Sick Puppies – “Dressed Up As Life” [Album Review]

The Sick Puppies’ sophomore album, Dressed Up As Life, alternates between aggression and vulnerability. On the gentler tracks, such as “What Are You Looking For” and “All the Same”, the vocalist sounds both earnest and raw. The more angst-riddled tracks are hard hitting and reflect their grunge influences; the guitars are crunchier, the drums are harsher and you can hear the struggle as the vocalist sways back and forth between a soft whisper and an aggressive roar.

The artwork is simple, yet abstract and the paper looks as if it had been yellowed, aged and stained. In the booklet you’ll find illustrations of brains being erased by pencils, human hearts spewing smoke, and bloodspots. These illustrations hint at the lyrics, which are candid accounts of heartbreak and angst taken from years of personal experience.

Unfortunately, I was around to hear the post-grunge era take flight and fall just as quickly while bands were scrambling to be the first to tackle this genre. I find even today, many bands are still trying to pull off the same sound as their predecessors and it’s not thrilling to say the least. Although there was variety in the album, many of the songs started to adapt the same patterns, ultimately making them sound linear.

Track Listing:

01. My World
02. Pitiful
03. Cancer
04. What Are You Looking For
05. Deliverence
06. All The Same
07. Too Many Words
08. Howard’s Tale
09. Asshole Father
10. Issues
11. Anywhere But Here
12. The Bottom

Run Time: 45:41
Release Date: 04.03.2007