SULLIVAN first appeared as the figurehead of New Model Army, one of the politically-fired troupes of vagabonds spat out of the backwash of the punk era.

They came, they earned a rep, and they disappeared... didn't they? Well, no. In their time in the sun, they earned a hardcore following that has sustained them since.

This is Sullivan's first solo album, and a mellow affair it is. No berating, no polemics - but a stealthy whisper, delicate, deliberate tunes, and an intense meditation on beauty, the ocean, the world. It's too subtle for pop to notice, too subtle even for devoted fans at times.

Updated: 10:36 Thursday, March 20, 2003