Beautiful, Moody, and Exquisite

Justin Sullivan, frontman of the band New Model Army, has created an album that is completely different than any NMA release, yet is instantly recognisable as Sullivan's songwriting. Many of the songs were inspired by his trip across the Atlantic Ocean on a cargo freighter. Sullivan creates a moody, exquisitely beautiful meditation on the sea, and on the beauty and hope created by our relationship both to our surroundings and to each other.

For this record, rather than the sometimes crunchy, passionate, angry, electric sound of New Model Army, Sullivan has gathered a group of acoustic musicians who flesh out his meditiations on the sea and of hope with a dense arrangement of melody and rhythm. This album sets a tone and a mood, and is at once both quiet and intense. It is the kind of album to put on during a rainstorm, to close your eyes and imagine being on the sea. Truly beautiful.

Brilliant and Heartfelt.............

Justin Sullivan has created an epic masterpiece of songwriting and
story telling with "Navigating By the Stars", perhaps one of the most
overlooked recorded pieces of music of 2003.
Sullivan, who is the main figure in New Model Army, one of the most
underrated groups in the Clash/U2/Jam genre of music, wrote most of
their politicaly working class oriented epics of which 1989's "Thunder
& Consolation" and 1986's "The Ghost of Cain" stand as pivitol
achievments in their recorded history.
With a strong European cult following, NMA have remained the
quintessential musical representatives of the repressed working class,
evoking strong anthem driven themes of disenchantment and
disillusionment with the current social struggles befalling the
average world citizen. Having followed NMA since its inception,
I had, late in 2003, heard and read reports of Sullivan's solo effort
in putting to music his experience of traveling across the ocean by
boat, not as a passenger, but as one of the crew.
In stepping away from his political musical positon and in choosing to
share his visions and love of the sea, Sullivan has come up with one
of the most deeply and emotionally musicaly experienced albums not
since heard of since Springsteen's journey into the Badlands with
"Nebraska".
With "Navigating By the Stars" the listener is transported into a
musical soundscape that leaves you breathless with it's beauty to
actually feel what's being communicated on this journey at sea.
On the opening track "Twilight Home" you can taste the salt water, see
the brilliant night sky filled with a million stars, and hear the sea
splashing against the bow.
As Jack Rabid states in his review "This is the warmest, richest, most
deeply involving music imaginable, all spooky hush and solitary
contemplation. Forgoing drums almost entirely and ingeniously
employing standup acoustic bass to add a nimble, near-jazzy quality to
the lightly brushed acoustic guitars, beguiling piano, meditative
organ, and bits of strings, Sullivan creates a web of sound that is
impossible to categorize".
Surrounded by the ambient solitude of his musical accompanyment,
Sullivan has taken a giant leap into the inner realms of his spiritual
essence of his creative force and we're lucky enough that he chose to
allow us an oppertunity to experience its radient beauty.
"In between the power and politics in NMA, there has always been a
strong sense of mysticism and spirituality and it's that which is the
central core of this album", quotes Sullivan.
I couldn't agree more after experiencing repeated listenings it's like
a novel that's impossible to put down. Amazing.......................

David Gray meets Leonard Cohen. Wonderfful

I was a fan of New Model Army in my younger days. Never did I think Justin Sullivan would come up with something like this, so unlike New Model Army. It has a kind of mellow anxiety about it. It flows over you like a crashing wave. Hardly any drums on this album and surprisingly less guitar orientated than I would have expected. Lots of lush keyboards. Bloody amazing. If you liked Justin Sullivan and Dave Blomberg's 'Big Guitars over Little Europe' you'll love this. Also if you like Leonard Cohen or would prefer to listen to David Gray without the drum machine this ablum is for you. *************

Sullivans travels

Quite simply this is a stunner from new model army's frontman/singer/songwriter that takes sullivans slower material from nma and improves greatly upon it. A concept album of sorts-dealing with themes relating to the ocean, of loss and acceptance, all played and produced beautifully. Slow but not boring this could draw some comparisons to nick cave's boatmans call or the bunnymens ocean rain. Longtime fans of NMA know of Sullivans ability to write a haunting acoustic ballad-but with the help of jazz/country and classical musicians this is a must have. highlights include twilights home/caravan/ocean rising/ and ghost train (which would make johnny cash proud). Theres a sparse open sound dominated by the acoustic guitar and justins voice with truly beautiful orchestration(including mark felthams harmonica). The production is also a career milestone-full and rich-the album does wash over you as others have described. Is it possible that Sullivan is the new Nick Drake? For fans this is a must have-for those who have never heard of NMA-this is still a must have-one of the best albums released this year.

What? You DON'T Have This CD?

FANTASTIC! Frontman of one of the greatest bands on earth, New Model Army, Justin Sullivan has really outdone himself with this work of art. I admit, I didn't expect what I heard when I first played the cd BUT I was very, very pleasantly surprised. This is one of the most beautiful albums I have ever heard! It's soothing and yet it's powerful. I could not possibly do this release justice with my words. Try this masterpiece! Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!