In 1998, the NME spent about 20 seconds drooling over an unlikely combo that included a teenage songwriter and an overweight 30-something singer whose melodic rock blueprint was basically Ford Mondeo music with added eyeliner.
The following year, shortly after releasing their debut album Everything Picture, Ultrasound broke up but not before arguably helping pave the way for the likes of Elbow, Doves and Coldplay. Now, in 2012, Tiny Wood et al have decided to push their sonic buttons one more time.
In fairness, the results are undeniably robust. Opening track Welfare State is a hum-dinging roar of 1970s pomp rock, with Wood snarling that "we crashed and burned but we reformed to claim our stakes". Nonsense is an attack on self-loathing in airy pop packaging, while Goodbye Baby, Amen kicks so much ass it could almost be Alex Harvey.
In between sit the remainder, ruminating on everything from Englishness to life's impermanence with a kind of ready-salted melodic dirge. But given they missed out last time round, one can't help hoping Play For Today shifts a few copies.
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