When one thinks of reggae, ska, you name it, your mind tends to lend to the other side of the pond in the sea breezes of 1950s and 60s Jamaica, where it all began. That’s why Tree House Fire are a band that might just surprise you. Hailing from Surrey and South Wales, they’re certainly not from where their ancestors crafted the genre, but that’s just it. Actions & Reactions attempts to fuse reggae and ska with a rock infusion. Don’t expect an album that sounds Skindred-like, because that it is far from. Be prepared for something a little different.
As the album opens with short and sweet ‘Fire Island’, you are instantly transported to the sandy Caribbean beaches with its authentic blues undertone and jazz tendencies. Its an opener that definitely sets the benchmark for the rest of the record. It must be said that if upon the first track you’re expected the record to shift into something hard rock or mostly rock influenced, then you’ve come to the wrong place. It pays tribute to reggae in a huge way, which is what initially makes it something largely rare in the British music scene.
Actions & Reactions progresses into tracks such as ‘Battlefield’ and ‘Beard Trimmer Dub’ which both exist a bit differently to your stereotypical ska/reggae number. They add a groove which is no less than uplifting in the mix with Latin influences and a stand out underpinned rock riff on ‘Beard Trimmer Dub’, which also carries expected dub influxes here and there.
Whilst on a first glance, this record may sound exceedingly repetitive, underneath each song does its best to completely steer away from that. Changes in tempo, volume, genre bending and a variation in lyrical content allows this to be an album that showcases that the Brits can, and will do reggae music. ‘Mr Aggressor’ uses female backing vocals intertwined with strong percussion technicality that create an evident hip-hop vibe. From this to ‘Gone Are The Days’ which is an initial latin-like acoustic beauty, that feeds into piano work that makes it a stand out track.
As the album concludes with ‘Hope’, it must be said that regardless of whether you’re a fan of reggae or reggae inspired music or not, Actions & Reactions deserves a listen. For already fans, its no doubt a sure fire winner for you. For those not, this may not be the album for you, but on the flip side, it could introduce you to a whole new side to music.
