Do It Yourself! Volume #11


Hot Water Music
"Remedy"
This is HWM's second appearance in the DIY! series, and, once again, they don't fail to please the older and crustier fans out there. It's abrasive, yet clean and polished. It's like a Brillo pad shoved into your inner ear. 

The Randies
"Boys in Stereo"
This one shifts from saccharine sweet pop-punk to snotty grrrrl rawk in the blink of a heavily mascara'd eye. With their country influences and aesthetic, these L.A. ladies are a bit of a departure from the standard girl-rock offerings. 

Division of Laura Lee
"Does Compute"
Viva La 120 Minutes Revolucion! Seriously, most of the popular rock out there right now would fit in perfectly on Sunday night Mtv circa '93 or so. That's not to say that this nugget of fuzzy art-rock doesn't bring the goods to the party... and I mean one of those dingy, sweaty heroin parties that look so cool in the movies.

Common Rider
"Classics of Love"
In honor of their recent reunion, here's an older offering from the other band to rise from the ashes of 3rd wave ska legends, Operation Ivy. This is much closer to the classic OP/IV sound you know and love. 

Frenzal Rhomb
"Mum Changed the Locks"
There has been a lot of talk about how all Fat Wreck bands sound exactly like NOFX. I have a suspicion that these guys played a huge role in giving people that impression. Of course, sounding like NOFX is a bad thing. And since NOFX's future in kinda uncertain, it's nice to see that there's somebody there to carry the torch.

Gym Class Heroes
"Paper Cuts"
I'm a sucker for rap music packaged and marketed to the predominantly white indie music crowd. Let's face it. It just addresses issues that hit a little closer to home that mainstream hip-hop. Plus, these guys actually have a black guy.

Amazombies
"Gotta Ride"
4-tracks. Three chords. And two minutes and thirty-six seconds of female aggression.

Stray Bullets
"P.C. 1"
Hardcore meets ska on its own terms... and it works. Only in Boston, baby. Check out the "Surfin' Safari" breakdown toward the end. It's venom-laced loogie aimed squarely at the left-coast.

The Faint
"Birth"
Produced to within an inch of it's life, this track is like one of those "out-there" rock tracks that'd be found running behind the trailers of a late ninties noir film... except infinitely better.

Bedouin Soundclash
"Jeb Rand"
Can't get enough of the acousto-reggae ala Chris Murray and Bradley Nowell? Well these guys prove that the established names don't have the corner on the roots-rock/folk sound. 

About the Artwork:
Yeah, it's "Volume #11" so I ripped off the art from the "Ocean's 11" remake. I actually did one version that was meant to look like the 7-11 logo, but scrapped it due to the fact that... well it looked like straight dookie.