It’s hard not to be at least a tad cynical when it comes to b-side records, greatest hits compilations and collections of so-called "rare and never before released tracks." I’m expected to shill out the price of a regular album just to get a bunch of songs I’ve probably already picked up from other albums or downloaded somewhere online? Most of the time, I tend to steer clear of what seem to be little more than blatant money-making grabs. Most of the time.

Indie-rockers Copeland have a lot more going for them than the usual hastily thrown-together compilation on Dressed Up & In Line, which features 14 rarities and unreleased songs. Granted, fans will be pretty familiar with most of this material already. Much of it is culled from past bonus tracks, EPs, and cover albums, and even some of the "rarities" have been floating around on the Internet in one form or another.

But what sets Dressed Up apart is the extra care that’s been invested in it. As frontman Aaron Marsh explains in the liner notes, “The recordings have not been left in their original state. We’ve replaced a guitar here, added a vocal harmony there, spruced up the original tracks and remixed them in an attempt to make this record a cohesive work.”

If an added guitar or harmony sounds like it wouldn’t make much difference, it does. The material here sounds fresh all the way through, and although the difference between the original recordings of some songs isn’t remarkable (still noticeable though) the result is fantastic. The material here covers a span of over seven years, but this album flows like it’s the result of one recording session (save for a few exceptions.) Make no mistake – this is an album. This is not a compilation.

Copeland’s back catalog is well-covered across the disc with acoustic or alternate versions of songs from Beneath Medicine Tree (“Brightest,” “When Paula Sparks”), In Motion (“You Love to Sing,” “Sleep,” “No One Really Wins”) and Eat, Sleep, Repeat (“Careful Now”) present. There won’t be much here to surprise a die-hard Copeland fan, but the slow version of “You Love to Sing” and the acoustic turn on “No One Really Wins” are excellent and easily became my favorite versions of both songs.

Copeland has always had a knack for pulling off covers, releasing a fantastic EP several years ago covering ‘80s songs. Here, covers of The Police (“Every Breath You Take”) and Soundgarden (“Black Hole Sun”), both taken from compilation albums, are present. “Every Breath You Take” is better, but Copeland does both of the originals proud.