** Underworld

BEAUCOUP FISH

(JBO/V2)

Iggy Pop wasn't the only genre that enjoyed a fleeting resurgence in the wake of the 1996 film Trainspotting -- the "Lust for Life"-anchored soundtrack also gave a momentary boost to the British rave music of Underworld's "Born Slippy." Iggy is Iggy -- a known quantity. But Underworld are a different story. Originally a late-'80s English synth-pop outfit, Underworld mutated into an advert-agency/beat chemistry collective (featuring programmers Karl Hyde and Rick Smith and DJ Darren Emerson) just in time to capitalize on generation ecstasy's need for anonymous all-night aerobicizable workout grooves in 1993. The cold architecture of Beaucoup Fish, the trio's third full-length as electronicists, is no fresher-sounding than synth-pop was by '88, what with Cassius now bringing disco heat back to the dance floor and Fatboy Slim's big beats signaling a return to familiar rock/pop formalities. But it is a virtuoso display of programming chops that segues effortlessly between the moody ambiance of "Push Downstairs" and the slippery drum 'n' bass of "Something like Mama," the Teutonic pulse of "King of Snake" and the soothing chill-out of "Winjer," with enough spoken-word verse sprinkled throughout to make them all feel like real songs, and one tune, "Bruce Lee," that's almost short, quirky, and catchy enough to work on the radio or, maybe, just another soundtrack.

-- Matt Ashare