Fish and Scale is the performers name Roland Wälzlein has adopted. It mostly must have to do with his unique indie sound and the ripples he’s creating with his tracks. His latest is The Kid, a single from his album You Can Call Me Love. The song is a persona of dramatic proportions, the mass of which can be felt as well as heard. He has a great palette of inspirations:

You mentioned Dylan and I can’t deny that he is an inspiration but also Neil Young, David Bowie or Lou Reed.

Focusing on the primaries and the deep tones of guitar and piano, Fish and Scale uses moments to craft niches of drama into the mind. The listener is enthralled in the moment, the tale that unravels slowly and reveals itself furthermore every turn. To further accentuate this drama, Fish and Scale has perpetuates factions of dramatic instrumentation just past the first bridge. From the artist himself:

The Kid“ tells the story of a child caught in an undefined pain. We all have this child inside us. From a young age, we unconsciously adopt the belief patterns and thought patterns of family and society and thus lose contact with ourselves.

If this early separation from our true personality core is not dissolved, we often take the wrong paths later in life. We stumble and feel like a lone wolf wandering in the depths of the woods, longing for the moon and an unknown home. The video for the song shows the initially futile search for one’s own identity and the long road back to freedom.

I won’t get into the words and lyrics; they are profound enough for you to derive your own imagery. A fantastic job has been done overall altering the narrative style of Dylan and putting the effort in to create something that has flavors from everywhere. The vocals alter with a weight that is unfathomable past the chaos of the instruments, traversing real and true emotion. On asking him about the roots of these songs:

All my inspiration comes from my own experiences. The songs arise spontaneously from within me.

I am a Singer/Songwriter and usually I perform live as a solo artist. It is this reduced way of music that interests me and I guess I’ve found my own style.

I don’t have anything to offer in criticism due to what this song carries. It shows a part of the performer that is vulnerable at moments, truthful to himself. For sometimes, that is all you need to create beautiful art. Catch him on tour in the US next year.

Breaking Bad is a show that comes to mind when I hear this masterpiece. Check out the series here – https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/breaking_bad