Magnificent artistry

The Picturebooks are back with a new album titled The Major Minor Collective. The album has 12 tracks that encompass the widest musical range of the band’s career. The Picturebooks is composed of vocalist and guitarist Fynn Claus Grabke and drummer Philipp Mirtschink. The blues-rock duo has outdone themselves with this collaborated project which features a wide variation of artists that have inspired the duo, adding incredible mixes of styles and sounds fans can enjoy.

The Major Minor Collective kicks off with a rhythmic and blood-pumping opening track, “Here’s to Magic,” which features Dennis Lyxzén, lead vocalist of the Swedish punk band Refused. The song is extremely captivating, particularly with the percussion and vocals creating a fascinating atmosphere. Fans can experience the phenomenon of these artists, who have different styles, come together to create an incredible track that sets the bar for the rest of the collaborations in this project.

Next follows “Corrina Corrina,” which features Dave Dinsmore from Brant Bjork on bass and Neil Fallon from Clutch and The Company Band on vocals. According to Dinsmore, he stumbled upon The Picturebooks in Berlin and was asked to play bass for the track in an impromptu home session; he only heard a few seconds of the song before composing the mesmerizing bass riffs. The heavy blues-rock radiates with immense passion through Fallon’s strong vocals, Dinsmore’s rhythmic bass, Grabke’s electrifying guitar and Mirtschink’s foot-stomping drums.

“Catch Me If You Can” features Chris Robertson, vocalist and lead guitarist of Black Stone Cherry. The track-only exemplifies the artists’ ability to deliver impeccable gritty rock with killer guitars. “Beach Seduction” features Leah Wellbaum of Slothrust and carries a calmer tone that surrounds you in the slow heavy bass. “Holy Ghost” features Jon Harvey, vocalist of Monster Truck. The track is extremely rhythmic, making it quite difficult not to move along, much less sing along with Harvey’s raging vocals.

The Major Minor Collective turns from blues-rock to punk-rock in “Too Soft to Live and Too Hard to Die,” which features Elin Larsson from Blues Pills and Ryan Sinn of The Distillers on bass. The angst and raging guitars alongside Larrson’s powerful vocals result in an absolute banger of a track. The Picturebooks channel some Fleetwood Mac in “Rebel,” which features Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. Hale knocks it out of the park with her immensely stunning vocals and radiating passion in every syllable.

The Picturebooks have outdone themselves in this superbly executed collaborative project. The Major Minor Collective is an artistic masterpiece; one track after the other reassures their incredible talents and ability to dominate rock as well as compose pure gems alongside a variety of different artists.