Eight: Moving

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * *)

Among the local rock crop, Auckland quintet Eight are a band of a different kind of passion. They sound sensitive, thoughtful and earnest and sometimes come on like the weight of the world is lying squarely on singer-guitarist Chris Cope's shoulders. It could be something to do with them being among the local Christian outfits with a foot in the mainstream, or vice versa. Nevertheless, this is a solid debut after an earlier self-released collection.

Behind the solemn anthems is a band of some finesse, with a sense of texture and dynamics undoubtedly helped by gifted drummer Paul Russell, formerly of Supergroove and doing funky double time in Che-Fu's Krates.

They are a band of the post-grunge years as can be heard in Cope's elongated notes, though it often sounds as if they are striving to do a Radiohead rather than a Creed, especially on songs like Forgetting, the title track, with its electronic undertow, and the closing Cost of Everyone.

The sweeping-chorus numbers like No Way to Decide, Whale, Moments Gone and Come A Long Way can make you think you've heard at least seven other variations on many a rock radio playlist. Still, it sounds like they're already working through their influences and that musical imagination helps make for a better class of commercial glum-rock.

Label: BMG