Sickpay - Pureocracy

Sickpay is a Brooklyn-based composer, producer and drummer/guitarist, and Pureocracy is his five-song EP. Although the sound of this project varies widely, Sickpay consistently sings with a desperate, vulnerable and sometimes scratchy voice. In every sonic framework included, though, he always sounds truly sincere.

One called "Devoid" may remind you of early Weezer. This was back when emo was still a relatively new genre term. Before it became a stylistic pose for many acts. Sickpay is at his rawest (and he's raw throughout) during "How Many Times."His voice is nearly breaking the way Kurt Cobain's did on so many memorable Nirvana songs. The latter track is also a driving, electric-guitar song. "Generosity" is also a big guitar recording that features a monster groove. The EP concludes with the release's title track, which oddly rolls to a ska groove. Friend, this is the harshest ska tune you'll hear in a long, long time!

Listening to Sickpay choke out these songs can be a little tough to take in at times. He just sounds so pained. Nevertheless, his performance approach always serves to make his singing and songs utterly believable. It's heartening to hear an artist so committed to sharing truth. Tortured art is not always pretty art, but here it's undeniably real.

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