You may not be well aware of this, but New Zealand has been responsible for bringing to the forefront a plethora of talented yet sorely overlooked bands in the last 30 years. Split Enz, The Clean, The Bats, The Chills, The Verlaines and Tall Dwarfs are just a smattering of acts that have laid plenty of influence to music worldwide, yet it seems only select music junkies are even privy to knowing about them. Modern Kiwi acts such as Shocking Pinks and especially The Brunettes have recently led to a resurgence of rediscovering these lost treasures. Ryan McPhun who has been a part time Brunette from time to time has just released his second album under the moniker The Ruby Suns and it's yet another great addition of music for the tiny island nation that most likely will be ignored yet shouldn't be by this country.

When describing what McPhun's new album Sea Lion sounds like, the only thing I can say to perfectly describe it is everything but the kitchen sink. Openers "Blue Penguin" and "Oh Mohave" have a Hawaiian island meets Indie-Rock sound and my personal favorite, "Tane Mahuta" finds McPhun doing a respectable job of tackling the Maori language native to New Zealand and mixing it with horns and a glut of percussive instruments. Guest vocalist Amee Robinson lends her vocals to another of the great songs here, "There Are Birds," which sounds like Yo La Tengo goes to the South Pacific. The only time Sea Lion falters is when McPhun goes for a Depeche Mode meets New Order sound near the tail end of the album that throws off everything the first three-fourths of the album worked so hard to accomplish. This bout of wild unevenness however doesn't stop The Ruby Suns' Sea Lion from being one of the most original and fresh new albums you're likely to hear this Spring.