15-06-2012, 12:45
online listen
wtf was that?
witty humorous lyrics
not much actual singing
scary that I was starting to like it
it would take some plays though
1.3 from me and a converted 2.4 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - Sheena Is A T-Shirt Salesman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcD2cqNT1bQ
released June 12th, 2012
![[Image: 220px-The_plot_against_common_sense.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5a/The_plot_against_common_sense.jpg/220px-The_plot_against_common_sense.jpg)
Bio - from allmusic
Scrappy Welsh noise rock trio Mclusky was one of the bright spots in the British indie scene's post-Brit-pop
hangover, releasing three appealingly noisy albums, 2000's My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours,
2002's Mclusky Do Dallas, and 2005's The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire, before an
acrimonious split in 2005, apparently due to intra-band tensions due to an incident on the trio's 2004 American tour
where the band's van and equipment were stolen. During the same period, Welsh electro-punks Jarcrew released two
albums, 2002's Breakdance Euphoria Kids and 2003's Jarcrew, before also splitting in early 2005, reportedly due to
the drummer finding religion. While Mclusky bassist Jon Chapple went off to form Shooting at Unarmed Men, the trio's
remaining members, singer and guitarist Andrew Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone, hooked up with Jarcrew singer
and keyboardist Kelson Mathias and bassist Hywel Evans to form a new fusion of the two bands.
Evans quickly left to start his own group, with Mathias moving over to bass, and after experimenting with a variety
of tongue-in-cheek names, the remaining trio debuted as Future of the Left in the fall of 2006. Remaining with
Mclusky's label, Too Pure Records, Future of the Left made their recorded bow with a double A-sided single, "Fingers
Become Thumbs" and "The Lord Hates a Coward," in January 2007. Two more singles, "A Dead Enemy Always Smells Good"
and "Small Bones Small Bodies," followed in May and September. Future of the Left's debut album, Curses, was
released in the fall of 2007. A live album, 2008's Last Night I Saved Her from Vampires, became the band's 4AD
debut; early the following year, the single "The Hope That House Built" signaled Future of the Left's heavier attack
on their second album, Travels with Myself and Another, which arrived in summer 2009. The following year, Mathias
left the group, and Oceansize bassist Steve Hodson joined the fold for some live shows before a permanent
replacement, former Million Dead member Julia Ruzicka, was announced. That year, the band also added a new
guitarist, Jimmy Watkins, who also joined Future of the Left in time to record the band's third album, The Plot
Against Common Sense, which was released in June 2012.
Album Review - from allmusic
The Plot Against Common Sense unveiled Future of the Left's expanded lineup, minus longtime bassist Kelson Mathias
and with new bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Julia Ruzicka and new guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Watkins. Any fears that a
four-piece lineup would sap the originality or bite from the band's sound were unfounded: while early tastes of the
album such as the Polymers Are Forever EP reaffirmed that the band's chunky riffs, caustic keyboards, and Jack
Egglestone's remarkably creative yet economic drumming were all still in place, the rest of The Plot Against Common
Sense reveals the revamped Future of the Left are just as committed to smart, angry, heavy rock as they always were.
However, unlike the explosive ferocity of their previous album, Travels with Myself and Another, this time the
group's attack is more of an enduring grind, with an almost mechanical precision on "Failed Olympic Bid" and a grim
inevitability in "A Guide to Men"'s lumbering rhythm and claustrophobic synths. These knottier, denser snarls of
sound underscore the frustration in Andy Falkous' words, and while being surrounded by a confederacy of dunces has
inspired him since his Mclusky days, his lyrics have rarely been sharper or funnier. "I have seen into the
future/Everyone is slightly older," he deadpans on "Cosmo's Ladder," and the way he snarls "Now we're talking/At
least, you're moving your mouth" gives the lie to "Camp Cappuccino"'s satirical bluster, but even the shouted "sha-
la-la-la-la"s on "Notes on Achieving Orbit" are just as eloquent as any of his wordier lyrics. There's a feeling of
impatience on The Plot Against Common Sense that leads Falkous and company to take a more literal approach than they
have in the past as they rail against privilege ("Sorry Dad, I Was Late for the Riots"), rant about film studios
cranking out franchises ad nauseum ("Robocop 4 -- **** Off Robocop"), and lay waste to the music industry's never-
ending marketing opportunities in less than two minutes ("Sheena Is a T-Shirt Salesman"). These might be easy
targets, but they're also ones with surprising longevity, which suggests that Future of the Left is onto something
with that album title. The band devotes less time to the more melodic, searching side of its music that made Travels
as poetic as it was fierce, although the soaring chorus on "Beneath the Waves an Ocean," on which Falkous sings
"You're not just a punch line now/You're more than the end of something," offers a kernel of hope, or at least
sympathy, while subtler songs such as "Anchor" and "I Am the Least of Your Problems" reaffirm that the band handles
emotional wreckage as cleverly as it covers politics. The Plot Against Common Sense shows that Future of the Left
are still fighting the good fight, even if the ranks have changed a bit.
