminal album. Few people who have listened to ‘Mclusky Do Dallas’ (2002) will be in doubt about the considerable talent that we are dealing with here. Following the demise of the band, he teamed up with Jack Egglestone to form Future of the Lest. He also worked with members of the Cardiff band called Jarcrew. That effort produced the supreme album that we are reviewing today.

Essential FOTL has decided to rage against global injustice as well as commonplace irritants like summer event movies. The album opens with ‘Sheena is a T-shirt Salesman’. It is a sarcastic lyric with fiery sounds. The ‘Failed Olympic Bid’ is a poke at Little England. The lyrics are tight and precise. We were glad to listen to a singer who does not belabor the point. The humor of the track “Sorry Dad, I Was Late for the Riots” is incredibly sophisticated even as it tackles the pretensions of the bourgeoisie.

Those who are tired of silly movies will love ‘Robocop 4’. Perhaps the album lacks some delicacy in the sound but the message is well received and understood. This is my idea of a perfect protest record. There are those who may consider some of the targets too easy but the album ‘The Plot against Common Sense‘ by Future of the Left is surely a great addition to the repertoire.

The sarcasm and lyrical dexterity of the singer impressed us in this review. This is a grown-up version of a takedown. They could have made the sound gentler in parts. The fiery sound can become monotonous on the umpteenth hearing.