Rebelution
Falling Into Place
Reviewed by: Max Miller
Reggae, somewhat unfairly, has become a bit of a red-headed stepchild in the United States. What began as a diverse genre with intricate cultural and historical roots has been reduced on our shores to Toots and the Maytals and Bob Marley soundtracking a group of poncho-wearing college freshmen getting high. Even more maligned are the bands comprised of these same stoners, which take their heavily-diluted reggae influence and blend it with a bit of rock or punk in order to create a sort of hybridized bastard genre that is like unto manna from heaven to festival bros. (The most obvious example of this is Sublime.)
Of course, these are all generalizations, and if they seem a bit harsh, it’s because they kind of are. But this is the lens through which the average American listener views a “reggae rock” group like Rebelution, who are unlikely to register with many general music fans, despite releasing four consecutive albums that made no. 1 on the Billboard Reggae charts. Falling Into Place, the California-based group’s latest album, might just be their fifth.
The album kicks off with “Know It All,” a funky dance track with Wesley Finley’s bright snare snap anchoring funky, wah-drenched upstrokes from Eric Rachmany and slinky horn lines from Khris Royal and Zach Meyerowitz. The song serves as a call to arms against the kind of negative thinking I outlined earlier. However, Rebelution go on to somewhat confirm the stereotype with “Inhale Exhale,” which is about exactly what you think it is. The song features a more typical reggae structure and guest vocals from Jamaican singer Protoje. His verse gives a nice respite from Rachmany’s vocals, which are heavily produced and sometimes even autotuned. While they fit with the immaculate production of the other instruments, their Top 40 qualities, marked by heavy reverb and echo and a bit too prominent placing in the mix, can be distracting.
Falling Into Place mostly follows its tried-and-true formula, with Marley D. Williams’ bass grooves playing with negative space which Rachmany and keyboardist Rory Carey fill out with subtle melody lines. Rachmany mainly sings about good vibes, partying and girls, maintaining a belief in the power of positive thinking. It’s easy to understand why Rebelution are popular on college and festival circuits; for better or for worse, they rarely confront their audience with any concerns beyond having a good time. In their philosophy, the hard times can wait until the show is done or the record has ended. The exception is closing ballad “Breakdown,” which admits to feelings of hopelessness and despair. The acoustic guitar-driven song is the most prototypically “rocking” track, albeit it in an arena rock kind of sense. It adds a little more gravity to the record, but only so much, seeing as it comes right on the heels of an uber-funky cut called “High On Life.”
Okay, so maybe Falling Into Place does little to disprove the generalizations people tend to make about reggae rock. But I really doubt the band cares all that much. After all, the tenth picture you find with a Google Image search of “Rebelution” is a photo of the band gleefully posing with bongs for High Times. Maybe college stoners are Rebelution’s key (or only) demographic, but they’ve supported the band and kept them going strong for over a decade. The average listener may or may not find something on Falling Into Place, but they’re not getting anything out of being condescending about it either. It’s like Rachmany says: “Positivity will trump them all. Nothing good to say, don’t say it at all.”
Rating: Listenable
