Artist: The Ruby Suns
Album: Sea Lion
File Under: Psychedelic Indie Pop
Recommended if You Like: Panda Bear, The Magnetic Fields, Cocteau Twins
Featured Tracks: These Are Birds, Kenya Dig It?
Listening to The Ruby Suns on the sunny beaches of Santa Cruz this weekend, feeling all bleary eyed and relaxed, reminded me how much I love this album. The band’s founding member, Ryan McPhun, is a California native whose love for travel took him to far flung destinations like Africa and Thailand before settling in Auckland, New Zealand.
Knowing that trajectory helps to make sense of the band’s sound, which is like a combination of sunny California psych pop and world music. Some of the songs on the album are actually sung completely in Maori. Co-vocalist Amee Robinson adds an etherial, dreamy quality to tracks like ‘These Are Birds,’ and at times her voice gives me flashbacks to the Cocteau Twins. It a beautiful and atmospheric album, perfect for a sleepy Sunday morning at the beach.
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