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» Add News | The Ruby Suns
New Zealand’s The Ruby Suns formed in Auckland in 2004, under the somewhat longer and inarguably more rhyming name Ryan McPhun and
The Ruby Suns. The band is now shortly, sweetly and simply called The Ruby Suns, and principal Ruby Sun Ryan McPhun is currently and ably
abetted by Amee Robinson. Although New Zealand is somewhat isolated in the southern most part of the Pacific Ocean, Ryan has remained true
to his buccaneer instinct. He and his Dictaphone (portable tape recorder) have ventured into the wilds of Africa, the ancient monasteries of
Thailand, and the haunting landscapes tha ...read more
New Zealand’s The Ruby Suns formed in Auckland in 2004, under the somewhat longer and inarguably more rhyming name Ryan McPhun and
The Ruby Suns. The band is now shortly, sweetly and simply called The Ruby Suns, and principal Ruby Sun Ryan McPhun is currently and ably
abetted by Amee Robinson. Although New Zealand is somewhat isolated in the southern most part of the Pacific Ocean, Ryan has remained true
to his buccaneer instinct. He and his Dictaphone (portable tape recorder) have ventured into the wilds of Africa, the ancient monasteries of
Thailand, and the haunting landscapes that surround his everyday. Recorded almost entirely in McPhun’s basement, Sea Lion’s melodic musings
found inspiration in the natural world and his travels within it. “Tane Mahuta,” sung entirely in Māori, is an indigenous-sounding ode to the great
Waipoua forest near Auckland and “Adventure Tour” tells a tale of a memorable drive through New Zealand’s South Island. An African influence
also exerts a strong presence in the album (“Kenya Dig It?” being the most obvious). Not only was he struck by the people (“Ole Rinka” is about
a man he met in the Maasai Mara National Reserve), but he was also enamored of the music, especially Kenyan traditional music and modern
day hip-hop. The depth and breadth of the Ruby Suns’ songs has, no surprise, grown dramatically since their 2005 self-titled debut. The epic Sea
Lion was intended to be a world music album, but reverb and psychedelic pop crept in to create a unique mixture of exotic sounds,
accomplished with an impressive array of instruments—from steel-string ukulele to djembe drums to pots and pans, all set upon a cozy cushion
of synths and cassette samples. « hide |
Similar Bands: Islands, Atlas Sound, Panda Bear Contributors: SandwichBubble, Doppelganger,
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