The Picturebooks
Home is a Heartache
(Another Century)
It feels a little odd to call an album with a naked lady on the cover “charming”, butt (pun intended) there’s an unassuming (sorry…) nature that fuels their latest record. Home is a Heartache, the German duo’s first record through Another Century, highlights the band’s bluesy, dirty, sun-drenched throwback rock style at its most potent and endearing. There’s a folky energy to most of these tunes, which is enhanced by repeated gang vocal lines. Home is a Heartache feels like music perfectly suited for a campfire and whatever beer was on sale that Friday afternoon. That’s not to say anything about the record feels cheap or pushing to the lowest common denominator (as one might assume of a formula like this: naked lady cover + blues rock + a song called “Zero Fucks Given”). Instead, The Picturebooks play to their strengths as a band that speak to the heart and soul, like the best rock ‘n’ roll through the ages. This is a hypnotic listen, even if there are a few tunes that feel less than mesmerizing (their reliance on simplicity makes lesser hooks stick out sorely).
That said, The Picturebooks’ latest record is so damn fun that it’s easy to forgive some missteps. Their move to the bigger label leagues did not dilute their homey charm, and this German duo are operating near peak performance. Trimming the record’s fat is basically the biggest issue with this otherwise engaging and charming record.
