One of the most inventive and uncategorizable bands on the U.K. indie scene,
Dawn of the Replicants have simply never fit comfortably into any sort of scene. Like some sort of mix of
They Might Be Giants (the unexpected detours into straight genre exercises like the jazz pastiche "Liqueur Lagoon," not to mention the oddball song topics and somewhat cartoony lead vocals) and
Captain Beefheart (who, tellingly, is quoted at length in the sleeve notes), the band might be too unashamedly pop-oriented for fans of the latter, and too straightforward and less overtly funny to fully appeal to fans of the former. Bad luck to those folks, because
Fangs is a thoroughly enjoyable bit of quirky pop with a handful of genuinely great songs (most notably first single "Essence of Maureen") and bits that recall everyone from nearly forgotten Irish
Beefheart disciples
Stump and the almighty
Bonzo Dog Band to
Tom Waits and
the Soft Boys. The latter comparison is particularly apt on the groovily psychedelic "Pterodactyl," the album's best song.