GROOVE FAMILY CYCO by Infectious Grooves

[Syn Gates]

:syngates:Yo Family!

This months #AOTM is a fun one. Some may say it’s a bit violent while others call it funky. I’m of the opinion that it’s both.

Groove Family Cyco is my fav record by one of my fav bands, Infectious Grooves, with my hands down fav drummer in the world, Brooks Wackerman.

When I first heard this record, I lost my mind more than any other record I’d heard before. I wanted to be every single musician in this band. As a student(mere dilettante) of all these disciplines, I immediately wanted to be the greatest slap bassist, funk metal drummer, shredder, funk rhythm guitar master, and master of the human race in Robert Trujillo, Brooks Wackerman, Adam Siegel, Dean Pleasants, and Mike Muir.

Robert’s playing lead me to spend inappropriate amounts of time studying slap bass with Alexis Sklarevski at Musicians Institute in Hollywood when I should’ve been practicing guitar.

Mike founded the parent band Suicidal Tendencies and Robert was their second bassist I believe but is known as a core and influential member of the group. Dean is still in Suicidal and Adam has done work with ST as well. Infectious is considered to be an ST side project/super group.

I believe the story about the addition of Brooks is that his band Bad4Good was playing at the legendary rehearsal space, Mates, in North Hollywood at the same time as Infectious. Robert invited him to sit in after he heard a 16 yr old savant Brooks Wackerman playing some next level shit. I believe that Groove Family is a baby Brooks contribution at the ripe old age of 16 as well. Impressive work that’s for sure. It’s some of the tastiest, grooviest, heaviest shit I’ve ever heard in my life. Brooks was invited to play in our band based off that record alone, seriously.

Fav tracks-

They’re all great and have totally different grooves and vibes. For being a heavy metal funk band with the same application throughout, this album comes at you in a myriad of ways and comes off as a heavy, super fun, slow head bangin, outrageous rollercoaster ride of a record.

One small story about my first encounter with Brooks- When we were on Warped Tour in 2004, the band went out to an after party at a club in NYC. We were waiting in the back of the line when I noticed Brooks at the front about to get in. I hadn’t met him yet but I was hammered and felt it best not to wait to get inside to introduce myself so I started shouting lyrics to the opening track, Violent & Funky at him. So at the top of my lungs I yelled,
“You take the pen and I'll take the sword
You can write some shit 'til I cut your fuckin' head off”. The bouncer immediately ran towards me and our manager frantically explained the “misunderstanding”. Maybe Books will chime in on his perspective of the event.

Bottom line, if this record doesn’t make you wanna play music, NOTHING WILL

Lemme know which tracks and parts stand out to you guys.

All my love,

SYN
:syngates:

 

[Jamie London]

:syngates:Yo Family!

This months #AOTM is a fun one. Some may say it’s a bit violent while others call it funky. I’m of the opinion that it’s both.

Groove Family Cyco is my fav record by one of my fav bands, Infectious Grooves, with my hands down fav drummer in the world, Brooks Wackerman.

When I first heard this record, I lost my mind more than any other record I’d heard before. I wanted to be every single musician in this band. As a student(mere dilettante) of all these disciplines, I immediately wanted to be the greatest slap bassist, funk metal drummer, shredder, funk rhythm guitar master, and master of the human race in Robert Trujillo, Brooks Wackerman, Adam Siegel, Dean Pleasants, and Mike Muir.

Robert’s playing lead me to spend inappropriate amounts of time studying slap bass with Alexis Sklarevski at Musicians Institute in Hollywood when I should’ve been practicing guitar.

Mike founded the parent band Suicidal Tendencies and Robert was their second bassist I believe but is known as a core and influential member of the group. Dean is still in Suicidal and Adam has done work with ST as well. Infectious is considered to be an ST side project/super group.

