Illnesses. Broken bones. Arrests. Bereavements. Just a few reasons why Fuzzy Logic has been on a six-month sabbatical. You don't need to know the details. So here's a rather straightforward comeback column in which I round up a few things and then, in future columns, I'll get back to introducing you to Japanese bands that you should know about.

I've been away, but I haven't neglected my homework, watching bands like The Saturns, The Ed Woods, Rocket Jack Vader and The Shock shake up livehouses throughout Japan. Expect them to appear in these pages soon.

Shonen Knife -- sisters Naoko (vocals, guitar) and Atsuko (bass, drums); with pal Etsuko Nakanishi drumming at shows -- have been together 200 years, sorry, 20 years, and I have no qualms in awarding these Osaka veterans the gold medal for being the most consistently great band in Japanese rock 'n' roll history. They repeatedly deliver excellent albums, and, if anything, are improving with age.