Messthetics #103: D.I.Y. 77 - 81, Midlands I

Compilations are, generally, a hit-or-miss kind of format. Gimmicks abound, and one good band is generally featured amongst a larger pool of bland and uninteresting groups that the label is trying to push. That is why the Hyped To Death label (hyped2death.com) has fixed the problems of the past: they issue CDs and CDRs of rare D.I.Y. bands from the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s by bands that you’ve probably never heard of, but are just as good as the ones you have. The label quickly developed several different collections to distinguish the content, all releasing groups more or less alphabetically: Teenline (all power-pop groups), Homework (all American groups), and Messthetics (all UK groups). While the original volumes were issued as CDRs, Hyped To Death has begun a new series of CDs which features tracks from the previous releases, now organized by region. While the Messthetics 100 series doesn’t bring anything new to fans who already have the CDRs, what this disc does is give a new perspective on these bands: rather than presented somewhat arbitrarily, we are now seeing small music scenes that developed over time, featuring bands that played together and influenced each other. Most of these original records were released independently, which adds another dimension to this collection, too: people who are trying to carry the D.I.Y. aesthetic into the 21st Century can see it all from a historical context, too. While this is, I’m sure, fascinating to only the most boring of music fans, the bottom line with this collection is the fact that all the songs fuckin’ rock. Much of the fare is lo-fi and contains performances that are less than skilled, but the enthusiasm of these musicians to release cassettes and records in the face of a disinterested music industry speaks volumes about the bands involved. Check out #101 & #102 for more of the same; if you’re not converted after listening to a few tracks, then there’s seriously something wrong with you. – Austin Rich