diff --git a/contrib/release/bump_version.py b/contrib/release/bump_version.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..af1d0f9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/release/bump_version.py
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+from __future__ import with_statement
+
+import errno
+import os
+import re
+import sys
+import subprocess
+
+from contextlib import contextmanager
+from tempfile import NamedTemporaryFile
+
+rq = lambda s: s.strip("\"'")
+
+
+def cmd(*args):
+    return subprocess.Popen(args, stdout=subprocess.PIPE).communicate()[0]
+
+
+@contextmanager
+def no_enoent():
+    try:
+        yield
+    except OSError, exc:
+        if exc.errno != errno.ENOENT:
+            raise
+
+class StringVersion(object):
+
+    def decode(self, s):
+        text = ""
+        major, minor, release = s.split(".")
+        if not release.isdigit():
+            pos = release.index(re.split("\d+", release)[1][0])
+            release, text = release[:pos], release[pos:]
+        return int(major), int(minor), int(release), text
+
+    def encode(self, v):
+        return ".".join(map(str, v[:3])) + v[3]
+to_str = StringVersion().encode
+from_str = StringVersion().decode
+
+
+class TupleVersion(object):
+
+    def decode(self, s):
+        v = list(map(rq, s.split(", ")))
+        return (tuple(map(int, v[0:3])) +
+                tuple(["".join(v[3:])]))
+
+    def encode(self, v):
+        v = list(v)
+
+        def quote(lit):
+            if isinstance(lit, basestring):
+                return '"%s"' % (lit, )
+            return str(lit)
+
+        if not v[-1]:
+            v.pop()
+        return ", ".join(map(quote, v))
+
+class VersionFile(object):
+
+    def __init__(self, filename):
+        self.filename = filename
+
+    def _as_orig(self, version):
+        return self.wb % self.type.encode(version)
+
+    def write(self, version):
+        pattern = self.regex
+        with no_enoent():
+            with NamedTemporaryFile() as dest:
+                with open(self.filename) as orig:
+                    for line in orig:
+                        if pattern.match(line):
+                            dest.write(self._as_orig(version))
+                        else:
+                            dest.write(line)
+                os.rename(dest.name, self.filename)
+
+    def parse(self):
+        pattern = self.regex
+        with open(self.filename) as fh:
+            for line in fh:
+                m = pattern.match(line)
+                if m:
+                    return self.type.decode(m.groups()[0])
+
+class PyVersion(VersionFile):
+    regex = re.compile(r'^VERSION\s*=\s*\((.+?)\)')
+    wb = "VERSION = (%s)\n"
+    type = TupleVersion()
+
+    def __init__(self, filename):
+        self.filename = filename
+
+
+class SphinxVersion(VersionFile):
+    regex = re.compile(r'^:[Vv]ersion:\s*(.+?)$')
+    wb = ':Version: %s\n'
+    type = StringVersion()
+
+    def __init__(self, filename):
+        self.filename = filename
+
+
+def bump(dist, docfile="README.rst", custom=None):
+    distfile = os.path.join(dist, "__init__.py")
+    files = [PyVersion(distfile), SphinxVersion(docfile)]
+
+    versions = [v.parse() for v in files]
+    current = list(reversed(sorted(versions)))[0]  # find highest
+
+    if custom:
+        next = from_str(custom)
+    else:
+        major, minor, release, text = current
+        if text:
+            raise Exception("Can't bump alpha releases")
+        next = (major, minor, release + 1, text)
+
+    print("Bump version from %s -> %s" % (to_str(current), to_str(next)))
+
+    for v in files:
+        print("  writing %r..." % (v.filename, ))
+        v.write(next)
+
+    cmd("git", "commit", "-m", "Bumps version to %s" % (to_str(next), ),
+        *[f.filename for f in files])
+    cmd("git", "tag", "v%s" % (to_str(next), ))
+
+
+def main(argv=sys.argv, docfile="README.rst", custom=None):
+    if not len(argv) > 1:
+        print("Usage: distdir [docfile] -- <custom version>")
+        sys.exit(0)
+    dist = argv[1]
+    if "--" in argv:
+        c = argv.index('--')
+        custom = argv[c + 1]
+        argv = argv[:c]
+    try:
+        docfile = argv[2]
+    except IndexError:
+        pass
+    bump(dist, docfile, custom)
+
+
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
+
diff --git a/pavement.py b/pavement.py
index 45e6d54a..be5808e6 100644
--- a/pavement.py
+++ b/pavement.py
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ def readme(options):
 
 @task
 def bump(options):
-    sh("bump -c kombu")
+    sh("contrib/release/bump_version.py kombu")
 
 
 @task
@@ -109,12 +109,7 @@ def test(options):
 ])
 def flake8(options):
     noerror = getattr(options, "noerror", False)
-    complexity = getattr(options, "complexity", 22)
-    sh("""flake8 . | perl -mstrict -mwarnings -nle'
-        my $ignore = m/too complex \((\d+)\)/ && $1 le %s;
-        if (! $ignore) { print STDERR; our $FOUND_FLAKE = 1 }
-    }{exit $FOUND_FLAKE;
-        '""" % (complexity, ), ignore_error=noerror)
+    sh("""flake8 kombu""", ignore_error=noerror)
 
 
 @task