Scottish rockers Silver Dollar room aren’t afraid of going retro on their debut album ‘Gilded Echoes’. By taking influence from a wealth of classic rock bands and mixing in strong elements of a post-grunge sound, they’ve created a ten song release that’s riff heavy, but also very accessible. Naturally, there are times when the influences shine perhaps a little too brightly, but that never stops the songs being enjoyable – and it’s always clear that this band more than knows their way around a decent hook.

‘Origins’ kicks off a ten song journey with a number that’s among the band’s more energetic offerings. A rattle of drums opens the track, and eventually works a machine gun like delivery into a speed driven groove. Over the hefty rhythm, the guitars take on a similar sharpness, adding an extra feeling of energy. There are moments here where it sounds like SDR are channelling one of Pearl Jam’s more aggressive numbers, and this feeling is definitely accentuated by John Keenan’s vocals occasionally conveying a Vedder-esque quality. Not especially in tone, but more in his approach to any semi angsty moments that arise throughout. The marriage of his voice and Jamie Turnbull’s guitar tone is perfect, and within these three minutes, the band introduce themselves with a genuine intent. Moving into ‘Dark’, the tempo decreases and there’s a mellower vibe that’s driven by Lisa Aird’s solid bass work. The verse works a stripped down sound where the prominent bass is joined by occasional echoing guitar, and the chorus shares a huge crashing riff that taps firmly into the Pixies quietLOUDquiet mould, but there’s an approach taken here that shows Silver Dollar Room as being more melodic than some of their grungy forebears. Firstly, John’s vocals adopt a softer stance befitting of the melody in hand, but it’s also really impressive how Jamie wedges a hard rock guitar solo into something that wouldn’t necessarily be accommodating to such an old school approach. In capturing the band’s crossover appeal, it’s perfect.

‘Little Things’ mixes the heaviness and general fuzz of 90s alternative with a more melodic edge. It immediately catches the ear with a groove laden riff, but grows further in the melodic stakes with the help of both a clean toned vocal and a funk inspired pre-chorus. Falling somewhere between Stone Temple Pilots, Bush and early Blind Melon, the overall sound allows for plenty of nostalgic feelings, but there’s plenty about the number’s general mood that still feels very effective as the punchy elements are plentiful. With lyrics touching on emotional turmoil – inspired by Michael Douglas in ‘Falling Down’ – any unease is amplified with a rather honest delivery. Whilst not especially original, this is a strong track that fans of the style will certainly enjoy. Another fast workout, ‘Fairytale’ features Douglas McDonnell reworking his scattergun drum sound for something that feels even more bombastic, and John latching onto a semi aggressive vocal that really gives the band’s sound a massive kick. Granted, you won’t find much here that stands out in relation to the rest of this enjoyable long player, but in capturing the whole band in fine form, pulling together to deliver something with a huge punch, it really works – and sounds even better when played loudly.

‘Melanin’ crashes in with a busy alt-rock rhythm that shares vague hints of Bush once again via a clattering drum part and chunky bass, but the band inject a much bigger sense of melody via a bright and optimistic sounding vocal. When exploding into a guitar driven chorus, there’s almost as much jangle here as grunge loving crunch, and some listeners might hear the ghosts of melodic post-grunge fare like Moist at the heart of a confident sounding track. It’s already enjoyable by the end of the second chorus, but another shamelessly old school lead guitar break courtesy of Jamie lends a vital kick that turns a good track into a genuinely great one. One of the album’s highlights, ‘Weaponised’ shows off the band in a much smoother way when a shimmering guitar line calls back to ‘Mellon Collie’ era Smashing Pumpkins and the bass lays down a warm but slightly filtered sound. The verse brims with a 90s nostalgia in the most brilliant way, and when everything explodes for the expectedly crashy chorus, the blend of McDonnell’s huge drum sound and an overdriven guitar riff results in something absolutely huge. Linking the two extremes, Jamie indulges in some unexpectly bluesy lead work, dropping in long and flowing notes, before bolstering a huge climax with a hefty wah wah pedal. Those with longer memories might feel that this has the air of Stiltskin about it, but where as the talented Ray Wilson found there wasn’t always much to back up his great voice, in terms of 90s throwbacks – a term used in the most loving way – Silver Dollar Room sound like the full package.

Elsewhere, ‘Mantle’ revisits the Pearl Jam influence again when a muted drum sound and ringing guitar provide the bed for a very emotive vocal, but there’s a little more melody injected when a jangling tone fleshes out louder moments in the manner of a couple of old Collective Soul tunes. The presence of Lisa on counter vocal lends a greater melodic touch, and even when working at a slower tempo, there’s a great power in the SDR sound. From its moody beginnings, the arrangement gradually swells, and by the time everything reaches a natural peak, the whole band can be heard pulling together to create something almost timeless. It’s big without being bombastic; retro without sounding tired – a few plays actually allows this slow burner to become another of this album’s stand out tunes.

This is an album that had the benefit of a very long promotional cycle. It arrives feeling very mature, and very familiar. Those who’d been keeping an eye on these guys over the previous year and enjoyed the pre-release singles will find plenty more to enjoy here on a filler-free disc. The debut single ‘Little Things’ still stands as one of the best tracks within the band’s arsenal, but ‘Mantle’ and ‘Fairytale’, at the very least, prove there’s more musical gold where that came from. Those hoping to score a little nineties nostalgia will definitely like this, but there’s enough entertainment here for the rock fan with broader tastes too. Overall, even if originality isn’t always at the forefront of the Silver Dollar Room sound, ‘Gilded Echoes’ provides a solid first footer for a very talented act.

July 2024

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