Track by Track is our recurring feature series in which artists guide readers through each song on their latest release. Today, New York City rocker Des Rocs give us insight into his sophomore album, Dream Machine.
Des Rocs, aka Danny Rocco, sports the silhouette of a young Elvis Presley, and his brand of self-described “bedroom arena rock” tugs at the rock ‘n’ roll of the past with the intent of making the present a bit more tolerable.
Fused with the wit of an artist forging his path in the competitive New York City circuit, his music transcends pastiche and is frankly refreshing. There’s tangible joy: bombastic chords, anthemic Queen-esque choruses, glam-metal swagger. In a gloomy world where many musicians are making gloomy music, Des Rocs sounds like the damn antidote.
“It’s 2:10 in the morning / I’m on the BQE … Come on take a joy ride / In my dream machine.”
Classic stuff. And with producer Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, PJ Harvey) at the helm, Des Rocs’ sophomore album Dream Machine is a sonic treat — especially those sharp, crunchy guitars.
Dream Machine is out now via Sumerian Records (order here). Stream the album below, followed by Des Rocs’ exclusive track-by-track breakdown, along with select music videos.
“Dream Machine”
Dream Machine begins where the last album left off. I envisioned that whole last record collapsing on itself through a rabbit hole — like some kinda cosmic event of chaos. My last body of work was born out of a tremendous amount of darkness. After it came out, my life took a roller coaster ride that left me with a lot more questions than answers. I spent those following months experimenting with tons of different ideas before I landed on this hypnotic groove. It reached outta the speakers and grabbed me. I started freestyling over it and all this pent-up truth poured out like a geyser. In that moment a window opened that allowed me to see the exact album I wanted to create. “Dream Machine” became a vessel of escape. I tried my best to beat those original vocal takes from that day, but there was something about the honesty of it all that I couldn’t replicate.
“I am the Lightning”
I’d had this killer riff for a while. Originally it was part of “Never Ending Moment” (which seems wild to me now). When we finally cracked the arrangement on NEM, that riff was left homeless. Fast forward a few months later. We’d just returned home from a tour with The Cult. Our drums arrived early one morning to my little space in Brooklyn off the back of a freight truck. When you ship drums, it’s common to loosen the heads of em’ first. So there I was unpacking these kinda floppy sounding drums that had a weird energy when ya gave ’em a good smack with the back of the finger. I set ’em up like that and strung up a single RadioShack brand mic over the kit. After playing around a few minutes, this one really convincing loop emerged. I hit record and then ran over to my desk to try that “Lightning” riff over it. It all clicked and felt so tough and real.
“White Gold”
I think the worst thing a writer could do is say: “I want my own version of song ____.” It’s this strange kinda writing trap that you’re both totally aware of, yet fall for over and over again. I’d spent a few weeks trying to build my own “Bohemian Rhapsody,” my own “No One Knows,” and on and on… After weeks of wild goose chases, my buddy Gerry Lange and I were just fed up and threw all those demos into the trash. That allowed us to free up — we just started jamming like we did when we were little kids. It was late at night. We were jumpin’ around the room — chanting — as if possessed by some spirits. “White Gold” came quickly in this one kind of cathartic breath of fresh air.
“Nowhere Kid”
“Nowhere Kid” was one of the first songs I wrote for the album. I created it as part of a larger idea that I ended up scraping before finding the soul of Dream Machine. Originally there was a concept album called “Signs of Life” that I’d been working on intensely for a few months. This song fit into an act on that album that was a character’s introduction song — this anthem of loneliness. It became way too personal of a song to not move forward with after I’d trashed the concept record. I programmed these impossible drum parts on the original demo that my drummer Will Tully ended up knockin’ out in a single take. He had the whole control room screaming after that first pass.
“Never Ending Moment”
This was one of the most difficult songs to write on the album. One morning while in the shower, this little vocal melody popped into my head — the “do do day dohs.” I jumped out covered in suds and recorded it to voice note. I was pretty convinced it was already a song, so I texted the voice note to Matt Pinfield and titled it “Hey, is this already a song?” The fella is a walking music encyclopedia, so when he gave me the clear, I screamed with excitement. It’s the best feeling when you’re convinced an idea already exists and it turns out to be fair game. I think this song was on the radio in another dimension and there was a glitch where my brain’s antennae was able to snatch it outta the airwaves for a split second. The song itself is about nostalgia for a moment before it’s even ended. I’ve felt a sense of poetry in that human tendency — to mourn something beautiful before it’s over.
“Bad Blood”
A mission of this album was to really capture the live energy of the band on record for the first time. So many Des Rocs records have been made start-to-finish on my MacBook. When we toured it became clearer that my records were leaving something on the table that the show offered. My bassist Eric Mendelsohn and drummer Will Tully laid down an incredible groove that allowed their musicianship to shine and breathe in a way a lot of records don’t anymore.
“Natural Born Thriller”
This rattlesnake was born from a riff I’d been toying around with for years. Any chump can write pentatonic riffs with an open E all freakin day. The real challenge is to create something that feels true, honest, and exciting. So if there’s a riff I love but it feels like some stock synch-rock garbage, then I have to put it away for a while before I consider working on it again. As the rest of the album came into focus, I pulled it up a few days before our mixing deadline and found that when I had the least to lose creatively (because so much of the record was done), I was free to just be myself and not worry about the end result. When you care the least, when you are just truly present, you can make some of the best art you’re capable of.
“In the Night”
Man, “In the Night” is a song I’m so damn proud of… This album was created with an incredible team of people who were so dedicated to the cause. There were so many bits and pieces of this song that I was constantly re-arranging. Matt Wallace and Alain Johannes were integral in challenging the arrangements and forcing me to become a better composer. They were also these incredible cheerleaders in the room who really brought out the best in Gerry and I. It was tough finishing this song because of the subject matter, but their energy helped me cross the finish line on a record that would’ve likely collected dust on my hard drive.
“Up to You”
After my first meeting with Matt Wallace and Alain, they’d mentioned cutting some of the songs live. This spooked me big time. I can get pretty deep into it recording hundreds of vocal takes and workshopping ideas over and over. I’m a control freak with baaaad OCD. But there was something fatalistic and natural about it that intrigued me. It was also a chance to leave the comfort zone artistically — something I’m always chasing. We performed a few takes. Each take had something I loved and something I didn’t. At the end of the day, we picked one.
Thanks to Des Rocs for taking the time to elaborate on his new album Dream Machine. You can pick up a copy on vinyl or CD via Sumerian Records.
