The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion
The word ‘eclectic’ is often used in a half-arsed or lethargic manner to describe a band or artists who are merely a bit difficult to categorise or pigeon-hole into a specific genre or scene. Such lazy labelling devalues the tagging of an album as inventive, diverse and almost wholly original in outlook as ‘Sea Lion’ by Auckland based three piece The Ruby Suns as merely ‘eclectic’. ‘Sea Lion’ is an album which crosses boundaries with such carefree ease, that the word ‘eclectic’ simply does not go far enough in terms of capturing the abundance of musical styles which have influenced and inspired songwriter Ryan McPhun to create such an assortment of rich diversity.
McPhun was frustrated with being unable to fully capture the sounds inside his head on the Ruby Suns self-titled 2005 debut, labelling the album Beach Boys-lite; he quickly recognised the records limitations and declared immediately that he knew that its follow up would represent “something totally different”. A nomadic, globe-trotting spirit himself (born in California to an Antipodean father, later travelling around the States, Australasia and Kenya), McPhun hit upon a stroke of genius when he recognised the potential of interlocking some of the musical styles he had encountered on his travels. The result is an awe-inspiring, trans-pacific, combination of soundscapes imbued with a transcendent beauty, which you can well imagine providing a sublime and blissful sunset soundtrack at festivals aplenty this summer.
Beginning with the leisurely acoustic strum of ‘Blue Penguin’, it quickly becomes clear that ‘Sea Lion’ is no ordinary record. This is an album with more diversity contained within 45 minutes than the vast majority of bands will manage in an entire career. It transcends convention and moves effortlessly from the up-tempo flamenco infused, desert grooves of ‘Oh, mojave’ through the Latin style horn drenched approach of ‘Tane Mahuta’ to the My Bloody Valentine imbued lullaby that is ‘There are Birds’ without stopping to pause for breath. All of which gives ‘Sea Lion’ the feel of a global expedition with McPhun cast as the intrepid explorer; taking his cues from a host of weird and wonderful sounds he encounters on his travels creating a musical “scrapbook” chronicling his adventures.
With ‘Sea Lion’, McPhun and The Ruby Suns have announced themselves to the world as a powerful and inventive musical force. ‘Sea Lion’ is an uplifting and stirring record, where it’s clear its creators have put their heart and soul into its creation and at the same time have greatly enjoyed doing so. It represents a collection of sonic delights which undoubtedly deserve a great deal of admiration and will surely gain further plaudits over the course of the summer months and beyond. Highly recommended.