The number of projects reconfiguring folk music and following the steps of Animal Collective has been too large to keep track on all of them, but this one you definitely can't miss. A 3-piece band based in Auckland, New Zealand, The Ruby Suns have a strong local identity on them, a feeling that partly comes from the fact that half of their songs vocals are in Maori. Mixing tribal chants with psychedelic pop melodies, vibrant percussions, apparently dissonant sounds, orchestral arrangements, tropical harmonies, new-wave hooks and a large amount of alien elements, "Sea Lion" is a permanent surprise, such are the many twists and influences that it incorporates. With some sublime intimate songs giving the perfect counterpart to its more festive larger-than-life moments, "Sea Lion" mostly impresses because of its inventive composition that keeps making experiments, using whatever is in hand to create a complex sound virtually impossible to classify, but also one that never ceases to cause strong emotions. A soundtrack for moon parties, beach moments and trans-continental dreams that actually come true. (8/10)
The Ruby Suns - Tane Mahuta (video)
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