The Plot Against Common Sense

This witty, smart powerhouse group chooses to work as a free agent, and its biting sarcasm—the predominant seasoning atop grinding guitars and combative drums—is remarkably on point. The Welsh band makes music that hums and throbs and gets the brain energized. It has gone from a trio to a quartet and put abrasive keyboards upfront to good effect. Singer Andy Falkous (formerly of the late, great Mclusky, as is drummer Jack Egglestone) is equally at home being dead serious as he is deadly funny. “I'll destroy the state/In my North Face fleece!” he threatens on the spastic, sarcastic “Sorry Dad, I Was Late for the Riots.” Elsewhere, his observations are simple and stinging: “Truth applies in both directions” and “Dumb is the new black” are opinions built from pretty solid evidence. From the blistering, white-hot “Sheena Is a T-Shirt Salesman” to the mechanical, precise build of “Failed Olympic Bid” and the knotty, Fall-like groove of “Notes on Achieving Orbit,” there are enough shades of rage here to both entertain and inspire for a long while.