The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion

It’s a wonder, given the recent influx of such bands, that the hype-oriented music press haven’t announced the arrival of the ‘nu-world!!!’ scene. World acts like Amadou and Mariam and Manu Chao have been making small waves in the western world for a while now, and it’s no bad thing that a number of indie bands have taken the sound under their creative wings recently: first Yeasayer, then Vampire Weekend, and now this from The Ruby Suns only goes to show how well it can work.

Their self-titled 2005 debut was a slightly different animal: surfy, psychedelic pop in the vein of The Beach Boys, sporting sunny melodies and glorious harmonies. And while ‘Sea Lion’ was intended to be a ‘world music’ record (perhaps a by-product of the travels that saw California-born lead songwriter Ryan McPhun set up camp in Africa and South East Asia before finally settling in New Zealand), the psychedelic sound has not been spared here - rather blended to create a fresh and engaging sound.

‘Oh, Mojave’ is one of the best tracks here, despite being perhaps the most straightforward, combining energetic Spanish guitars with a joyful chorus of voices. ‘Tane Mahuta’ follows in the same vein, although throwing in brass sections, distorted bass and intricate guitar solos gives the song more expansive atmosphere. Tracks like these, in which vocalists present themselves in numbers, give a real sense of harmony and community - a notion long lost in much of western culture, and one which immeasurably adds to this record’s feel-good nature.

Meanwhile, ‘There Are Birds’ provides a more orthodox sound, its gentle chugging guitars and soft female vocals reminding of the Arcade Fire. ‘Remember’ is the most Australasian-sounding track here, its dreamy harmonies pointing towards The Vines’ quieter side, a wistful verse taking the listener back to simpler times: ‘Imagine yourself far away, looking back on what used to be / Life before things have changed, into what they are now’.

One of the most striking things about this record is the sheer amount of instruments and effects that give ‘Sea Lion’ such depth of sound. The rhythm section alone seems to consist of several types of drums, and one of this album’s many facets is simply listening to how the multitude of different sounds interact with each other.

It seems like McPhun had a very definite idea of how he wanted everything to sound on this album, and he brought in no less than seven different multi-instrumentalist musicians on top of the band’s three core members to make it happen. This is an immaculately executed and rewarding record that never threatens to grow old.