The Ruby Suns are back with a souped up, synthed up album called Christopher. In case you need a recap, The Ruby Suns combine psychedelic indie pop with world music influences, drawing inspiration from the travels of the group's only permanent member, Ryan McPhun. Although born and raised in California, McPhun's thirst for adventure eventually drew him halfway across the globe, where he ventured into Africa and Thailand before settling in New Zealand. Auckland's music scene was rich, and the multi-instrumentalist spent time in various pop groups (the Tokey Tones, the Reduction Agents, and the Brunettes) while fronting his own act, Ryan McPhun & the Ruby Suns. After releasing a self-titled debut under that moniker, the band shortened its name to The Ruby Suns and signed with Lil' Chief Records.securing distribution deals in Europe and Australia along the way.
I was surprised by this album due to its amping up of production and embrace of pop signifies in McPhun's personal life, but there's a sense of heavy changes afoot throughout the album. The remarkably improved production is handled by Chris Coady (Beach House, Grizzly Bear), who takes McPhun's formerly busy sonic landscapes and manicures them without subtracting much from the always crowded songs. Multiple tracks of electronic drums and swirling synth lines are stacked up in pristine piles, making room for huge choruses and vocodered vocals. The production is impressive, but unfortunately only works when the songwriting rises to the occasion. Album opener "Desert of Pop" is a standout, telling a surprisingly naked account of a starstruck McPhun meeting pop idol/obvious crush Robyn and making an ass of himself while trying to play it cool. The song's multitude of hooks rides over a 80's beat sounds familiar and pleasing. Similar nostalgic greatness is achieved on "In Real Life," evoking all the quirky subtleties of the '80s electro-pop hits that filled John Hughes movie soundtracks. While the rest of the album sort of drops off by the very end, I still think this is worth several listens.
Buy your copy of The Ruby Suns Christopher here.
08 March 2013
Christopher
The Ruby Suns are back with a souped up, synthed up album called Christopher. In case you need a recap, The Ruby Suns combine psychedelic indie pop with world music influences, drawing inspiration from the travels of the group's only permanent member, Ryan McPhun. Although born and raised in California, McPhun's thirst for adventure eventually drew him halfway across the globe, where he ventured into Africa and Thailand before settling in New Zealand. Auckland's music scene was rich, and the multi-instrumentalist spent time in various pop groups (the Tokey Tones, the Reduction Agents, and the Brunettes) while fronting his own act, Ryan McPhun & the Ruby Suns. After releasing a self-titled debut under that moniker, the band shortened its name to The Ruby Suns and signed with Lil' Chief Records.securing distribution deals in Europe and Australia along the way.
I was surprised by this album due to its amping up of production and embrace of pop signifies in McPhun's personal life, but there's a sense of heavy changes afoot throughout the album. The remarkably improved production is handled by Chris Coady (Beach House, Grizzly Bear), who takes McPhun's formerly busy sonic landscapes and manicures them without subtracting much from the always crowded songs. Multiple tracks of electronic drums and swirling synth lines are stacked up in pristine piles, making room for huge choruses and vocodered vocals. The production is impressive, but unfortunately only works when the songwriting rises to the occasion. Album opener "Desert of Pop" is a standout, telling a surprisingly naked account of a starstruck McPhun meeting pop idol/obvious crush Robyn and making an ass of himself while trying to play it cool. The song's multitude of hooks rides over a 80's beat sounds familiar and pleasing. Similar nostalgic greatness is achieved on "In Real Life," evoking all the quirky subtleties of the '80s electro-pop hits that filled John Hughes movie soundtracks. While the rest of the album sort of drops off by the very end, I still think this is worth several listens.
Buy your copy of The Ruby Suns Christopher here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment