So this starts with a big surprise. No songs I particularly recognised, but then of of course it kicks off with Sat In Your Lap and there's that instant hit of familiarity. Is there a shade of Sledgehammer in there? Maybe. And definitely a foretaste of Hounds of Love. It's a more modern, less whimsical sound, unmistakably eighties, but none the worse for that.

There Goes a Tenner failing even to scratch the top 100 does not, in retrospect, feel like a surprise. It's a very odd number. Maybe there's even some Cartrouble in this mix somewhere? The critics seem to have been baffled, but I think this has been part of KB's MO from the word go.

Some of this is very odd though. Pull Out the Pin in particular seems easily as oblique as anything she has attempted so far, with sound effects, cryptic lyrics, sinister backing and staccato instrumentation. She remarked in hindsight that it sounded angry, and this one definitely fits the bill on that count.

Suspended in Gaffa was also released as a single in Europe, and again it sounds surprisingly familiar. I mean, this was clearly not a radio smash, but it's definitely a song I have heard before. Rolf Harris playing digeridoo on The Dreaming has got to be a great pop quiz question in the making. Where are they now... That is one weird song though.

Night of the Swallow has some slight Plaskett echoes, but it's yet another example of how KB moves seamlessly from one genre to another, one style to something completely different. It does make you wonder, however, whether the album is actually that listenable as a whole - is it in fact an album or just a collection of eclectic pieces? Maybe it doesn't matter.

Just realised that Danny Thompson plays on this album. There is a guy who has played on some incredible records. It's a long album this, isn't it? Nearly 45 minutes, though it's so dense it feels longer. I like it. Some great parts. Just not sure I could eat a whole one...