Various Artists
High Fidelity original soundtrack
Hollywood Records

It stands to reason that a successful film driven largely by its soundtrack would have a stellar album released in its wake.

The soundtrack to "High Fidelity" is a happy answer to this theory. The CD is a union between musicians we know (The Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan), musicians we're getting to know (Stereolab, The Beta Band) and musicians we may not have heard of (actor/singer Jack Black, of Tenacious D). Of course, this sort of a marriage can lead to discontent — how many traditionalists will be irritated by having to sit through the slinky French of Stereolab's "Lo Boob Oscillator"? And how many hepcats will be cheesed off by having to listen to The Kinks clap their way through "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy"?

Quite a few, possibly. But, in a sense, this is the genius of "High Fidelity"'s soundtrack — it summarizes one of the underlying messages of the movie. Good taste transcends age and genre. And to prove it, we get Stevie Wonder ripping it up alongside Elvis Costello and the Attractions, who are all mixed up among the '90s' most happening indie pop wonderbands.

It works. This peppery, eclectic little disc isn't the sort of CD anyone will be able to simply inject into their ears, but it may open doors for listeners stubbornly parked within their own definition of what good pop music is all about. Its music, united by little else beyond a tendency toward soulful enthusiasm, crisp lyrics and digable melodies, fulfills the two essential tasks of a soundtrack album.

First, it brings a listener back into the film. The shards and arcs of sound that decorated "High Fidelity" are mostly here in their full splendor. But, more importantly, this is an album you can let roll across an afternoon. While there are few tracks that dazzle a listener, demanding dozens of replays, there are similarly few bits of music so grating that you feel obligated to stand up and hit the skip button.

And to the album's credit, tracks like The Beta Band's "Dry the Rain," Stevie Wonder's "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)" and Elvis Costello's "Shipbuilding" are really fantastic. But at the same time, it's easy to believe that I could hand this album off to any one of my music-listening friends and I'd be handed a list of three equally-good — but different — tracks. Whether its the moog-inflected drone of Stereolab or the soulful whiteboy wail of Jack Black's rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On," the album has a lot to offer.

Overall, the disc's a triumph — it's a showcase of trophies and well-loved tracks written and performed by a strange crew of accomplished songsmiths. If there's one real flaw in the damn thing, it's that it's a CD. The record grooves they chose to print on the top of the CD are fundamentally depressing.

But maybe that was the idea.

— James Norton (jrnorton@flakmag.com)