Their newly released second effort, Miniature Portraits, seems to have sacrificed a bit of the funk for groove, but that ain't necessarily a bad thing. There are still no vocals on the new disc but the bounding bass of the first disc has been replaced by a wider variety of instrumentation and more "spacey" jams. It sounds as if 5ive Style has been listening to a lot by their Chicago counterparts Tortoise.

All in all a good CD, however, I highly recommend you check out the first album (or some of their SubPop singles, some of which include vocals!) before you purchase Miniature Portraits.


I can't believe the extreme negative comments!   July 12, 2000
William Turner (Pittsburgh, PA USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

There are some angry reviews here for this and the first 5ive Style album and I can't understand why. These 4 guys are original, and these days that's a hard thing to say. I've seen them live a few times now, and I have even a higher opinion of them because of it. They know what they're doing, they can play like mad, and I just love their music. If you're a fan of Tortoise, Isotope 217 and the other Chicago-style post-rock bands, then check 5ive Style out. If you're into Britney Spears and her ilk, look elsewhere.


Yeah, but check this out   April 7, 2004
timesup08 (Kansas City, KS)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Pretty good, but buy the "Heroic Doses" CD. It sounds like the exact same band, but its much better. Every song on it but one is awesome.


This is good stuff.   December 16, 1999
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This album blurs categorical boundaries with effortless grace (forget the post-rock labels, or any other label for that matter), and it stands as a record that's simply a pleasure to experience, over and over again. I don't think "Father Time" has failed to bring a smile to my face. The musicianship is impressive and tight, but the groove is never sacrificed. Not as hellraisingly funky as their last one, but it's just as much fun.


Fun and Funky!   October 4, 2008
Katherine Vanpelt (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Great lounge or chill background party music. Check out a sound bite on Tower records to get a preview. It's worth it.