About Five Style

Four years after the release of their debut, Five Style return with Miniature Portraits, a sparkling addition to the Chicago post-rock canon.

You may be curious as to the Five Style drought these past few years. Well, between these two releases, the members of Five Style became involved in a number of other musical outlets which occupied the bulk of their time. As drummer John Herndon recorded and toured with his other longtime band, Tortoise, Bill Dolan started Heroic Doses (along with Ryan Rhpsys of Euphone), whose debut was released on Sub Pop in 1998. Meanwhile, LeRoy Bach joined Wilco, playing keyboards and guitar on tour, and Jeremy Jacobsen continued his solo career under the name Lonesome Organist, releasing two albums on Thrill Jockey.

The variety of musical projects that the four members of Five Style juggle serves to strengthen the band's repertoire. On 5ive Style, their 1995 debut, Bill's guitar playing was clearly the focal point of their sound: LeRoy's funky bass lines, John's inventive drumming and Jeremy's subtle keyboard nuances circled around the crisp guitar stylings. Here on Miniature Portraits, we find the band in a more collaborative spirit, where marimba, organ, melodica, clavinet, computer programming tools, and even a bicycle bell figure in to the jubilant mix. Throughout the twelve tracks, Five Style exhibit their tight songwriting skills and solid dynamics along with their penchant for playful exploration and a good limbo party.

Marimba and piano enhance the tropical dub feel of "Father Time", while "Hit The Decks" takes dub into outer space using echoey keyboard effects. On the upbeat "Pledge Drive" and "The Fancy Dance in Jeremy's Pants", they head back to the tropics and indulge their collective appetite for salsa and other Latin-flavored influences.

The sad yet lovely "Here We Go" could be the instrumental equivalent of a ballad. But, as noted so often by fans of their debut, who needs lyrics when you have such expressive guitar sounds charting the way?

"Pet The Cow" sounds like it might have been the theme song to a '70's game show; envision a hip Bob Barker biding his time with an elaborate soft-shoe routine while waiting for contestant #3 to make a decision, as this tune floats out of the TV speakers.

Despite their busy schedules, Five Style have every intention of touring at some point in the future. Stay tuned...