Michael K. Poling and The Fish by Michael K. Poling and The Fish: Album Review

by Gabe Finch January 9, 2023

January 9, 2023

Michael K. Poling and The Fish by Michael K. Poling and The Fish: Album Review

Michael K. Poling released his latest album, “Michael K. Poling and the Fish” in 2022. There’s Bethany Seabass on bass guitar, Steven Eel on drums and backing vocals, Oliver “the Octopus” Phrend on fiddle and pedal steel. All the songs were written and recorded by Michael K. Poling who started writing songs at the age of 16 in 2005. The band follows the country and rock genres.

The Album kicks off with birds chirping, “On a Hillside (In Suburbia)” leading to the sweet-sounding acoustic guitar, electric slide guitar, bass, and soft-sounding drums altogether. After a while, the country-sounding vocals enter and make the track more soothing and complete. The electric guitar slide fillers in between give the feel of floating on a river.

The easy-going bass and the smooth drumming fill the composition with love for “Left Alone”. The violin backdrop makes it more country and soothing. It begins with a crisp sounded acoustic guitar, and then comes the emotionally amplified violin followed by Neil Young-like vocals.

“Shard of Glass”- the last song, starts off with a clean-sounding acoustic guitar but slowly, like strumming only once on each chord. The vocals make the vibe mellow, yet a bit gloomy. It felt like an old-school blues track changed into a pure country song. All in all, it was the perfect write-off to the album.

It is an eight-track album full of country and rock feels making it a tasteful mixture of both genres. The whole album was so calming and wholesome that it was hard not to finish it in one sitting.