Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Records
Year of the Cyco
Released April 2009
OK, I admit, I have been lazy and haven't actually written this review. It doesn't mean I haven't been listening to the CD. I think I was just keeping it as my own personal secret. At the Suicidal Tendencies show in December I went loaded with a good chunk of change, and I proceeded to spend most of it. One of my purchases was the tour release of "Year of the Cyco" which is a CD containing new, old and live releases by ST, Infectious Grooves and Cyco Miko. A teaser if you will as all three bands should be releasing albums in 2009. This is like GOLD to me. With nothing new hitting the world from any of the bands since '01 (and that was Infectious), this was just short of glory. It's almost like a marriage. A little old, a little new, a little borrowed and the cover has blue...
The thing that I loved the most about this album is that each band had its own sound. Suicidal was back to its punk roots. Infectious is hanging over in its funky groove area and Cyco Myko is just plain off. Over the years the groups merged in some extent to their sound as ST evolved into IG with CM just kinda going off and doing its own thing. I like that the lines seem much straighter between ST and IG. Rather than another off shoot sounding a little different, they now sound like two totally different projects. The best way to see hear this is the ST song "The Future is Now" and the IG song "Funny Farm". Two totally different bands.
For fans who have been there over the years, there are updated version of ST "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right" and a live version of "Cyco Vision" as well. There is also a lovely track, "Crazy But Proud" by No Mercy.
My personal faves from the album are "Big Man" and "My Summer Vacation/All Goes to Hell" My Cyco Miko, "The Future's Now" by ST and "Funny Farm" by IG. Not that I have any reason, but these just happen to be the songs that get me going the most. "Big Man" is classic Miko rambling on the state of society and I think that is my current total favorite off the album.
Something spiff if you actually take the time to read liner notes, there is a break down of each and every song, its origins, what's new or just new to us. Reading the liner notes, I realized why I liked "Funny Farm" so much actually. It is from the final recording with Robert Trujillo. It is good to read liner notes, especially when they have nifty little tidbits like that!
OK so here is the good news. This was a tour release only, but alas, now that the loyal Cycos like me know every song forward and backward, the stragglers (or those not fortunate to have an ST show with in several hundred miles like I did) can play catch up. Of course it is only available on their website. Personally I think I will order the Vinyl copy as well.
Now the only question I have remaining is when are my full releases from all three bands coming out?