0% Vitamin A
Every Time She Takes a Bath It Rains
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

0781KT
14 Purple Rabbits
This deceptively titled tape (yikes! Do I detect humor in the DIY universe?) is industrial music of the Skinny Puppy/NIN kind (but closer to SP I think). Everything's here, the big beats, the guitar noise, the pilfered samples and the distorted vocals. This really isn't my favorite type of music (anymore, that is), but it's just experimental enough to keep me interested. This is not the turn-on-the-drum-machine-and-let-it-go-the-whole-soung-without-a-change type of music, which I appreciate. In fact I think they have real drummer in there. Or is it just an excellent programmer? The sound and rhythm are broken up to keep things interesting. I like this the more I listen to it and rewards repeated listenings. According to the accompanying info there are two other tapes available as well. -- John Gore, 729891

0781KT
Kill the Human Race
Dark atmosphere, but not in the most unpleasant sense despite the title, is created by 0781KT. It is all quite engrossing when there isn't a beat. When there is a beat, it is still effective (just not as engrossing). Side two is very near excellent in it's execution (rhythm tracks are also kept to a minimum). "Kill The Human Race" is something to absorb late at night with the lights off (or just the glow of a computer or television). Certainly if you are in the market for "indie-ground" industrialized dark atmosphere, 0781KT is a safe purchase. Beware : as with most dark atmospheric recordings, 0781KT should only be listened to while you are feeling relatively stable mentally, emotionally, or otherwise. -- Michael Breece, 729907

10" Maria
Take-no-prisoners garage rock with grrrl gusto. Very hot stuff and immediately likeable despite (or because of) tuff themes like stalking, rape. I sense a bit of tongue in cheek attitude here as well, which is very good. -- Bryan Baker, 729548

10-Speed Guillotine
Laptop Appetizers
Central and Alois have created a collection of pieces which incorporate elements of dance (propelled by driving, sequenced rhythms), industrial, experimental electronics, sound collage, and noise which both peaks your interests with its depth and execution, while being engaging and powerful. Highly recommended. -- Bryan Baker, 732671

101 crustaceans
songs of resignation
What a pleasant little surprise this was/is. An actual tape from the actual Mr. Howard with actual songs by an actual band. You didn't find me shuffling my feet while these magnetic particles were gliding past the capstan. No, sir. What, with the strong, funk-based bass kinetics, the driving and shifting pace of the drums, and the tormented structure of the guitars (with wonderful stereo interplay), how could you possibly do anything but strap on a thin tie, slip on the Beatle boots, slick back your hair and drag your best friend, Jerome on the first flight to Hamburg and get tattooed by a thin, sheetwhite-complexioned woman named George, who will have wild-eyed animal sex with Jerome while you discuss Yankee politics with her boyfriend, Klaus, because her love for you will not allow her to kill you with her passion. Jerome will stay behind, selling fluorescent light bulbs on street corners after midnight. And you'll return home to your bassoon and your baseball card collection. Then in a couple years, you'll marry a girl named Georganne, and Jerome (on leave from the monestary) will throw-up in your best-man's Tom Collins. Much to your parents' consternation, you'll name your first child "Kinski," and he'll eventually grow up to live a life of loud desperation and carry a faded Topps 1969-Hank Aaron card in his shirt pocket. At age 37, he'll inexplicably sell it to a kid named Klaus for bus money, who will trade it to his friend, Jerome, for his dad's Hohner harmonica (key of G). And when the young Jerome is 14, he'll run away from home with a girl named Jennifer, never to return. -- Bryan Baker,

13mg
Trust and Obey
Not reviewed. -- Bryan Baker,

16 Bronsons
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

1926 Funstown Street
Mr. Entertainment and the Pookie Smackers
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

2 Car Family
August Sunset b/w Alone I'm Down
This single from 1988 shows 2 Car Family in their early stages. Pretty standard high school angst punk rock. The b-side ÒAlone IÕm DownÓ begins with a cool funk type groove which hints at later things to come. -- Bryan Baker,

2 Days Straight
The Chrome Album
2 Days Straight plays a sweaty funkrockblues assembly of songs here that showcase vocalist Ty Stone's excellent, emotion-packed delivery and Matt Vigg's firey fretwork. "Detroit's Own" D-Lux on drums engages the powerful "She's Alright" and the sultry "Irresistible Attraction" with equal deftness, and Neo's bass provides a warm, melodic foundation. Through it all, it's Stone's vocals that'll have you singing praises and shouting amen. This is some hot shit! -- Bryan Baker, 730609

3 Men Pissing in the Rain
Excellent recording by this post-pop European band. Crafty rhythm guitar-driven songs, augmented by perfectly offsetting synth lines. The vocals are out front and intelligent. Real drums achieve the well-rounded whole. This tape begins clean and gets progressively more manic until the end. Claus distributes outstanding tapes in the Rock vein, and here's another in which I have yet to be disappointed. -- Bryan Baker,

35 Ducks In a Basket
Live At Artatak
Take the Violent Femmes (or maybe the Dead Milkmen) and subtract the bitter energy and the adolescent angst and what do you have left? Not much. Less than polished vocals are no stranger to rock music (think David Byrne or Bob Dylan). But with so much riding on vocals, you have to have either (a) a great voice, (b) an interesting, quirky voice, or (c) great lyrics. John Mathewson's voice often pulls down the work of this basic beer bar type of band. This tape suffers from a consistent hum that even the band comments on between numbers. And the mixing is about what you might expect from a live performance Ñ tough even in the best circumstances. Some of the guitar work, particularly on "Nancy Colors Eggs" "Phylacteries," and "Angry Fat Man" give the music some life. Interesting enough, on the main humor song, everyone seems to get into the groove and loosen up. That seems to happen quite often with a lot of bands. Something about the relaxed attitude of humor helps unplug a band from it's own worst impulses and brings out more lively performances. If you know these guys, you'll probably want a copy, but others will probably keep browsing. -- Edward Bateman, 727379

360 Sound
a scratch on the surface
Watch for review in a future posting. -- Bryan Baker,

409
I Shot Jerry Garcia
A 3-song demo is from the retro-punk and thrash schools with winning chorus and walls of chugging guitar rhythms. They even do a cover of the Go-Go's "Vacation." -- Bryan Baker, 728580