Dodge Jones Rage - West Coast Power Outage V

 

Dodge Jones Rage – West Coast Power Outage V – CD/Download – Absurd Exposition – 2023 – AE75

https://absurdexposition.bandcamp.com/album/west-coast-power-outage-v

https://www.screamandwrithe.com/

1.    Power: Conundrum

2.    Power: Luxury.

3.    Power: Absolute.

4.    Power: Bizarre.

5.    Power: Disaster.

This trio release each of their albums as differently numbered West Coast Power Outages since 2022. So far there have been 5 of them including this one. The trio are linked to a multitude of projects and labels, but as you will see, the uniqueness of this work deserves to be the focus of the review.

The album begins with a blast of what I would deem to be Hellish Wall. Melody seems to play in the centre of it but it is masked by the blast of the distortion. I like the overall, short effect of Conundrum. Luxury in comparison feels tropical and warped, noised and samples swirl around, the shift in tactic is impressive. Absolute is immediately darker as it farts into action. Churning drones and cut up distortion form a dance of noises as a supporting cast of quirky noises fall into the rhythm and rhyme. Veiled melody plays in the cacophony and it works well. As the piece reaches full flow it truly makes an impressive racket.

Juddered electronic sounds send a fractured signal to form Bizarre which uses discordant keyboard notes amongst the sonic chatter. When they keep doing that, it works very well! Power: Disaster is the longest track on the album and begins with wailing noise, backed by chaotic shifts between electronic clunking and distortive waves blasting over it. This feels as if a moog is used in the distance of the sound, the listeners focus can zone in and out of the different elements presented on Disaster. The sound is dark and unique as the elements of sound gradually intensify, screaming and wailing utter bleakness.

This is a brilliant album that sounds like nothing else that I have heard before.

One and one alone. 2023.