The Sneaker Pimps are a band largely unknown here in the US, save for their modest hits "Six Undergound" and "Spin Spin Sugar" back in 1996. These two tracks were featured on their only proper US-released album, Becoming X (a second release, Becoming Remixed, is self-explanatory). Basically, their debut effort was a fairly interesting dose of trip-hop in the vein of Portishead, Massive Attack, Garbage, and Morcheeba. From laid-back grooves to catchy club-style beats, this was a refreshing album that was one of my favorites of the year, and had me excited to hear what they'd do next. You see, one good CD doesn't quite cut it in my book.

The problem is, they practically disappeared from the radar after that.

However, they didn't split up; not completely, at least. After lead vocalist Kelli Dayton left the group in 1998, things didn't look too bright for the band's second proper release, Splinter. However, original guitarist Chris Corner stepped in, assuming responsibilities as the lead vocalist and official "frontman" for the group. Of course, this severely changed the overall mood and tone of the group---gone were Dayton's smooth, sultry vocals---but the overall style remained fairly consistent, since both Corner and keyboardist Liam Howe retained duties as chief songwriters. It wasn't a bad album by any means, but it certainly wasn't as memorable as their first. Combine this with the fact it was only available via import, and I gradually drifted away from the band after that.

In 2002, the Sneaker Pimps released a third proper album, entitled Bloodsport. While I've yet to hear the disc, I can't say that it doesn't sound a little interesting. If anything, it might be nice to see what they've been up to for the past few years.

With that said, I was pretty excited to receive this disc in the mail. Sneaker Pimps: The Videos is just that: a collection of the group's music videos so far. Unfortunately, it wasn't all I had hoped for, since it was released in 2001. Instead of a modest cross-section of the band's music (including anything from Bloodsport), this dated release focuses mostly on their first album. It's a bare-bones DVD, and that's one of the biggest understatements of the year…trust me.

All in all, there are just five music videos present and accounted for, including "Tesko Suicide", "Six Underground", "Spin Spin Sugar", "Postmodern Sleaze", and "Low Five" (the last is from Splinter). Released in 2001, I've no idea why it's taken so long for a screener to become available, but perhaps this brief compilation is due for a domestic release in the near future. The videos themselves aren't bad, but the music is the real star of the show. However, the fact that there's only 20 minutes of content here is extremely disappointing, no matter how good the content is. In short, it's much more suited as a bonus disc, and the fact that this is sold by itself is, in a word, confusing. Keeping this in mind, let's see how this one stacks up:

The packaging incorrectly lists the aspect ratio as 4:3, as these five videos are actually presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. The aspect ratios vary slightly, but the most of these are shot in 1.78:1. The image quality itself isn't bad, but there's definitely room for improvement. Blacks are generally solid, but some of the footage looks a little soft and dull. Whether this was the intended look of the videos remains to be seen, but this image transfer won't blow you away. Long story short, this is better than your typical broadcast quality, but not by much.

If you're a big fan of the Sneaker Pimps, this one might be worth the money, but most people would be better off just sticking with the CDs. In light of this title not being readily available for rental, I'll reluctantly declare this disc Recommended...but not by much. It's too bad, though...with more meat to it, this could have been a really great disc.