Track Listing
1. Sheena Is a T-Shirt Salesman
2. Failed Olympic Bid
3. Beneath the Waves an Ocean
4. Cosmo's Ladder
5. City of Exploded Children
6. Goals in Slow Motion
7. Camp Cappuccino
8. Polymers Are Forever
9. Robocop 4: F**k Off Robocop
10. Sorry Dad, I Was Late For the Riots
11. I Am the Least of Your Problems
12. A Guide to Men
13. Anchor
14. Rubber Animals
15. Notes on Achieving Orbit
wtf was that?
witty humorous lyrics
not much actual singing
scary that I was starting to like it
it would take some plays though
1.3 from me and a converted 2.4 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - Sheena Is A T-Shirt Salesman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcD2cqNT1bQ
released June 12th, 2012
Bio - from allmusic
Scrappy Welsh noise rock trio Mclusky was one of the bright spots in the British indie scene's post-Brit-pop
hangover, releasing three appealingly noisy albums, 2000's My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours,
2002's Mclusky Do Dallas, and 2005's The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire, before an
acrimonious split in 2005, apparently due to intra-band tensions due to an incident on the trio's 2004 American tour
where the band's van and equipment were stolen. During the same period, Welsh electro-punks Jarcrew released two
albums, 2002's Breakdance Euphoria Kids and 2003's Jarcrew, before also splitting in early 2005, reportedly due to
the drummer finding religion. While Mclusky bassist Jon Chapple went off to form Shooting at Unarmed Men, the trio's
remaining members, singer and guitarist Andrew Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone, hooked up with Jarcrew singer
and keyboardist Kelson Mathias and bassist Hywel Evans to form a new fusion of the two bands.
Evans quickly left to start his own group, with Mathias moving over to bass, and after experimenting with a variety
of tongue-in-cheek names, the remaining trio debuted as Future of the Left in the fall of 2006. Remaining with
Mclusky's label, Too Pure Records, Future of the Left made their recorded bow with a double A-sided single, "Fingers
Become Thumbs" and "The Lord Hates a Coward," in January 2007. Two more singles, "A Dead Enemy Always Smells Good"
and "Small Bones Small Bodies," followed in May and September. Future of the Left's debut album, Curses, was
released in the fall of 2007. A live album, 2008's Last Night I Saved Her from Vampires, became the band's 4AD
debut; early the following year, the single "The Hope That House Built" signaled Future of the Left's heavier attack
on their second album, Travels with Myself and Another, which arrived in summer 2009. The following year, Mathias
left the group, and Oceansize bassist Steve Hodson joined the fold for some live shows before a permanent
replacement, former Million Dead member Julia Ruzicka, was announced. That year, the band also added a new
guitarist, Jimmy Watkins, who also joined Future of the Left in time to record the band's third album, The Plot
Against Common Sense, which was released in June 2012.
Album Review - from allmusic
The Plot Against Common Sense unveiled Future of the Left's expanded lineup, minus longtime bassist Kelson Mathias
and with new bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Julia Ruzicka and new guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Watkins. Any fears that a
four-piece lineup would sap the originality or bite from the band's sound were unfounded: while early tastes of the
album such as the Polymers Are Forever EP reaffirmed that the band's chunky riffs, caustic keyboards, and Jack
Egglestone's remarkably creative yet economic drumming were all still in place, the rest of The Plot Against Common
Sense reveals the revamped Future of the Left are just as committed to smart, angry, heavy rock as they always were.
However, unlike the explosive ferocity of their previous album, Travels with Myself and Another, this time the
group's attack is more of an enduring grind, with an almost mechanical precision on "Failed Olympic Bid" and a grim
inevitability in "A Guide to Men"'s lumbering rhythm and claustrophobic synths. These knottier, denser snarls of
sound underscore the frustration in Andy Falkous' words, and while being surrounded by a confederacy of dunces has
inspired him since his Mclusky days, his lyrics have rarely been sharper or funnier. "I have seen into the
future/Everyone is slightly older," he deadpans on "Cosmo's Ladder," and the way he snarls "Now we're talking/At
least, you're moving your mouth" gives the lie to "Camp Cappuccino"'s satirical bluster, but even the shouted "sha-
la-la-la-la"s on "Notes on Achieving Orbit" are just as eloquent as any of his wordier lyrics. There's a feeling of
impatience on The Plot Against Common Sense that leads Falkous and company to take a more literal approach than they
have in the past as they rail against privilege ("Sorry Dad, I Was Late for the Riots"), rant about film studios
cranking out franchises ad nauseum ("Robocop 4 -- **** Off Robocop"), and lay waste to the music industry's never-
ending marketing opportunities in less than two minutes ("Sheena Is a T-Shirt Salesman"). These might be easy
targets, but they're also ones with surprising longevity, which suggests that Future of the Left is onto something
with that album title. The band devotes less time to the more melodic, searching side of its music that made Travels
as poetic as it was fierce, although the soaring chorus on "Beneath the Waves an Ocean," on which Falkous sings
"You're not just a punch line now/You're more than the end of something," offers a kernel of hope, or at least
sympathy, while subtler songs such as "Anchor" and "I Am the Least of Your Problems" reaffirm that the band handles
emotional wreckage as cleverly as it covers politics. The Plot Against Common Sense shows that Future of the Left
are still fighting the good fight, even if the ranks have changed a bit.
Track Listing
1. Sheena Is a T-Shirt Salesman
2. Failed Olympic Bid
3. Beneath the Waves an Ocean
4. Cosmo's Ladder
5. City of Exploded Children
6. Goals in Slow Motion
7. Camp Cappuccino
8. Polymers Are Forever
9. Robocop 4: F**k Off Robocop
10. Sorry Dad, I Was Late For the Riots
11. I Am the Least of Your Problems
12. A Guide to Men
13. Anchor
14. Rubber Animals
15. Notes on Achieving Orbit