I believe the story about the addition of Brooks is that his band Bad4Good was playing at the legendary rehearsal space, Mates, in North Hollywood at the same time as Infectious. Robert invited him to sit in after he heard a 16 yr old savant Brooks Wackerman playing some next level shit. I believe that Groove Family is a baby Brooks contribution at the ripe old age of 16 as well. Impressive work that’s for sure. It’s some of the tastiest, grooviest, heaviest shit I’ve ever heard in my life. Brooks was invited to play in our band based off that record alone, seriously.

Fav tracks-

They’re all great and have totally different grooves and vibes. For being a heavy metal funk band with the same application throughout, this album comes at you in a myriad of ways and comes off as a heavy, super fun, slow head bangin, outrageous rollercoaster ride of a record.

One small story about my first encounter with Brooks- When we were on Warped Tour in 2004, the band went out to an after party at a club in NYC. We were waiting in the back of the line when I noticed Brooks at the front about to get in. I hadn’t met him yet but I was hammered and felt it best not to wait to get inside to introduce myself so I started shouting lyrics to the opening track, Violent & Funky at him. So at the top of my lungs I yelled,
“You take the pen and I'll take the sword
You can write some shit 'til I cut your fuckin' head off”. The bouncer immediately ran towards me and our manager frantically explained the “misunderstanding”. Maybe Books will chime in on his perspective of the event.

Bottom line, if this record doesn’t make you wanna play music, NOTHING WILL

Lemme know which tracks and parts stand out to you guys.

All my love,

SYN
:syngates:

So this is my favorite release from Infectious. I actually discovered them through being a massive fan of the Z-boys and all things Dogtown. Jim Muir is Mike’s older brother and being so influenced by him and the z-boys, I found Suicidal and Infectious. THIS album was why I was so god damn excited when Brooks was announced as the new a7x drummer. I literally couldn’t believe it, I wasn’t even thinking of him coming from Bad Religion, this is the first place my mind went and it seemed too good to be true.

This beast of an album is beyond tasty. It’s an absolute blast of a concept record filled with funk metal goodness and grooves FOR DAYS. My personal favorite tracks are Violent and Funky (of course), Groove Family Cyco, Do What I Tell Ya, and Cousin Randy. Such a fun album from a phenomenal group of amazing musicians and one I go back to often. Killer recommendation brother! I’m excited to see what everyone thinks of this one!

Edit: that story is fucking amazing btw, I hope Brooks remembers that

 

[redlipsofdeceit]

Synnnnn, I was waiting for this month's rec and I almost thought we wouldn't have one, but I'm so so so happy that you posted this! Another funky record, something that I've been really digging! And something with our dear Brooks! Even better! I was trying to imagine you super drunk singing out loud, to get Brook's attention, and that must have been an amazing thing to see
I will give this gem a listen and share my thoughts later.
Thank you for taking the time to do this every month. I really appreciate it!
I love you! ❤

 

[Batbia]

Yay! Really can't wait to hear this one, since I'm familiar with Brooks and Robert's work and I love them so much! I will listen to it and I'll come back later to give my opinion on the album!

 

[Aquamandy]

Woah! This is the first time I'm participating in the AOTM discussion and starting with Infectious Grooves feels so right!
As a fan of Metallica and A7X, Robert Trujillo and Brooks Wackerman pairing up caught my attention, so I always thought on give them a listen. Looks like this is the opportunity that I needed to finally start to hear them!
Gonna check this out as soon as possible

 

[Syn Gates]

Woah! This is the first time I'm participating in the AOTM discussion and starting with Infectious Grooves feels so right!
As a fan of Metallica and A7X, Robert Trujillo and Brooks Wackerman pairing up caught my attention, so I always thought on give them a listen. Looks like this is the opportunity that I needed to finally start to hear them!
Gonna check this out as soon as possible

Welcome, can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

 

[Muz Malek]

:syngates:Yo Family!

This months #AOTM is a fun one. Some may say it’s a bit violent while others call it funky. I’m of the opinion that it’s both.

