Record Label: Hopeless Records
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I’m not sure when was the last time I listened to a Hopelessly Devoted last…but I guess it’s been awhile. The compilation seems to have expanded since I last listened to it, now on 2 discs plus a bonus DVD with videos of a bunch of Hopeless bands. Disc 1 opens up on a poppy note with Amber Pacific and I liked the chorus of that song. It was a little bit whiny for my taste though. The next few bands I wasn’t very fond of and had to skip ahead to see if the disc got any better. The Human Abstract caught my attention because it they sounded a little bit different than the bands before them. I guess the thrash/metal guitar playing is what I liked the most but I didn’t find the vocals to be that great. Of course Against All Authority is on this compilation, I like the song but didn’t like the horn section part. It seemed a bit clunky to me but the song picks up once they play the song faster. I really liked the Mustard Plug song “Over The Edge,” which was unreleased until now. I can’t wait to hear a new album from those yellow bastards. The album starts to tail off into bands you already heard in the beginning of the disc. Most of them are remixes, acoustic, or unreleased tracks.

The second disc seems to be a best-of disc of all the past Hopeless Records bands. The disc starts off with Guttermouth’s song “Hopeless.” 88 Fingers Louie is represented with the track “Blink,” no not about the stupid cheesy pop punk band. I really liked this disc because I used to like many of these bands. They made the label what it is today, too bad none of the bands currently on Hopeless don’t sound as good as any of these older bands (With 1 or 2 exceptions). Hey i’m just being honest here. The bands featured on the second disc are: Mustard Plug, Dillinger Four, AAA, 88 Fingers Louie, Fifteen, Weakerthans, and Samiam. I definitely like the second disc a lot better than the first. I’m glad they included those songs on this volume, but then again you heard all the songs before.

The DVD is over an hour long, filled with all the videos that Hopeless “found lying around the office.” There are two Mustard Plug videos, one is for “You,” which I’ve seen on every punk video compilation ever made. Finally the band has a new video and that’s for their song “Over The Edge.” The band doesn’t lip sync very well on their video, they are the Ashlee Simpsons of the ska scene haha. I like seeing videos for the Queers, Digger, Mike Park, AAA and 88 Fingers Louie. This DVD is an excellent added bonus if you buy the compilation for sure.

Bottom Line: For only 5 bucks, this is a must have!
Notable Tracks: Music from AAA, Mustard Plug, Guttermouth, 88 Fingers Louie, The Queers and Amber Pacific.
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