With their debut release ‘Gilded Echoes’, Scotland’s Silver Dollar Room delivered one of the finest albums of 2024. Its mix of hard rock and grunge drew from classic sources, including Smashing Pumpkins (with better vocals) and Bush (but with better songs), creating something that sometimes felt a little nostalgic but still relevant in the present.
Fans of that record are given a further treat with ‘The Acoustic Sessions’. The title offers no mystery, ensuring everyone knows exactly what to expect going in, but, do the songs work without the extra crunch? Does SDR’s all round appeal rely heavily on a weighty sound, or is the songwriting good enough to stand on its own? The answer to both those questions is a resounding “yes”.
Naturally, stripping everything down results in a very different listen, but everything remains strong in its own way. The acoustic guitars joining a slightly drawled vocal make some of the songs sound more as if they’ve been taken from the world of Days of The New, and although the hooks (particularly from ‘Melanin’ and ‘Fairytale’) are familiar, they sound so different when left to hold their own within starker arrangements. Sharper, even. In the case of ‘Melanin’, especially, the urgency in the vocal balances the lack of crunch, and in terms of absolute purity, John Keenan has never sounded better. Looking beyond his dominant role, there’s also a real joy in hearing bassist Lisa Aird and drummer Douglas McDonald working together, laying down tight grooves without resorting to anything aggressive. The lilt in the acoustic arrangement actually allows McDonald enough room to pepper the groove with almost jazz-like shuffles, which work brilliantly when Jamie Turnbull fills space with bright sounding lead guitar. This track is worth the cost of a download alone, but ‘The Acoustic Sessions’ offers a couple more interesting performances.
The fast paced ‘Canon Law’ opens with a riff that isn’t as much from the rock school of arrangements, but instead, sounds more like something from US world music/pop-rock band Rusted Root. This is reinforced by a brilliantly busy drum part that has so much more flair than on the electric album version. Everything starts with a great energy with Turnbull hammering at the strings and McDonald offering a brilliantly tight drum shuffle, but shifting into the chorus and hearing John reach for bigger notes even though the arrangement wouldn’t necessarily require him to do so, whilst the guitars opt for a more aggressive tone, results in something that really bursts from the speakers. Like ‘Melanin’, this recording potentially runs rings around the electric cut.
It seems at first that the slower, Bush-esque ‘Fairytale’ isn’t going to hold up so well acoustically. The opening riffs feel a little too leaden for the stripped down approach, and a heavy-ish bass reinforces the slightly ploddy feel. On the plus side, Keenan’s voice sounds natural and rich. The moments where things lighten up a little for the chorus fare better and show there’s definitely merit in attempting to make this work acoustically, but the track doesn’t really come into its own until the latter part of the song where the middle eight allows for more melody and Turnbull gives everything a massive lift with a perfectly executed guitar solo. His tone is impressive, and he glides through the busy lead break in such a way that he makes it sound so simple. By the time the last chorus rolls around, the early slightly lumpy part of the recording begins to feel like a distant memory, and although this certainly isn’t the best track, acoustically speaking, it’s much better than first impressions might suggest.
Being inspired by the quietLOUDquiet elements of 90s alternative, the electric version of ‘Dark’ relied rather heavily on the rhythm section, especially the bass. It’s a real pleasure to hear it re-worked with a bigger melodic core, dominated by huge acoustic strums. Although this has the effect of flattening the louder chorus to keep it in line with the semi-jangly verse, the melodic elements of the track really come through, and provide a near perfect backdrop for another great vocal. Surprisingly, despite reaching inside himself for some huge sounds, it isn’t John who steals the show here, but actually Jamie and Douglas who offer a semi-bluesy lead guitar break and some fine drum fills respectively. Overall, this is so much better than the album cut, and that has the effect of making ‘Weaponised’ feel slightly more ordinary, but with an approach that now makes the song sound like something from Pearl Jam’s MTV Unplugged set, it gives the whole of Silver Dollar room equal space, and the bright acoustic tones are very appealing. The aforementioned ‘Weaponised’ is fine enough – the guitar sounds are nice and bright throughout – but never seems to rise beyond a very 90s sounding, mid tempo workout. Fans of the original track are guaranteed to enjoy it, but it’s fair to say this acoustic session offers stronger performances.
A pair of piano based recordings show off yet another side to Silver Dollar Room. These duo recordings featuring John on vox and Jamie on keys are about as pure as you’ll find. The band’s own ‘Mantle’ works nicely in such an arrangement, since it allows the listener more of an opportunity to focus on a sweeping melody that wasn’t quite so obvious before, and a lyric regarding holding onto those close to you when everything feels hopeless is sold by Keenan with an earnestness, but without ever resorting to the musical equivalent of scenery-chewing. A tune familiar to almost everyone, a voice and piano rendition of Manic Street Preachers is similarly introspective, and a lower vocal register highlights a sadness in the melody in a way that James Dean Bradfield never quite gets across. Unfortunately, the lack of bluster makes it really obvious how many of the Manics’ lyrics don’t scan properly…but, that said, if you’re a fan of either Silver Dollar Room or the original Manics track, this is well worth an ear.
Although the idea of an acoustic release smacks of a band playing for time, ‘The Acoustic Sessions’ is nothing of the kind. It’s far better than expected. The lighter arrangements really highlight some great musicianship, and the more melodic edge allows Keenan’s voice to really shine. Despite the Manics cover being touted as this release’s big draw, there are a couple of other superior reasons to shell out for a download. If you found any love for the original ‘Gilded Echoes’, then this collection of semi-intimate recordings will definitely not disappoint.
February/March 2025