Groove Family Cyco is my fav record by one of my fav bands, Infectious Grooves, with my hands down fav drummer in the world, Brooks Wackerman.

When I first heard this record, I lost my mind more than any other record I’d heard before. I wanted to be every single musician in this band. As a student(mere dilettante) of all these disciplines, I immediately wanted to be the greatest slap bassist, funk metal drummer, shredder, funk rhythm guitar master, and master of the human race in Robert Trujillo, Brooks Wackerman, Adam Siegel, Dean Pleasants, and Mike Muir.

Robert’s playing lead me to spend inappropriate amounts of time studying slap bass with Alexis Sklarevski at Musicians Institute in Hollywood when I should’ve been practicing guitar.

Mike founded the parent band Suicidal Tendencies and Robert was their second bassist I believe but is known as a core and influential member of the group. Dean is still in Suicidal and Adam has done work with ST as well. Infectious is considered to be an ST side project/super group.

I believe the story about the addition of Brooks is that his band Bad4Good was playing at the legendary rehearsal space, Mates, in North Hollywood at the same time as Infectious. Robert invited him to sit in after he heard a 16 yr old savant Brooks Wackerman playing some next level shit. I believe that Groove Family is a baby Brooks contribution at the ripe old age of 16 as well. Impressive work that’s for sure. It’s some of the tastiest, grooviest, heaviest shit I’ve ever heard in my life. Brooks was invited to play in our band based off that record alone, seriously.

Fav tracks-

They’re all great and have totally different grooves and vibes. For being a heavy metal funk band with the same application throughout, this album comes at you in a myriad of ways and comes off as a heavy, super fun, slow head bangin, outrageous rollercoaster ride of a record.

One small story about my first encounter with Brooks- When we were on Warped Tour in 2004, the band went out to an after party at a club in NYC. We were waiting in the back of the line when I noticed Brooks at the front about to get in. I hadn’t met him yet but I was hammered and felt it best not to wait to get inside to introduce myself so I started shouting lyrics to the opening track, Violent & Funky at him. So at the top of my lungs I yelled,
“You take the pen and I'll take the sword
You can write some shit 'til I cut your fuckin' head off”. The bouncer immediately ran towards me and our manager frantically explained the “misunderstanding”. Maybe Books will chime in on his perspective of the event.

Bottom line, if this record doesn’t make you wanna play music, NOTHING WILL

Lemme know which tracks and parts stand out to you guys.

All my love,

SYN
:syngates:

This is insaaaaaane It reminded me of this random jam you guys did in Singapore back in '08!

 

[redlipsofdeceit]

This is insaaaaaane It reminded me of this random jam you guys did in Singapore back in '08!

I can't stress it enough how much I LOVE this jam! HAHAHAHA Like, for real!!!!

 

[redlipsofdeceit]

Okay, I'm back with my notes!
Every time you recommend something groovy and funky, like this album, I feel like putting the guitar aside and dedicating myself to the bass, not gonna lie lol I absolutely love it!
The fact that Brooks was only 16 when recorded that blows my mind! It shows how much of a genius he is! Then, you combine Robert and Brooks, what could come out of this? A masterpiece, obviously!

My favorite songs are:
Violent & Funky – my fav of the album, for sure! It made me dance from start to finish. I don't think they could have chosen a better song to open the album. So much energy right off the bat, to make you get into the mood right away. Oh, yeah, drums and bass on this one are an eargasm.
Frustrated Again – I loved this more of a punk approach. Brooks ability to play so fast, at such a young age was something that made me get really amazed. Great guitar solo; I don't know the names of the techniques yet, but this one in particular caught my attention.
Die Lika Pig – Wowwww, this intro is completely INSANE!
Do What I Tell Ya – When the song started, I was like “hmmmm this sounds a little like Rage Against The Machine". Then I searched it and found out it is, in fact, a diss track about RATM. Hahahaha I love it so much! I don't have anything against RATM and I think Tom Morello is a guitar god, BUT I do love an outrageous song lol

By the way, @Syn Gates, if you don't mind me asking: what happened after you serenaded Brooks with such romantic lines from his own song? Did he at least say “thank you"?

Well, thank you for another precious rec! Keep ‘em coming! I love them all and they expand my musical taste, plus my knowledge!

Luv ya! Stay safe! ❤

 

[William B.]

Gonna hear it with my headphones,
lol@ first time meeting Brooks,
A manager helps keep you on track?
When I heard/read you went to that school I wanted to go too
Seemed like a really cool place to be


edit: I guess I can't hear it, I only listen throught YT
gonna try to find them one by one
I heard the title track just now

 

[ari.mac]

Yasss, LOVED this record! It's one of those albums that I would put on and never skip a song. Really, all of the tracks were amazing!!!
I'm blown away by the fact that Brooks was only 16 in this, wow

So, fave tracks are:

Violent & Funky - if this songs doesn't make you wanna dance, nothing will SO much energy and funkkkk the drums and bass are phenomenal and totally stand out throughout the whole song. LOVED THIS!

Frustrated Again - really nice guitar solo + fast drums = perfect!!

Cousin Randy - ok, might be wrong but this track reminded me of Primus and Les Claypool. Amazingly weird! Again, what stands out to me are the bass and the drums.

Honorable mention for Do What I Tell Ya, love me a good diss track

@Syn Gates amazing story about you and Brooks we need to know his side of this story sometime

Thank you for recommending this amazing album

 

[idssdi]

Wajoo, this record is awesome! I think there wasn't a moment where i wasn't bobbing my head!

Some tracks I really like are:
Boom Boom Boom(not to be confused with Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! or Boom Boom) - Absolutely Killer riff, Really dig the riff in combination with those funky clean chords over it.

Frustrated Again - Just sounds fast and fun and a nice little melody line with the guitar. I specifically like what the other guitar does during those melody lines, It creates kind of a synyster vibe which I kinda dig sometimes.

Groove Family CYCO - This one is kinda interesting because at first i was like 'hmm, this is the one I like the least but Let's see how it progresses'. When it really kicked in it's freaking awesome and I love it. Really dig the the basslines together with the clean wah-guitar.

Die Like Pig - love the intro, no need for drums to play something that gets you to bob your head. Also a nice reminder that a wah-wah pedal can be used for more than just voodoo chile(slight return). And that riff that comes in around the 2 minute mark is just golden and that combined with the other guitar is awesome!

Why? - As a physicists this question kinda speaks to me because I spend my day asking that question about a billion different things, besides that the riff is killer and another nice groove combined with the wah-guitar.

Made it - That intro alone is worth mentioning, me loves those gospel like choirs. Also nice little jazzy bit going on right after going into another nice riff wiith a killer drum groove.

I have to say it really reminds me of some of the older red hot chilli peppers stuff (shout out for yertle the turtle) like up until blood sugar sex magic and I quite digged those. The difference would probably be that RHCP was a bit more accessible especially on bssm.

I've got to ask though, are you planning to do a Paul McCartney where you play all the instruments on the album yourself? I mean guitar, bass, drums and piano damn

 

[Brian Haner Sr.]

Great album. A musician's album for sure.
I'll leave the reviews up to you guys. Instead , I'm going to give a more philosophical take on this exercise.

Loving these AOTM picks from Syn. Revealing these early interests should give some of you an "a-ha" moment. I have always said that if you want to play like someone, (or at least understand their style and choices), listen to who they listened to.
Syn's love of Fishbone, IG & Tower of Power is a big part of his tool box. Take these funk bands, add in a bit of Mr. Bungle, some Django, Slash, Dimebag & Debussy, (and many others), and you have a well that's not only deep, but extremely diverse. And then when you realize that Syn's musical influences went far beyond guitar players and delved into drummers, bass players, pianists & singers - his style starts to make sense.

Expand your horizons and listen to as many different genres and styles you can. When you find one you love - allow it to influence your playing.
If it's interesting to you - it will be interesting to the listener as well.

