On 16th January 2026, Silver Dollar Room announced the upcoming release of a new single. The same day, they broke the news to their fans that this would be their final recording.
They might not have reached the status of a band that were selling out big venues, but over a few short years, they made their mark on the Scottish underground rock scene and would certainly be missed by those who’d taken note of their work.
In a little under three years, the band released a slew of great digital singles, two albums and two acoustic collections – all of which are worth checking out. To set you on your way, and to pay tribute to one of our favourite cult bands of the ’20s, we present the Silver Dollar Room Essentials – a selection of tracks that we feel are not necessarily their best, but those when heard together, represent the strongest overview of their work.
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‘Little Things’ mixes the heaviness and general fuzz of a 90s alternative sound with a more melodic edge. It’s a track that 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 sound allows for plenty of nostalgic feelings, but there’s plenty about the number’s general vibe that still feels very effective in the present 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.
A really effective opening track on the band’s debut album ‘Gilded Echoes’, ‘Origins’ is a number that’s among Silver Dollar Room’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 present themselves with a genuine intent.
One of SDR’s more effective early singles, ‘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 this performance a vital kick that turns a good track into a genuinely great one.
One of the band’s busiest sounding rockers, ‘Breathe’, at first, centres around a groove laden drum part. Douglas McDonald attacks his kit like he’s modelled his performance on a couple of old Fugazi numbers, but once the rhythm settles, heavy post-grunge guitar lines introduce more of a recognisable sound. Armed with a fiery vocal, John K brings as much force to this stand out cut from the second album ‘It Can’t Rain All The Time’, but in this instance, he’s not quite a match for the impressive musical backdrop. With twin guitars (one high toned, the other dirty sounding) weaving in and out of the drums for the bulk of the track, and a hugely melodic pre-chorus introducing more of a ‘Roll The Bones’ era Rush influence, the arrangement here is truly impressive: the sound of a rock band reaching peak confidence; taking the sound of their debut and adding a couple more complex layers, giving everything an effective lift, but without drawing too much away from the heart of the song. If you were stumble across this track randomly as your first listen to Silver Dollar Room, chances are, it would be very effective.
Although often at their best when armed with a huge riff, Silver Dollar Room could, on occasion, deliver a great ballad, and ‘Can’t Rain…’s ‘Crazy Heart’ shows the band being very comfortable handling more melodic fare. This slow and brooding number had pride of place as the second album’s centrepiece. The slow tempo allows for a warm bassline to cut through, whilst bright sounding lead guitars lay a mellow riff over a melody that presents itself very gradually. Cranking the guitars for the chorus, there’s an effective juxtaposition between a grubby riff and falsetto vocal, and a little later, a slow, bluesy solo takes centre stage, showcasing a perfect blend of power and melody. Moving into the number’s noisier climax, the drums spring into life, and John’s vocal continues to provide a strong link with a 90s sound and the influence from early Pearl Jam here is very appealing. Overall, ‘Crazy Heart’ might seem very mature and overly familiar, but it’s still fresh sounding in a contemporary setting,
Silver Dollar Room often took pride in their ability to present a thoughtful lyric. Although mental health struggles became a lynchpin in the band’s social commentary, they were able to approach other topics in an equally mature and measured way. Inspired by the BBC drama ‘Three Girls’, ‘Monsters’ broached the topic of child abuse. Heard as part of the second album, the number stands as one of their most powerful offerings, both musically and lyrically. The track’s opening rhythm guitar salvo calls back to 90s emo with strong echoes of Shift within the tone. This catches the ear with immediate effect and from there,‘Monsters’ grows into something huge; a tune that moves between a few very distinctly different musical passages, eventually peaking with an epic instrumental break. The overall performance is elevated way beyond being a rocky throwback, thanks to some fantastic ringing guitar tones on a couple of strong bridge sections, and the aforementioned instrumental break makes a great feature of a more downtuned approach where a riff that falls somewhere between the heavy end of early Smashing Pumpkins and ‘Black Album’ era Metallica shows Silver Dollar Room somewhere near their heaviest.
Nestled among the recordings on the band’s first acoustic release is a tune that will be familiar to almost everyone. A voice and piano rendition of Manic Street Preachers ‘If You Tolerate This…’ is brilliantly introspective, and a lower vocal register highlights a sadness in the melody in a way that James Dean Bradfield never quite gets across. The lack of bluster makes it really obvious how many of the Manics’ lyrics don’t scan properly…but, that said, the melody suits John very well and if you’re a fan of the original track, this is well worth an ear, and if this acts as a springboard towards discovering some of Silver Dollar Room’s own compositions, that makes it even better.
Sometimes, stripping things down to their bare essence works for the best. The full electric version of ‘Eyes’ from the ‘Can’t Rain…’ album sounds fine, capturing the band in full “rock out” mode, often sounding like they’re channelling a couple of old Bush numbers, but the quiet introspection of the piano based re-recording (from ‘Can’t Rain All The Time: The Piano Sessions’) really brings out the melodic heart. With a crashy drum part no longer taking centre stage, the ear is constantly drawn to an aching vocal that moves between moody tones and higher registers with ease, while the piano work adds a stately feel to the melody that was previously absent.
January 2026
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