Female singer-songwriters seem to be pretty much all that gets signed these days, call it a media manufactured trend if you will (because it is) but it can’t be said that the movement hasn’t spawned some excellent music. From Florence and her machine to Bat and her lashes. There has been an abundance of quality thrust our way from the get-go (lets just forget about Duffy eh?). It’s true that for every Florence and Marina there are a thousand Pixie Lott’s and thankfully Naomi Scott of ‘Naomi Hates Humans’ falls very much into the former category.
The sound is heavily indebted to the the rockier side of Jeff Buckley’s seminal “Grace” album while the vocals are pure Patti Smith with the roughly sewn melodic-ism of Janis Joplin. That’s not to say Naomi’s a one-trick pony though, ‘Heroes Like Us’ shows a playful side to Naomi’s downcast style with flashes of brass and sharp, structural left-turns. The chorus is remarkably gentle but works well and the lyrics are particularly impressive, taking a popular subject and completely turning it on it’s head.
Unfortunately there are no real singles evident here, the closest thing Naomi has to a potential single is opener ‘Half The Man’ with it’s insistent rhythm, infectious bass and faintly dissonant twists and turns. It’s a great start and really underlines Naomi’s talents but the lack of any real hook is a real blow to the songs commercial aspirations and the following track ‘Tightly Choreographed Moments’ is positively pedestrian by comparison, the weak link in an otherwise impressive collection.
The best is most certainly saved for last here with the epic dynamism of ‘Some Things Are Worth Getting Your Heart Broken For’ acting as a dramatic full stop at the tail end of a record brimming with seething angst. Sparse verse’s are off-set by a subtly anthemic chorus and layered blasts of noise (much like Buckley’s ‘Dream Brother’) in a track which closes the record with a real sense of authority. It’s a powerful statement from a powerful artist who obviously has a lot to say and will almost certainly mature over time, a couple more immediate tracks wouldn’t go amiss though.