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descriptions of the physical journey, these also seem to be allusions of a mental and maybe even spiritual voyage. A restlessness and longing for home emanates from the album, the man that once wanted to change the world is now content just to head for home with the knowledge that at least he tried and maybe made a difference to some peoples lives.

The title track is a wistfully slow and introverted affair; the sea and the endless search for a spiritual resting place form the nature of this number as Sullivan indulges again in his of maritime odyssey. More poetic water related expressions form Sun on Water leads us to Ghost Train a more upbeat guitar lead number with an almost country beat to it, both musically and lyrically its not a million miles away from Johnny Cash, and that's never a bad thing. There's a dark quality in both music and the lyric's that seem to pay homage to that mans work, whether intentionally or not. Green and Home are similar types of song, again mainly Sullivan and his guitar, but it seems to be the lyrical content that are important here and Feltham's eerie harmonica runs through the later to good effect. The album is rounded off by Changing of the Light and Apocalypse Dreams, the former is a lilting and gentle, poetic and haunting; the later a summation of many of the ideas presented in the songs that come before it, when Sullivan sings "maybe it's time, to turn this ship around" the pent up weariness seems to spill from him. By the time you reach these last few numbers you may, like me, feel that some of the output has become a bit samey, and the cause may have been better served by dropping a couple of the songs. The more you play the album though the more the songs take on an individuality and although its often difficult for one man and a guitar to make eleven songs sound that different from each other, but he has managed it here and done so with a passion and soul wrenching honesty that you have come to expect. It's a wonderful album and makes ideal listening for those quiet moments of self-reflection and retreat from the hustle of daily life that we all need to get away from.

It's a collection of songs that I can't imagine anyone else coming up with and whilst Sullivan hasn't got the best voice in the world, the slow nature of the songs and the dark and brooding aspect contained in many make his voice right for them. For fans of NMA who want to experience the more reflective side of Sullivan's writing or for new comers who just want a mellow set of songs to listen to, this album fits the bill. It is poetic without being pompous, mellow without being washy and contains a mix of dark and light throughout. Even in its seemingly darkest moments it is offering hope and optimism and you can never have enough of that.

More info at:
http://www.newmodelarmy.org /FHOME.HTM

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