Sea Lion

New Zealand’s Ruby Suns made a mild splash with their 2006 self-titled debut, a glistening, sunny nod to ‘60s pop that showcased the immense talents of Ryan McPhun, the transplanted Californian heading the group. Their sophomore effort, Sea Lion, takes things in a more global direction. The wildly propulsive “Tane Mahuta” featurers a chorus of voices singing in the Maori language, with booming drums, skipping glockenspiel and swooping saxophones mingling with hi-energy African-style guitar work. It’s a fabulous song. The tropical island haze of “Blue Penguin” and the Mexican-folk tinged “Oh, Mojave” transport the listener to more exotic locales, but “Kenya Dig It?” is a surprising revisit to sparkling, Spector-produced pop sounds of the ‘60s. The pastoral and ethereal “It’s Mwangi In Front of Me” reveals Ruby Suns’ true fondness for electronic knob-twiddling, and the delicate “Ole Rinka” unfolds like a sun-bleached dream, coming to full color half way in, with layered vocals and sparkling tambourines and glockenspiel giving the song a golden glow. Ruby Suns proves there is nothing incompatible about djembe drums and ukuleles, as long as they’re in the right hands.