There’s a song in the middle of “Albuquerque” where Fynn Claus Grabke sings about “walking the streets with guitar in my hand,” and you only have to spend time in the company of the two men who make up The Picturebooks to know that this music fuels them.
I can vividly remember seeing them for the first time. Opening for The Answer, they were sensational. They were primal yet original.
And they are one of the great live bands too. On a previous incarnation of MV, they were the picture on the gigs page. But things probably had to change. I’ve seen drummer Philipp Mirtschink literally bleed for his art. And the two-piece thunderous blues sound probably needed to expand if they were to thrive and survive.
2019’s “The Hands Of Time,” which featured Chrissie Hynde, began that process, while 2021’s “The Major Minor Collective”—a load of duets—was the next stop on that journey, which brings us to “Albuquerque.”
“Why Mother Why” is proof they’ve lost none of that weirdness, that individuality, those primal urges, despite the incredible expansion of the sound.
And look, if you liked The Picturebooks before, then you’ll love this stuff.
More pertinently, if you’ve ever wondered what a mash-up between Rival Sons and Rage Against The Machine would sound like, then wonder no more, because “Masquerade” is here for you. Going down swinging or sleeping in the fire? You choose.
The US flavour is right here—and right to the surface—on “Back To LA,” and if you’d asked me back in 2014 or so if The Picturebooks would do a song with a rap in the middle, I’d have probably called you crazy, yet this with Badd Wolf works like a dream.
“I Feel You” is as swampy as you like, but the harmony vocals are as swampy as you like, and the thing they’ve always had where it genuinely unsettles is right to the fore on “Black Water.” Even for this record, though, the disco stomper, “We Stole Your Rock And Roll,” which namechecks everyone from Mötley to Taylor Swift, still surprises.
It’s meant to. The arena rock stylings of “Running Wild And Free” are the best song Black Stone Cherry haven’t written, and that’s not even The Picturebooks pushing the envelope that much these days.
“Primate Dancer” is more than simply the best title (see what I did there?). It’s a vicious condemnation of the AI generation that is 2024. Maybe that’s why this sounds so analog, so natural?
As if to emphasise the point that anything goes here and nothing is off-limits, it all ends with “Roots To The Ground,” a gentle, acoustic, almost Americana ballad.
What “Albuquerque” highlights is the incredible skill of the band. They’ve lost none of their power, but they’ve gained a newfound subtlety. On this album, though, they’ve really opened things up.
I don’t want to say it’s their best album, given how good their other stuff is, but what you can say about “Albuquerque” is that it’s a mighty step into a brave new world.
Rating: 9/10
REVIEW: THE PICTUREBOOKS – ALBUQUERQUE (2024)
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