Sick Puppies

Michael Roberts August 13, 2008 4:00AM

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Although viral marketing has improved Sick Puppies' condition, the cure may not be permanent. The Aussie band's attempts to break in the States were going nowhere when singer/guitarist Shimon Moore combined footage of performance artist Juan Mann, who offered "Free Hugs" to passersby, with a power ballad called "All the Same" as a gesture of sympathy for Mann, then mourning the death of his grandmother. Mann subsequently posted the clip on YouTube, where it racked up over 10 million views — a groundswell that convinced Virgin Records to adopt the Puppies and take the video mainstream. These efforts have bolstered sales of the group's U.S. debut, Dressed Up as Life; trouble is, the disc aspires to a combination of hard rock and emo on cuts such as "Asshole Father," and the performers' credibility with fans of these styles probably won't be enhanced by their status as the most embraceable boys on MTV.