If you want to get an idea of what's going on in music at any given time it's often worth taking a look at which crusty old-timers are currently getting re-released and touring the reunion circuit. With Gang Of Four recently earning a Best Of... compilation and Wire due to touch down in Tokyo before the month is out then the smart money has to be on something shouty and jagged currently rocking the kids' turntables.

Kaito (or "Kaito U.K." as they appear on this American release) have been around for a while but, with the renewed interest in all things spiky, discordant and arty, their time may have come. The robotic, angular fuzz of "Driving Manual Auto" with all it's "Chang chang"s and "Hey hey hey hey"s is an anthem and surely destined to cause teenage Japanese girls to form bands in their droves which can only be a good thing. "Moi" is a touching downward gear shift which flirts invigoratingly with pretension thanks to occasional French lyrics. "A.S.A To Accuracy" is a full-on assault on the senses with squiggly noises galore and is unstoppably awesome.

"Band Red" is a fuzzy, furious, fun record and represents the leading edge of a growing pack of British guitar bands currently preparing to take the discotheque by storm. This is also exactly the kind of music that Japanese bands do best and the shift in music fashion that this represents could see the door opening to a new generation of Japanese pop. -Ian Martin, Feb.08.04

Band Red