Ultramarine are chiefly famous for their 1991 album 'Every Man And Woman Is A Star'; a record which demonstrated that it was possible to merge techno with more traditional folk melodies. After three more albums, the Canterbury act continued to be praised but stalled commercially. A shame because as swansongs go - assuming they won't follow up this 1998 release - there was still plenty of mileage and inventiveness in their tunes. 'A User's Guide' could be labelled as another example of intelligent chill-out but that would be to dismiss its insiduous melodies and beats that actually stand up to Boards Of Canada's 'Music Has The Right To Children', released in the same year. 'Surfacing' and 'Ambush' certainly share the same gifts for haunting ambience. Other standouts are the noirish 'Ghost Routine' and 'On The Brink' where a lovely melody persists underneath the clanking metal. These unfussy, inventive instrumentals certainly make up a surprisingly excellent send-off.