Silver Dollar Room arrived on my radar near the end of last year with their debut full-length, which I meant to review until life got in the way. I have been familiar with their lead guitarist, Jamie Turnbul,l for several years through his production work for Tyla. The “difficult” second album is not a problem here, as the band has exceeded their debut across the board for my tastes. Their sound falls into the broad alt-rock genre, but their influences are quite diverse within that spectrum. My warning going into this album is that the first listen or two are subtle, with several moments that are cool and bring you back to it. Before I knew it, though, the album was on repeat with the songs burrowing deeply into me.

The first song on the album ‘Normal People’ takes some pensive grunge tendencies and uses them to let us know that we do not know where the album will initially go. This isn’t an album of upbeat songs. These songs reside in the darkness within us and society, with flashes of hope at times. The guitar solo by Turnbull provides that light in the first song. I also want to call out the drum work by Douglas McDonald, whose work is showcased across the whole album. On the opening song it helps take the song to another level. ‘Come Morning’ increases the tempo a little bit with a sound that recalls the 90’s grunge era mixed with a kaleidoscope of other influences to create one of those subtle choruses that just digs itself deeper and deeper into the listener. John Keenan’s vocals are full of heart and emotion. One constant across this album is that is should be played very loudly.

One of those initial glimpses of the excellence here happens next with ‘Breathe.’ There is almost a poppy style vocal over the first verse at the beginning, and then it gets more and more intense. We circle back to the poppier style for the second verse before crashing back into the intensity. There are so many awesome moments for me in this song that I cannot possibly highlight them all. I will focus on one of them, where McDonald’s drums and Ryan Shearer provide a breakdown that leads into a short but epic burst of a guitar solo that transitions into the end of the song. “Purple” begins with some uplifting guitar before transitioning into a darker-feeling song that is another album highlight. There are some grungy elements here as well as some Manics influence too. There are great dynamics between the breakdown and the guitar solo. Closing out the first half of the album is ‘Eyes.’ You may have picked up the song titles are very brief, and this is true throughout the album. While this rocker doesn’t hit the same highs for me as the previous two, it is a solid song with some excellent guitar work.

‘Crazy Eyes’ kicks off the second half of the album with a slow, moody approach that reminds me a bit of early Pearl Jam. Keenan’s vocals shine again here as the intensity builds. I would love to hear this song live as the guitar solo eases up some of the intensity momentarily before the surge at the end, without the song ever increasing the tempo. The catchy refrains and approach of ‘Can’t Rain’ remind me of a less mainstream Tonic. Musically, each member is hitting on all cylinders here to create an awesome song, especially the jam that I imagine can be stretched out in the live setting. Increasing the beat and intensity, ‘Smile’ feels like it was channelled from the 90s with a musical feel that reminds me of early Kerbdog and Seven Storey Mountain.

‘Monsters’ details some horrific subject matter and why everyone should listen to women. Musically, it is a hook filled song with some excellent intensity and a highlight among highlights here. Keenan uses his voice in some different ways across the song and just delivers a master class in singing. The band close out the album with the longest song ‘Broken’ on the album. This is a slow burning track that serves as an excellent closer with the easy going start giving way to a hard rocking epic feel. This song drips emotion.

Over the course of ten songs, Silver Dollar Room have created a second album that shines and demands a lot of listens. If you enjoy grungy alt-rock from the 90’s or current excellent acts like James and the Cold Gun, this is an album for you. I don’t know where it will be on my albums of the year list, but it will be on there somewhere. This is also one of those albums that I can see myself listening to in 15-20 or more years.

‘It Can’t Rain All the Time’ is available now.

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Author: Gerald Stansbury