"LOCAL MUSIC: Ex ‘Burb From New Wave to cocktail jazz and commercial jingles-the enduring career of Chan Poling.” Thanks for reading The Rake! www.rakemag.com

 
The Rake: Features: LOCAL MUSIC:. Published February, 2007

"Chan Poling Pixel Farm Music is based in a state-of-the-art recording studio that opened earlier this year in Minneapolis's Warehouse District.”

 
Twin Cities Business Monthly. Published August, 2004

"He's a true artist and a true team player," Kevin McCollum, the famed Broadway producer (“Rent”, “Baz Luhrman's La Boheme”, “Avenue Q, etc.), said from his New York office. "He's a voice we need to listen to. He’s a great music storyteller.”

 
Star Tribune. Published January 27, 2002

"A Talent That Deserves To Be Recognized -- 4.5 Stars.

One would expect that since Chan Poling comes from one of Minneapolis's most celebrated bands (The Suburbs) that a solo cd would have been offered up long before this. Well, the wait was well worth it. This is a finely crafted album. The sound is very lush. It sometimes has somewhat of a loungey feeling to it (and that is not a bad thing at all). The other magnificient aspect of this album is Chan's voice. He posseses a wonderful baritone that is sometimes reminiscent of Brad Roberts from Crash Test Dummies or Mark Sandman from Morphine."

Amazon.com Review

The Suburbs won the MN Music Awards for "Best Rock Act" of 2003, and also a "lifetime acheivement" award "Perpetually Outstanding Performer".

"After winning an Emmy and composing Heaven, a musical with Kevin McCollum (Rent), Poling has revisited the pop world with a batch of dark, swoony songs, Calling All Stars. Not exactly returning to his new wave roots, the music has as much in common with cabaret as the euro-suave of Peter Murphy's post-Bauhaus solo work. These are sophisticated pop songs that should capture a wide-ranging appeal, from the theater-going crowd to precocious kids and their former indie-rocker parents who need some fresh mash tunes when the kids are away."

 
Review, Calling All Stars
A.S. Van Dorston, Fast 'n' Bulbous

"Chan made us some incredible title tracks."

 
Dean Lincoln Hyers, Director, Bill's Gun Shop.

"Producer Ant knows enough to stay out of the rapper's way, contributing the odd piano flourish and scratched-in sample."

 
Review of Atmosphere's God Loves Ugly
ROLLING STONE, Aug. 22, 2002

"Poling proves he has a knack for writing densely poetic lyrics that resonate through the strength of his songs, crafty arrangements that never overwhelm the tunes' subtleties, and a smart, self-assured performance."

 
Review, Calling All Stars
Hal Horowitz, Allmusic.com

"Enter the satellite world of Calling All Stars, orbiting a distant home planet in search of “another of my kind.” The dreamy transmissions arriving here are powerful and plush -- a ghostly orchestra of sounds, highlighted by twangy guitars, ethereal brass, and darkly expressive vocals."

 
Manifesto Records

"'Calling All Stars' is quintessential Poling pop -- Bryan Ferry meets Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen in a bohemian lounge in Minneapolis. It's smart with an air of sophistication, a blush of romanticism and a vibe of "hopeful melancholy," as Poling puts it."

 
Suburban sprawl: Musical adventurer Chan Poling makes his first solo pop CD 
Jon Bream, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Amid the stately violin of Jim Price and the reggae-guitar textures of Terry Eason, Poling fairly bubbles with Bowie-like theatrical flair on 'I Don't Want to Kill Anymore,' a lush little number that casts the singer as a vampire who must coax his weary sweetheart home to the coffin after a good night's bloodletting. "

 
Suburban Renewal
Peter S. Scholtes, City Pages, Minneapolis, Minnesota