Hope you’re tired, wired and ready to go. Click the distortion on the amps and plug in all your pedals-Dez Rocket is making those string vibrate. His songs can be classified as hard rock/pop and alt rock, but genres are for suckers. Stick it to the man here, Dezert Rocket is the album that even vinyl shouldn’t be able to contain.
Like a deer caught in headlights, I go into this album completely unaware and in shock. I don’t read much about the artist as it can cloud song value with bias, so I went with full volume and zero expectations. Like a criminal during a prosecution, I was wrong.
Running on high voltage
Let’s start with Lose. It must pretty much set the tone for the album, if you listen to albums in the order placed by the artist. If not, you’re a maniac. Showered in the soaked garage rock sound of the 90’s and early 00’s, Dez Rocket uses a simple punk hook to hang you to dry. It works, because its catchy and doesn’t make you want to push pause. That would be a cardinal sin in this case.
When options are presented between a 4/4 standard beat and alternating time signatures, choose the latter. Always choose the latter-it has some interesting stories to it. Fooled You, like the name suggests has a frivolous playful nature about it, with the xylophone sounds or the unpredictable beat for the opening. Then we change gears to the Pixies vibe you might have missed. Good stuff I must admit.
220V of rock
With a Morello kind of recurring riff, Shocktane is 8 times the octane level for your energetic sound. For the beat coming as late as it does in the song, it is shock-ting (ignore if it upsets you) the quick delivery of the verses keeps you interested. Quicky changes to a grunge styled vibe which dominates the rest of the track. Might be the catchiest track on record.
You Caught Me is Dez Rocket dipping into the hot sound of rock and propagating it with ease. It might be a riff you’ve heard before, but who gives a shit? Dez Rocket makes it worth being listened to on repeat and is an amazing sequence of songs, all highs.
The punk vibe is back with Next to Nice. Dez Rocket doesn’t have time to pretend, so he’s ok with being however he shows himself, warts, and all. The track features some surprising instruments making a neat groove part of the very material of the song. The haunting sounds add to the layer of mystery, and avoid monotony that punk songs tend to get infected with.
Shocker from a rocker
We’re at the middle with Middle. Sliding down to a softer intro, Dez expects you to think he’s abandoning the distortion, but that’s not quite true. He simply adopts a Black Keys sound style and continues to surprise. As a debut, it has been nothing but uphill till now, and that spells dream for Dez.
Another alt-rock gem in the making, Slide just makes you want to go. Where? I don’t think it matters, the heavier riff wants you to change how you’re feeling with your face immersed in something else while you listen to his song. It is an attention grabber-all lasers and a pyro show in terms of a track for the album.
The Ramones are embodied in Dez Rocket with La La. He doesn’t hold back your 4 chord riffs which never fail to make you want to dance, and here Dez doesn’t say much but says enough with the track. Why hype MGK when a man twice as talented is pumping out nothing but gold fiber with his track. Synth solo when you wouldn’t expect it? Yes please.
Remember when Dez was Next to Nice? Now he’s Nice. With a 00’s emo kind of riff, he speaks his mind regarding the matters that matter. The Kurt Cobain riff delivery changes the fabric of the album, now ranging from alt-rock to punk to grunge. Superb riff plays and now this is turning into a greatest hits album.
A blistering bang
Two Ton Name is what Dez Rocket should call himself. The heavier riff on the record, someone named Rocket makes sure he goes out with a bang. The Zeppelin Kashmir vibes are evident, why wouldn’t they be? Desert. The treble is rocking out the song, with one part of the chorus repeated one too many times for me. The riff however is too simple yet heavy for me to start getting annoyed, I’m nothing but pleased with this album.
If the signature for an artist is to pour out their prior experiences in one album, Dez has done precisely that. All his stage time and touring seemed to have carved the album out of his own psyche, subconsciously. All for it. The rocket isn’t flying, its out of the stratosphere already.
Listen to his debut masterpiece here:
Check out our playlists here!
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Promotional Disclaimer: The content in this post has been sponsored by the artist, label, or PR representative to help promote their work.
Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
