The Picturebooks & The Major Minor Collective

The Picturebooks are a German alternative rock/blues rock duo (Fynn Claus Grabke and Philipp Mirtschink) from Gütersloh, who formed after meeting a skate park. The first two albums that the Picturebooks released as a trio were musically a mixture of indie rock and garage rock. After Tim Bohlmann left, the band turned to the early blues. A musical peculiarity of the band is that drummer Philipp Mirtschink does not use cymbals on his instrument. Percussion instruments are used for the treble. Fynn Grabke, on the other hand, plays his guitar by feeling and admits that he cannot play chords. If there were ever a time to bring people together, now would be it. Talking about the effects the pandemic had on us as human beings becomes redundant, but it's the positives which need to be focused on. Wanting to break the ties of isolation, rock duo The Picturebooks release their collaboration-centric album The Major Minor Collective this Friday. Collaborations are nothing new for the dynamic duo, their previous album "The Hands Of Time" features the legendary Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. Now expanding on the idea of better together, this fourth full-length has 11 fully formed collaborations, and an instrumental the listener can contribute to themselves. It sees Fynn Grabke (guitars/vocals) and Phillipp Mirtschink (drums/percussion) pull from a wealth of friends, peers, and inspirations for a truly ambitious record. First up, Dennis Lyxzén of Refused steps to the altar for the ritualistic Here's To Magic. The cymbal heavy beat dictates this celebration of life to a sexy rock n' roll guitar. Lyxzén takes the role of a spiritual leader "casting spells to the herd", opening the door to the chaotic yet magical world of The Picturebooks. The reservation surrounding "The Major Minor Collective" is the absence of Grabke's vocals throughout, bar the boisterous 'Too Soft To Live Too Hard To Die'. Could this be The Picturebooks' undoing ? No, with their characteristic seating in blues driven rock and the carefree soul of the band winding through each song, this album is unmistakably The Picturebooks. The slower 60s vibe of 'Beach Seduction' derails the momentum slightly with its heady harmonies and darkness in the lyrics. Yet the sidewinder solo soon wins us over. On the other end of the spectrum, the frantic and aggressive energies of Multidimensional Violence jars the record. The sultry groove mixing with Erlend Hjelvik's (Hjelvik) growls gives the song a feeling of early Motörhead. While this song works well as a standalone, it doesn't fit with the rest of the collection. But that's the beauty of it. Where one falls short, another slices through the mark and beyond. 'Catch Me If You Can', helmed by Black Stone Cherry's Chris Robertson, is a thumping anthem showcasing footloose souls. "Let my spirit ramble free" captures not only the gypsy souls of both Black Stone Cherry and The Picturebooks, but also the creative freedom of this record. The song's groove melts into Robertson's velveteen voice, creating an enchanting highlight. 'Holy Ghost' narrowly pips this track to the post. Monster Truck's Jon Harvey's gravelly vocals lend themselves to this hybrid of gospel and country swagger. Slivers of guitar solos thread the song together, synthesising an infectious energy to rival the object of this song's desire. "I depended on love to escape my personal hell" proclaims Halestorm's Lzzy Hale on rousing Rebel. This line encapsulates the entire album. The Major Minor Collective was conceived through a universal love of music. The passion which shines through each note and beat makes this project so endearing. Each moving part has its purpose and room to breathe where other projects may have failed. This exercise in dropping expectations and egos reminds us all that music is here to be enjoyed and brings us together.