The fascinating on-off career of Dawn Of The Replicants now appears firmly on again. Not that many would have noticed as their third album arrived with very little publicity on the obscure Flying Sparks label in 2002. Clearly forced to reduce their recording budget, the lo-fi approach actually helps the band in their Captain Beefheart-with-tunes style. So what appears initially to be a sorry shadow of former glories ends up being a defiant salute of their values. Credit must go to main songwriters Paul Vickers (he of the crazed, gruff vocals) and Roger Simian (primarily guitar and although he doesn't use the kitchen sink itself, he is credited with "frying pan") as they successfully pull off UK psych ('Black And White Rainbows'), guttural art-rock ('Hollywood Hills') and dub ('Afraid Of The Ground'). Only the 'Venus In Furs' soundalike 'Trout Fishing' disappoints. Elsewhere it's an album which grows in stature enough to compare with their excellent first two albums.