The fifth volume of Hopeless'
Hopelessly Devoted to You compilation series is a typically economic look at the label and its bands, offering seven previously unreleased tracks and some video content for good measure. It kicks off with material from
Mêlée and
Amber Pacific, two bands with clear-eyed lead vocals and instrumentation that might best be described as tastefully gritty. In other words, it's stuff that's closer to pop heartbreak than psycho hardcore. At the same time, the Hopeless roster also includes the decidedly metalcore splatter of
Break the Silence and
Avenged Sevenfold, a stylistic spectrum that speaks to the fractured, shifty nature of hardcore and punk revivalism in 2004.
Against All Authority's "Wet Foot Policy" is a dub-inflected gem dating from 1999 and a split 10" with the Criminals, while the unreleased "Where the Waves Are Highest" finds
Jesse Michaels revisiting his
Op Ivy glory days with
Common Rider. Other highlights include
Thrice's "To Awake and Avenge the Dead" (listen to that metal chording!) and a satisfactorily kooky live reading of
Atom & His Package's "Punk Rock Academy."