On a side note - I was out with A7X for about a week on the same Warped Tour that Syn mentioned. The Rev introduced me to Brooks at the bar after one of the shows. I already knew his bothers Bob & Chad, but had never met Brooks. We have been friends ever since. I was ecstatic when I found out he was their new drummer. He is simply one of the nicest human beings I have ever met.
Cheers!
pg

 

[Gabby Heafy]

:syngates:Yo Family!

This months #AOTM is a fun one. Some may say it’s a bit violent while others call it funky. I’m of the opinion that it’s both.

Groove Family Cyco is my fav record by one of my fav bands, Infectious Grooves, with my hands down fav drummer in the world, Brooks Wackerman.

When I first heard this record, I lost my mind more than any other record I’d heard before. I wanted to be every single musician in this band. As a student(mere dilettante) of all these disciplines, I immediately wanted to be the greatest slap bassist, funk metal drummer, shredder, funk rhythm guitar master, and master of the human race in Robert Trujillo, Brooks Wackerman, Adam Siegel, Dean Pleasants, and Mike Muir.

Robert’s playing lead me to spend inappropriate amounts of time studying slap bass with Alexis Sklarevski at Musicians Institute in Hollywood when I should’ve been practicing guitar.

Mike founded the parent band Suicidal Tendencies and Robert was their second bassist I believe but is known as a core and influential member of the group. Dean is still in Suicidal and Adam has done work with ST as well. Infectious is considered to be an ST side project/super group.

I believe the story about the addition of Brooks is that his band Bad4Good was playing at the legendary rehearsal space, Mates, in North Hollywood at the same time as Infectious. Robert invited him to sit in after he heard a 16 yr old savant Brooks Wackerman playing some next level shit. I believe that Groove Family is a baby Brooks contribution at the ripe old age of 16 as well. Impressive work that’s for sure. It’s some of the tastiest, grooviest, heaviest shit I’ve ever heard in my life. Brooks was invited to play in our band based off that record alone, seriously.

Fav tracks-

They’re all great and have totally different grooves and vibes. For being a heavy metal funk band with the same application throughout, this album comes at you in a myriad of ways and comes off as a heavy, super fun, slow head bangin, outrageous rollercoaster ride of a record.

One small story about my first encounter with Brooks- When we were on Warped Tour in 2004, the band went out to an after party at a club in NYC. We were waiting in the back of the line when I noticed Brooks at the front about to get in. I hadn’t met him yet but I was hammered and felt it best not to wait to get inside to introduce myself so I started shouting lyrics to the opening track, Violent & Funky at him. So at the top of my lungs I yelled,
“You take the pen and I'll take the sword
You can write some shit 'til I cut your fuckin' head off”. The bouncer immediately ran towards me and our manager frantically explained the “misunderstanding”. Maybe Books will chime in on his perspective of the event.

Bottom line, if this record doesn’t make you wanna play music, NOTHING WILL

Lemme know which tracks and parts stand out to you guys.

All my love,

SYN
:syngates:

Yeahh! Finally we have album of the month! I've been waiting for this! I don't really know the album. but I know your recommendations have been amazing!! I'll leave you my thoughts when I hear it!! Omg Love soo much your story with Brooks!! Thank you for sharing it!! I love you! sending you a lot of love, be safe!!

 

[Daniel Sobota]

Great album. A musician's album for sure.
I'll leave the reviews up to you guys. Instead , I'm going to give a more philosophical take on this exercise.

Loving these AOTM picks from Syn. Revealing these early interests should give some of you an "a-ha" moment. I have always said that if you want to play like someone, (or at least understand their style and choices), listen to who they listened to.
Syn's love of Fishbone, IG & Tower of Power is a big part of his tool box. Take these funk bands, add in a bit of Mr. Bungle, some Django, Slash, Dimebag & Debussy, (and many others), and you have a well that's not only deep, but extremely diverse. And then when you realize that Syn's musical influences went far beyond guitar players and delved into drummers, bass players, pianists & singers - his style starts to make sense.

