Underworld

A live disc by electronic artists renowned for their tremendous visual stage show and continuous, frantic mixes may seem futile on the surface. And in a way, Underworld's Everything, Everything is. No matter how pumped up the music is, without the benefits that only a set of booming speakers in your face can deliver, there's a limit to the charge that surges through the grooves. Yet this veteran electronic outfit makes the most of the borders placed on a live recording by really pumping up the jams.

Half of Everything, Everything's eight tracks (don't let the small selection of songs fool you; the album runs 75 minutes) come from last year's dazzling Beaucoup Fish. There's a triumphant throb to the music that belies just how smart many of these tracks actually are. Yes, they work as club thumpers; Everything, Everything's energized versions of "Cups" and "Shudder/King of Snake" leap out of the speakers with heroic style. More so than its contemporaries, Underworld makes music that both builds up and comes down. The album suffers most in its division of tracks. The unbroken chain of music in the live show itself enforces the marathon experience. Here, applause splits the flow, unfortunately tagging it with a slapdash quality. Focus on the tunes themselves -- like "Born Slippy Nuxx," one of the genre's finest moments and a blistering centerpiece here -- and you'll marvel at just how soulful these guys can be.