Mom's Basement Records, 20 November 2020
It's West vs. East, The Jasons vs. Black Russians, fighting for the soul of the world.
Okay, so this is fun. Both The Jasons and Black Russians are typically awesome Ramones-inspired punk bands. Both have released some great new music over the past couple of years, with Blood In The Streets and Death By Communism both being high on my list of 2019 favorites. And on this split, both try to “save tomorrow from” the other side – it's sort of like “Rocky IV”, except with cool music instead of Survivor.
The first half of this split belongs to The Jasons, and boy do they go for the Black Russians gravelled throat. All-American opener “Kill A Commie For Mommy” (just maybe a reference to the Black Russians song “Mommy Is A Commie”) is aggressive like crazy, shooting out at a blistering pace. The bass is hyper-fast and the guitar lead on the bridge is bonkers. And they outline a pretty persuasive opening argument, claiming victory from the outset because the USA has Ramones* (they know just how to get me). They also tackle Black Russians “A Blaze In The Soviet Sky” with some lyrical re-writes (“they hate the fucking USA, spit right in the face of freedom everyday”), coming through with a hook-laden chorus that leaves them calling to burn the Soviet flag, only to douse the song with some wild lead guitar. The other Jasons offering is my favorite from their side. The song's called “Red Dawnna” and opens with a scratchy “Oh Donna” sample that hints at the innocence of early rock and roll (and also height of the Cold War) America. Then, the sound of bombs and the song is off. “Dawnna” has great melodic lead guitar and a bridge that's catchy as all-get-out. But then the chorus catches on and actually blows away the bridge. It's just a feast of awesomeness with the great “oh Donna, red Donna” chorus and some cool backing vocals and lead guitar that mimics the vocal melody. The Jasons certainly have a point.
After The Jasons make their case, the backside is given over to those commie Black Russians. They lead off with an air raid attack called “Kill The Jasons”. The instantly-recognizable gruff vocals get paired up with some pretty straight-up Ramones music and rad lead guitar. And lines like “those motherfuckers should've drowned in Crystal Lake” get matched up with these sounds and come out the other side catchy. Also, at about the one minute mark everything stops on a dime, and then gets going again. Not sure why, but it really hooks me. “Invasion USA” skews a bit more aggressive, but it's really infectious, too. The backing vocals do well to set off the chorus, copying every other line, and then going a bit further with a cool third layer during the outro. And again, some funny lines about making “them yankee fuckers pay” and that “your freedom don't mean shit” are going to get a few looks (I'm assuming these are the type of utterances that frequently leapt from Stalin's mouth). And as a closing argument, Black Russians flip The Jasons “Red Blooded American Punk Rock” into “Red Blooded Soviet Punk Rock”, hitting the slightly heavier, sort of metal feel and digging into the melody with a growl. And there's another great guitar lead on the outro. Again, three songs, all hitting just right. Nice counter.
The Jasons vs. Black Russians Split is a bunch of fun. There are six raucous and rambunctious good songs, three from each. And while I know I should be calling a winner between the two, I'm just going to politely refuse and say something terribly lame: with this split, we're all the winners. How's that for non-commital?
Oh, and check this out. It's worth your time, over and over again.
Favorite song: “Red Dawnna” (on The Jasons side) and “Kill The Jasons” (on Black Russians side)
Favorite moment: the sticky chorus on “Red Dawnna”
Favorite whatever else: the USA/USSR theme is a bunch of fun, and both bands sound like they're having a blast giving each other the business
*Any band making an argument by bringing up Ramones is gonna win me over. Sorry Black Russians.
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He's very secretive, he might be an alien.