Expand your horizons and listen to as many different genres and styles you can. When you find one you love - allow it to influence your playing.
If it's interesting to you - it will be interesting to the listener as well.

On a side note - I was out with A7X for about a week on the same Warped Tour that Syn mentioned. The Rev introduced me to Brooks at the bar after one of the shows. I already knew his bothers Bob & Chad, but had never met Brooks. We have been friends ever since. I was ecstatic when I found out he was their new drummer. He is simply one of the nicest human beings I have ever met.
Cheers!
pg

With all these stories about Brooks and how you guys have known him since way back, him joining Avenged was just meant to be. This proves how life crazy and magical can be.

As for the record, I remember hearing it after it was announced that Brooks would be joining. I wanted to find out all about him and this record was a great representation of his skills. Crazy to think it's been almost 6 years, haha.

 

[Jamie London]

The AOTM playlist has been updated

Syn's Albums of the Month

Syn's Albums of the Month · Playlist · 238 songs · 239 likes

spoti.fi

 

[Gabby Heafy]

Well, here are my thoughts about this album. When I read your post i looked for this band and the first song I heard was Violent &Funky... OMG I loved it!!!. I don't know this band, but as I always tell you, I love listening other styles of music and adding more knowledge! Thank you Syn!

Here are my favorite songs: ( really enjoyed it!)

Violent & Funky: my favorite!! Incredibly much energy makes you want to stand up and dance! Lol. Those crazy drums to the rhythm of the guitar! Wow they make a perfect melody! and the bass that gives those special touches. I love the video is so great!! Disguised as clowns as on the cover of their album.

Boom Boom Boom: I love that riff at the beginning of the song!! Very powerful and the minute 3.09 I have finished falling in love with that guitar, it sounds amazing!!!

Rules Go Out The Window: The Drums sounds very clean and loud, I liked that particular and epic sound.

Groove Family Cyco: that bass sounds fabulous!!! I liked the powerful rhythm it brings to the whole song and the drums wow... still amazing.

Die Pika Pig: this song killing it!! That distorted guitar to the rhythm of the drums, with incredible speed. I liked it so much!

Cousin Randy: Guitar, bass and drums... make this song unique and amazing makes me want to listen to it millions of times.

@Syn Gates Practically I liked almost all the songs, they sound brilliant!! I love the style of this band. Please Syn don’t stop giving us more recommendations!! I love them! I have in my playlist all the other bands, and this will definitely go too! Thank you for sharing your story with Brooks!! Lol... I loved it!! Te amo un monton! Be safe!

 

[Rad Synner]

Alright so I will be writing these thoughts at the same time as im listening to the record. Now the first thing that hits me is the bass. I mean, no doubt that Robert is a great bass player but HOT DAMN I regret not taking the time to listen to the things he did outside of Metallica because he is such a tight and groovy bass player.

It's really weird to think that Brooks was already so skilled at a young age because those drums are tight as fuck. I am really impressed. I googled infectious groove to see how they look like and damn, it was weird for a second to see Brooks so young! Great guy, I am glad he joined Avenged.

The guitar are really complimenting well the songs. I really love the energy Dean and Adam bring to table! While I feel that to a certain extent, the bass lines are more groovy while the guitar lines are more ''aggressive'' and classic riffing and I just feel like they compliment each other so well while still having their own identity! Good example of how pushing the bass line to be more than just the guitar line one octave lower can really make a big difference! But that's not to say that they guitar never do anything ''funkier''. I really love those moments where they use harmonics like on ''Cousin Randy'' during the bridge or on ''rules go out the window'' in the main riff. And their way of using the guitar for ambiance as well. Just really creative overall.

Now the vocals are really serving the overall album very well. They are more focused on delivering energy and a performance and it really feels like Mike would be jumping around everywhere in the studio if he could but yeah I just like the overall energy!

