Roger Bryan and The Orphans – Days Or Nights/That’s Life!
It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Buffalo-based act Roger Bryan and the Orphans “elder statesmen” – for the last 16+ years, Bryan & co. have been crafting ragged, heartstring-healing Americana. Their latest album, Days Or Nights/That’s Life! (DONTL), is a 10-song continuation of their ever-growing catalogue. Expect songs that sound rusty (in a Rust Belt sort of way), soaked with harmonica, vintage organ tones, and crispy Telecaster-esque crunch that you might expect from someplace where the music tends to be a little more twangy.
DONTL kicks off with the rambling “Remind Me,” which immediately highlights the aforementioned instrumental suite that makes Bryan’s compositions so heartwarming. Screaming harmonica soars overtop an open chord jangle, falling into a pocket of alt-country emotion that feels hopeful, lovelorn, and lightly restless. Bryan’s hushed but impassioned vocals are an obvious pull here, and while this is certainly more Wilco-coded than late-90s pop rock, I do feel like there’s a hint of Johnny Rzeznik’s raspiness peeking through here. I’m not sure if the alt-country-centric Bryan would be honored or confused by a Goo Goo Dolls comparison, but this is assuredly a compliment… There’s something special about the guitar-driven music that comes to life in the dive bars around these parts, and it’s a testament to RB’s songwriting skills that he’s able to bring his songs to life in such an agreeable way.
Song two, “Mine For A Little,” is a quiet little love song about taking chances, simmering with reserved energy and laced with swirly organs, an album highlight for sure. For the most part, however, Bryan keeps things upbeat and rollicking. “One Of These Days” makes me want to raise a PBR into the air while Bryan proclaims that “one of these days [he] might come through for you.” “Whispers” sparkles with just-enough Tom Petty energy, with its chiming guitar refrains popping into your headphones between Bryan’s intriguingly vague poetry. “All Them Years” hits like this too, with it’s dead-on proclamation of what it feels like to age across decades – see below:
“21 years, I’m learning to fight
31 years, figuring out what’s right
41 years, if I make it, I’ll see you in time”
Bryan is obviously a driving factor here, but it’s worth mentioning that his band is stellar across DONTL. Drummer Mike Sobieraj is one of those guys that every songwriter wants in his band, with his tasteful four-on-the-floor presence that serves to constantly elevate Bryan’s jangly compositions. Fellow rhythm section stalwart Matt Lavin deserves a nod here too – see the bouncing bassline in “Forget to Remember” that seems to keep you guessing on where it’s going next, while still staying true to that all-too-familiar country bounce (I particularly like when he matches Bryan’s cadence on the “We all do it” refrain). Lastly is Dave Calos, a verified Buffalo journeyman and fellow Harvestsum holdout whose shimmering and startlingly unique guitar work pops out at all the right times. These guys take the songs on DONTL to the next level – after 16 years together, that well-earned synergy shines through in the final product.
If you can call any of these songs an outlier, its the brooding “Wake Up,” with its angular verses and one of the coolest guitar moments on the album coming from Kalos (see 1:38). There’s also the surprisingly fuzzy bass crunch of follow-up song “Control.” All in all, once you’ve made it through the stomp-stomp-clap of album closer “Permanent,” it’s pretty evident that Bryan & co. are still at the top of their game, writing songs that feel fresh, palatable, and timeless… Even if they are a rusty Rust Belt band deep down.
Days Or Nights/That’s Life! is out now (July 23rd, 2024). You can find lots of different ways to support their adventures via this helpful Linktree link.
Categorised in: Album of the Week
This post was written by Nick Sessanna