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[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 5/4/04 ]

Athens-based Five Eight excels too much to fit in

• Five Eight
"Five Eight." Self-released. 12 tracks.
Grade: A-
• Hear samples

• Third Day
"Wire." Essential Records. 13 tracks
Grade: B
• Hear samples

• Tinsley Ellis
"The Hard Way." Telarc. 12 tracks.
Grade: C+

Five Eight opens for Sebadoh at 10 p.m. Wednesday. $8-$10. 40 Watt Club, 285 W. Washington St., Athens. 706-549-7871, www.40watt.com.

Third Day's second show of a two-night stand at the Fox Theatre is at 7:30 tonight. $25-$35. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-249-6400, www.foxtheatre.org.

Tinsley Ellis CD release party begins at 8 p.m. Saturday. $5. Smith's Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-875-1522, www.smithsoldebar.com.

The trickle of local releases that started earlier this spring is becoming a flood. Before we drown in them, here's our take on a few more:

"Never gonna fit in, fit in, fit in," wails Five Eight frontman Mike Mantione on "Square Pegs" from his Athens-based band's sixth full-length album. And Five Eight doesn't fit in with most of what passes for modern rock these days. Their music is far superior and gimmick-free, unless you count a powerhouse live show as a gimmick.

From the Cheap Trick/Who-like power chords and rumbling bass of "Magnetic Fields" to the Stooges chug of the outro to "I'm Still Around," Mantione and his bandmates put the basic elements of rock together in the best possible ways. His spiky guitar and high-pitched warble sometimes recall the Pixies, but the band can also ride out a tune with a brisk, bluesy gallop that wouldn't sound out of place on a Foghat album ("Magnetic Fields").

If the Foo Fighters can have hits, there's absolutely no reason why "I'm Still Around" shouldn't be blasting from radios everywhere. And when it comes to the straightforward, hooky rock blast, the Foos are just about Five Eight's only peers. More than 15 years into its career, Five Eight has made one of its best albums and perhaps the most consistent and satisfying rock record of the year.

Another local favorite has become a master of its craft in a much shorter time period. Third Day released its first album just eight years ago, but the Atlanta-based quintet has become one of the biggest-selling contemporary Christian rock acts in existence.

Today, Third Day releases its seventh studio album, and it's a little more muscular than the previous "Come Together." It's just as polished and the songs still burst with hooks, but the group's Southern roots seem a tad more prominent. The guitars are grittier and Mac Powell's growl is gruffer on tracks such as " 'Til the Day I Die" and "I Got a Feeling." It's still as reverent and catchy as ever. The only possible reason this doesn't make the grade on mainstream radio is the band's admirable insistence on remaining true to its religious message.

Atlanta guitarist Tinsley Ellis' new album has some of the same slick, masterful country-tinged bluesiness of some of Eric Clapton's mid-'70s work. The playing is above reproach, with Ellis' stinging leads particularly noteworthy.

The songs aren't always up to the level of the musicianship, but a more powerful vocalist might give them a little extra oomph. Ellis is a fantastic guitarist, but his singing voice is just serviceable. It works best when he kicks up the tempo on the groovin' little acoustic rocker "And It Hurts."

This album's good enough to make you wonder what would happen if you let a great singer like "Still in the Game" background vocalist and Atlanta favorite Donna Hopkins take the lead on a couple of these tracks. The results could be scorching.

-- Shane Harrison