British band the Sneaker Pimps delivered one of the definitive Nineties hits with Spin Spin Sugar. Their third album, Bloodsport (Tommy Boy), might not yield such a big hit — and their second, Splinter, was certainly stronger — but it is a remarkable effort.Here the Pimps continue the trend with a smart collection of eclectic, laid-back rock elements thrown together with sweeping electronica and interesting lyrics, resulting in a wonderfully textured trip-hop journey with pop influences (trip-pop, maybe); much happier than, say, Radiohead, and not at all as harsh as the album title suggests.Opener Kiro TV sounds rather U2 Zooropa-ish as it takes on issues of popularity and celebrity, before the quirky almost-ballad Sick takes over with its broken beats: “Strip my body of its skin and try to cancel out the white trash,” sings Chris Corner, but one doesn’t believe him — the Pimps sound anything but common.The rest of the album shimmers along nicely and melodically with generous helpings of attitude: swinging into a loungy, almost gothic mode on Small Town Witch, dashing through the electro-folk-rock-sounding Loretta Young Silks. The mood becomes slinky and sexy on The Fuel, calling into mind Depeche Mode or mellow Nine Inch Nails. The album closes with Grazes, a gentle and jazzy number that evokes Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks instrumentation.Bloodsport is inventive and original, synthetic but without losing emotion and warmth (unlike Madonna’s latest offering). Get it while it’s smouldering.