Martina Topley-Bird released her solo debut Quixotic in 2003 in the UK to some pretty good reviews. It never got a US release until this last week when I happened to see it at the record store - I hadn't noticed it on any of the upcoming release stuff I check out. It isn't exactly the same record tho' - it's called Anything and it's 3 songs lighter than Quixotic. I really like it - it varies between the kind of beat laden hip hop stuff she did with Tricky (who's on 2 tracks here) and some swampier space blues stuff, as well as a bit of rock flava. Need One is definitely the harder side - it features Josh Homme on guitar and Mark Lanegan handles additional vocals. It's got funky beats,and a great rockin' chorus build up. The rest of the record is very nice too...

Radio 4 are preparing to release their major label debut in a month or two. It's definitely a much more dance oriented affair - a bunch more electro beats and synths. Some people will not like it as much - I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Rise Up is a non-album track from the first single Party Crashers, and it's pretty typical Radio 4 fare - edgy disco with scratchy guitars and nice percussion.

This week's flashback is a real oldie from Japan. They made their debut in 1978 with the album Adolescent Sex, a blend of glam rock, disco and lots of spacy synth action. If you've only ever heard the band's '80s hits this music might surprise you - it really rocks. David Sylvian's voice is a raw and gruff. Television is a nine minute epic of funky space rock that features a seriously groovy guitar riff, a big synth action break and builds to a screaming guitar solo at the end. The band largely pooh-poohs this early stuff, and it is so different from the music that they had hits with - I think you can hear elements of what was to come. Personally I dig the old stuff, and have really enjoyed buying the reissues of these records that have been coming out this year. They all feature bonus tracks, and most of them have videos too. Fascinating stuff.