When Ryan McPhun escaped the smog-laden realm of California for the slightly more natural environment of New Zealand in 2004, he played in a few bands before finding his feet and forming Ryan McPhun & The Ruby Suns. It was not long before they were noticed and releasing their self-titled debut album to critical acclaim. Shortly afterwards, perhaps in a bid to divert attention away from himself and in respect to his fellow bandmates, Amee Robinson and Imogen Taylor, Ryan McPhun & The Ruby Suns became simply The Ruby Suns. 

Sea Lion is the follow-up effort and it is true amalgamation of styles and cultures, with more variety here than in a Woolworths Pick ‘n Mix. In opener ‘Blue Penguin’ McPhun’s vocal puts you in a dream-like state, just floating above the repetitive drum beat and finishing with the noise of children playing by running water.

If ‘Blue Penguin’ lulls you in and gets you all relaxed then ‘Oh, Mojave’ and ‘Tane Mahuta’ will immediately shake you up and get you moving. The fun South American Flamenco vibes burst through make you forget that you are listening to a band from New Zealand. ‘Tane Mahuta’, named after one of New Zealand’s oldest trees, is sung entirely in the local language Maori and is as bright and summery a song you’ll hear all year.

‘There Are Birds’ takes Sea Lion into yet another direction with probably the most direct and immediate song on the album, creating images of that perfect place in the world. It does however, like a few songs on Sea Lion, have an annoying outro that may have seemed like a good idea at the time but I find a little unnecessary.

Unfortunately the middle section of this record drags a little, with ‘It’s Mwanghi In Front Of Me’ and ‘Ole Rinka’ particularly trying, but once ‘This Adventure Tour Kicks’ in all is forgiven. This particular slice of happy melodic pop leaves me yearning for festival season and that magical evening slot where the sun makes its way down to the other side of the world. 

As a loyal reader I’ll be honest with you, if I’d have written this review a week or two ago I think I would have slated Sea Lion. I just didn’t ‘get it’ but after living with it and investing some time and effort in it something clicked. It has certainly grown on me and while I can’t say I like every song on the album, I’m glad I stuck by it because something new comes and surprises you with every listen, which makes it an utter joy.
83%

Look out for our 20 Questions with the band this Thursday! 

Links
The Ruby Suns [myspace]