{"title":"The Ruby Suns","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Ruby Suns are an indie pop group hailing from New Zealand. The band was formed by *Ryan McPhun, who is the main songwriter and vocalist, along with *Alistair Deverick on drums and *Bevan Smith on bass. Over the years, they have had several former members including Graham Panther, Imogen Taylor, Amee Robinson, Gareth Shute, Mark Stebben, James Milne, and Edward Castelow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith their unique blend of indie pop sounds and catchy melodies, The Ruby Suns have gained a dedicated following both in New Zealand and internationally. Their music has been compared to artists such as Here We Go Magic, Le Loup, Department Of Eagles, Atlas Sound, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective and many more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you're a fan of dreamy pop tunes or energetic indie anthems, The Ruby Suns offer a diverse range of songs that will captivate any listener. With their infectious energy and captivating live performances,*The Ruby Suns continue to push boundaries in the indie music scene.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fight-softly","title":"Fight Softly","description":"\u003cp\u003ethe prime mover of the ruby suns, ryan mcphun has literally traveled around the world to arrive at 'fight softly', the band's third album for memphis industries. mcphun possesses (or is possessed by..) a voracious musical mind and this new album is the kind of head-spinning combination of big-picture vision and sumptuous detail that only comes from an artist with an urgent need to express all the stuff he's seen. and you can dance to it! 'fight softly' veers from the path set by its predecessor, the 2008 release 'sea lion'. thematically, it's not as wide-eyed or lighthearted, picking apart the relationships faced as we pass through the world - with our surroundings, each other, ourselves. sonically, it remains as beat-centric, though these beats are deliciously artificial - stretched and compacted and distorted beyond recognition. melodies are scuzzy and digital, no guitars strummed or basses plucked. mcphun's soulful upper-register croon, swallowed into the mix, replaces group chants and full-throated singalongs. rather than an album of clearly-drawn influences, fight softly is a unique, inscrutable synthesis, more itself than anything else.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50409974006091,"sku":"322852","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50409974432075,"sku":"322851","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c0d68b86-929e-4123-ad9b-6664f595e270_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726633724"},{"product_id":"sea-lion-1","title":"Sea Lion","description":"\u003cp\u003enew 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 and imogen taylor. 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 maori, 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. on memphis industries in the uk and sub pop in america.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50410596565323,"sku":"297084","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2e768a04-d9f7-4741-9777-831c62b937d7_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726645358"},{"product_id":"christopher-1","title":"Christopher","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Christopher' is an album about starting over, but not necessarily moving forward. It's a breakup album, but as one listen will tell you, not necessarily a sad one. It's McPhun's fourth record for Memphis Industries, third for Sub Pop and first mixed by an a-list engineer: Chris Coady of Beach House, Grizzly Bear, gang gang dance and a zillion more. Mcphun spent two weeks at Coady's studio in New York. Together they polished christopher to an opalescent sheen, yielding the kind of expensive-sounding, future-leaning ear candy typically in the province of top 40 radio. Mcphun makes his own brand of pop - accessible and unconventional, ethereal and concise, modern and timeless. In that regard, 'Christopher' is miles beyond previous Ruby Suns records - a high-fi, meta-disco, headphonic roller-skating jam for lovers written and recorded over the course of several years, several world tours and several separate bands.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Memphis Recordings","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50410699784523,"sku":"358368","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50410700407115,"sku":"358369","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d2fd1de0-c57c-4b74-b2cf-1610091bc5d1_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726648071"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_9f352c9f_thumbnail_4096_8d814b19-bfbe-4f7c-948b-f7a1b3b057dd.jpg?v=1726633696","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/the-ruby-suns.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}