Even if you don't know Sydney, Australia modern rock trio Sick Puppies, you've probably seen their groundbreaking "Free Hugs" video, which has garnered more than 11 million views on YouTube.com since it started streaming on the site last year. The heartwarming clip chronicles the true life adventures of a man who walks around holding a billboard that reads "Free Hugs" the police who ban his humanitarian crusade, and the petition that earned him back the right to provide hugs to citizens in need.
The 'Free Hugs'? video, which accompanied the band's song "All The Same" earned Sick Puppies exposure on Oprah, Jay Leno, 60 Minutes and CNN, and inspired people around the world to begin their own free hugs campaigns. It also propelled "All the Same" into a top-requested single at commercial radio stations across North America. But while the Free Hugs video helped spread the music and message of Sick Puppies, the band is anything but an overnight success.
Years before YouTube, Sick Puppies were winning prestigious commendations, including Best Song from Triple J Unearthed, and Best Live Performance from the Australian Live Music Awards. The Australian edition of Rolling Stone even called Sick Puppies the most dynamic new band in the country.
The bands North American debut, Dressed Up As Life, validates the praise with a heartfelt collection of exultant rhythms, propulsive beats and choruses that span miles. It's the kind of record that captures the beauty, pain and endless possibilities of LIFE.
The aching vocals, melancholy acoustics and triumphant guitar swaths of the renowned "All the Same" transcend even without the video. My World pinpoints the moment where epiphany turns regret into acceptance by juxtaposing layered instrumentation with bare, simple arrangements. Pitiful, combines start-stop blasts with brooding atmospherics, resulting in a song that's both angry and undeniable. And, "Asshole Father" is even more sweeping and multidimensional, intermingling serene vistas with stabs of animosity. |