And I think, after one listen, that this album's strength is really it's combination of talent, energy and performances that give it's own unique twist on the genre. The riffs can be really ''metal'' while the bass ''funkier'' with vocals that can go from energetic ''screaming'' to calm lines with a tight drum that really help carry the feeling across. And so there are all these elements and it just works. Lot's of variety but it just sounds good. This is a great record.

Now I am curious to give it a second listen and focus more on the mix and try to hear those details that I probably missed during the first listen. Anyways, thanks for sharing this!

 

[Syn Gates]

Alright so I will be writing these thoughts at the same time as im listening to the record. Now the first thing that hits me is the bass. I mean, no doubt that Robert is a great bass player but HOT DAMN I regret not taking the time to listen to the things he did outside of Metallica because he is such a tight and groovy bass player.

It's really weird to think that Brooks was already so skilled at a young age because those drums are tight as fuck. I am really impressed. I googled infectious groove to see how they look like and damn, it was weird for a second to see Brooks so young! Great guy, I am glad he joined Avenged.

The guitar are really complimenting well the songs. I really love the energy Dean and Adam bring to table! While I feel that to a certain extent, the bass lines are more groovy while the guitar lines are more ''aggressive'' and classic riffing and I just feel like they compliment each other so well while still having their own identity! Good example of how pushing the bass line to be more than just the guitar line one octave lower can really make a big difference! But that's not to say that they guitar never do anything ''funkier''. I really love those moments where they use harmonics like on ''Cousin Randy'' during the bridge or on ''rules go out the window'' in the main riff. And their way of using the guitar for ambiance as well. Just really creative overall.

Now the vocals are really serving the overall album very well. They are more focused on delivering energy and a performance and it really feels like Mike would be jumping around everywhere in the studio if he could but yeah I just like the overall energy!

And I think, after one listen, that this album's strength is really it's combination of talent, energy and performances that give it's own unique twist on the genre. The riffs can be really ''metal'' while the bass ''funkier'' with vocals that can go from energetic ''screaming'' to calm lines with a tight drum that really help carry the feeling across. And so there are all these elements and it just works. Lot's of variety but it just sounds good. This is a great record.

Now I am curious to give it a second listen and focus more on the mix and try to hear those details that I probably missed during the first listen. Anyways, thanks for sharing this!

Love your assessment! Curious as to your thoughts on production-arrangement, tones, mix etc.

Brilliant work and thanks so much for our first member hosted class. It was first class my brother and we all sincerely appreciate it and learned a lot

 

[Batbia]

Yay! Really can't wait to hear this one, since I'm familiar with Brooks and Robert's work and I love them so much! I will listen to it and I'll come back later to give my opinion on the album!

"You want funky? We got funky!"

First of all, the album cover already caught up my attention when I gave it a look yesterday! But I decided to listen to this album today at work because it's when I like to discover and pay attention to new songs! Really enjoyed the experience!
Initially, I was very excited for this album because of Rob and Brooks, since I know how amazing as musicians they are! But when you listen to it, you really can't highlight just a single instrument or player, even if you are a diehard fan of one of them, because it's an album where EVERY SINGLE ELEMENT is perfectly composed and played! You can also see that each member has your own unique style here, and you can instantly recognize this style in their future works!

My top 3 songs from the album:
1 - Made It (the backing vocals are on point here!)
2 - Do What I Tell Ya!
3 - Why?
Honorable mention: Cousin Randy and Violent & Funky (the intro is so rad!)

I can't really offer a technical opinion in therms of riffs, drum parts, bass lines and things like that, but, as an average listener, I found the riffs SO cool and the beats absolutely catchy!

Overall opinion: it doesn't matter if (1) you've never heard about this album in your entire life and are listening to it for the 1st time, or if (2) you are listening to it for the 100th time, you really CAN'T listen to GROOVE FAMILY CYCO without involuntarily swaying you body in the rhythm of all the tracks, from the beginning to the end!