Punk’s screaming fury is intimidating enough, but Future of the Left brought withering scorn and a combative wit to those bristling dynamics, making them an inescapably sharp listen from exceptionally bright minds. This third album, from 2012, punctures cultural balloons left and right (“Failed Olympic Bid”, “Sorry Dad, I Was Late for the Riots”), while the band play pile-driver riffs (“Camp Cappuccino”), punchy, sardonic, multi-tempo prog runs (“Cosmo’s Ladder”) and deadpan, sharp-elbowed Wire-style punk-pop (“City of Exploded Children”).