''Five'' is the fourth studio album by the experimental/psychedelic rock band
Circus Devils
Circus Devils is an American psychedelic rock band founded in 2001 by Robert Pollard, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the Dayton, Ohio, band Guided by Voices. The band consists of Pollard (vocals and lyrics), Todd Tobias (music a ...
. Released in 2005, ''Five'' is considered among the band's least accessible albums due to the fragmented moods and styles and the experimental nature of the music. All songs on ''Five'' were written and performed by
Robert Pollard
Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr. (born October 31, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the frontman and leader of indie rock band Guided by Voices, which he also the band’s only constant member. In addition to this, he has also rele ...
and
Todd Tobias
Todd Tobias (born 1967) is an American multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known for his work with Robert Pollard and his band Guided by Voices. Other projects include Circus Devils, Kramies, The Library Is On Fire, and musical the ...
.
Reception
The ''
Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
'' wrote, "Multi-instrumentalist (Todd) Tobias keeps things primal-n-futuristic while (Robert) Pollard's lyrics allude to the horrors of the human race in a way both cryptic and imaginative. Much like ''Gang of Fours attempt to wise us to the consumer world, ''Circus Devils'' forewarn of a world consuming us."
Bryan Roswell, writing for ''Coke Machine Glow'', noted,
The previous (Circus Devils) albums were experimental, yet they somehow always kept at least one toe on the terra-firma of accessibility on which (Robert) Pollard has made a career. As such, these albums were wondrous romps through the slightly musically-disparate musical imaginations of its members. ''FIVE'' has Pollard and Todd Tobias amputating said toe, and the majority of the record is an over-indulgence of their prog-rock influences. They opt for experiment over melody and noise over rhythm.
''Music Underwater''
's David Tandy wrote,
Five often doesn't feature a single guitar, instead relying on
Todd Tobias's trademark aural textures to create moods often bordering on ambient, a new and exciting background for (Robert) Pollard to ply his trade. The new contrast is captivating from the start. FIVE is an album of wonderful aural scope and intelligence, filled with emotion. Whenever Pollard attempts a style of music with which he's unfamiliar, the results are always at worst interesting; here they're nothing short of spectacular.
Track listing
# "The Bending Sea"
# "Look Between What's Goin' On"
# "Just Touch Them"
# "Artheroid Vogue"
# "Dog Licking baby"
# "Thelonius Has Eaten all the Paper"
# "Strain"
# "Animal Motel"
# "Future For Germs"
# "Effective News"
# "No Wonder They Don't Stand Tall"
# "We Taught Them Rock and Roll"
# "Eyes Reload"
# "Her Noise"
# "In The Mood"
# "Tell 'Em the Old Man is Coming Down"
# "Dolphins of Color"
# "Dreaming the Temple"
# "The Word Business"
# "Headhunter Who Blocks the Sky"
# "People Thing"
# "You Take the Lead"
# "The Other Heart"
References
External links
the Official Circus Devils site
{{Authority control
2005 albums
Circus Devils albums