"Phenomenomenons" by Love Axe

A few years back, I first heard some tracks from Love Axe, the venture for the joint output of Chris Hatfield (ex-Those Transatlantics) and Heath Johnson. In a blank cardboard sleeve with a pinkish marker stain with the band’s name, there was a CD-R with great stuff, a brief taster for (hopefully) a full length to come. So the many months came and went, and I never knew if Chris had kept the project alive or not. Then a few months ago, while trolling the interweb, I came across a full-on release from Love Axe, with all the songs from the CD-R and more, available for sale as a digital release. So I snagged it and gave it a listen, the past and the present colliding in my eardrums.

What do I think of it? It’s quite difficult to put a critical lens to the end products of a dude who has provided various states of alcohol-fueled hilarity and muse-fueled creativity for your personal enjoyment. Some of the hardest laughs I’ve had in the past ten years, the kind of laughs where the muscles in the back of your head ache and throb while keeping basic breathing an elusive thing, the laughs that usually only happen for a brief window of childhood or preadolescence, have come at the end of the comedic bits and barbs of Chris Hatfield. That’s power – to be able to pull a strong emotion out of a person time and again, those involuntary and almost intolerable waves of positivity.

That’s why it’s so tremendous that Chris accomplishes with Love Axe what he accomplishes in person – connection through a rich vein of creativity and emotional resonance. The proper debut from Love Axe called Phenomenomenons has it all – driving rockers, hushed ballads, sardonic soliloquies, and a knack for memorable melodies throughout. It’s pure pop from start to finish, taking his contributions from his days with Those Transatlantics to, as the kids say, another level.

Normally, in my reviewing days, this would be the part of the write-up where I triangulate the artist's work based upon the references that most immediately pop up, and while it’s clear that Chris has sonic influences ranging from Ben Folds to Ween to a melange of '90s alt-radio rock, he’s not content to merely ape those forebears. Rather, he’s processed the lessons of his musical environments and experiences -- absorb, assimilate, accept, accomplish -- and then offer a shuttered view into his world through song. And it’s a world you want to visit again and again. Get over to Bandcamp and buy the Love Axe album now.

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