Golden Mixtape

With a new iPod in hand, I am still unsure how to get the “shuffle” off. So Kurt von Stetten’s latest, Cyclops, was the first album I’ve ever listened to out of order. And much like an anxious high school boy, I went through so much to end with “Pussy.”
Kurt’s words were always playing second fiddle to the intricate sound of the music. His Indie ways seemed a bit James Taylor but ornamented more for today’s fans of Gatsby and Brown Show. This actually made me have an ironic chuckle seeing that Kurt pokes fun at the scene that could very well be inhabiting his shows. “Indie Rock.” From the “h” crowd to real nerds, who Kurt’s demographic with Cyclops. “Stupid Fuck” name-drops Comic-Con. Then there’s “LARP” which we all became too familiar with when Role Models hit theaters back in 2008?

Time to shine a light on a pair I’ve already mentioned but think deserve your attention. “Indie Rock” again, preached to the choir, which was a perfect match for crowd it was aimed at; ironic. But I wasn’t left with just giggles when “Stupid Fuck” found a place in my mindset. A generation being sold the constant idea of needing a great job to be powerful is the ideal anthem for the creators of the world. Struggling artists unite. Those who’d rather scrape for rent than then give up their artistic element that feeds their serotonin level.

With the shuffling done and over, only one track was needed to recap my Cyclops experience, “Echo.” A string of random thoughts set to a sound uncommon to my. It’s an interesting take on music that those not afraid of taking on something different should check out Kurt von Stetten.
Originally published on Dec 17, 2011