the Urban Artist Group presents...

With her acoustic guitar and a gravelly, smoky voice somewhat akin to that of the late, great Janis Joplin, the blues songstress Karen Dalton, or perhaps a female version of Tom Waits, Naomi Scott, who writes and plays her songs under the moniker Naomi Hates Humans, comes to us from London, England to introduce us to her brilliant sound, which is the offspring of an unlikely union between "blues," "antifolk" and "punk." Never had I experienced a sound quite like Naomi's...that is, not until, searching the internet one day, I just happened upon a few of her songs. Instantly I recognized them as the type of songs that grab one firmly by the collar, pull one dangerously close, and command the whole of one's attention. I mean, I almost get the same feeling from Naomi's songs that I get from listening to Nina Simone. That's saying a lot, too, because I am a huge fan of Nina's music. Coincidentally, Naomi is also very much into Nina Simone, which I discovered in our interview not all that long ago, and she and I actually share a favorite song of hers as well---"Blues for Mama." A fantastic song, to be sure. And next to "I Shall Be Released" and "Go to Hell," it may very well by my favorite Nina song. But...favorite songs aside, I must admit that Naomi seems to possess some of those things that made Nina such an important figure in the world of "jazz," such as passion and intensity, talent and confidence, as well as just being a cool character with an attractive personality and a strong femininity.

           I'm probably getting a bit ahead of myself here, though.

           Naomi Scott, along with her two bandmates, Sagar Patel (drums) and Lewis Young (bass), who are otherwise referred to, at least when it comes to the Naomi Hates Humans endeavor, as "the Insufferable Fucks," have released a phenomenal debut album titled "Pipe Dreams & Lullabies" on Better Weird Than Dead Records. "Pipe Dreams & Lullabies" is an eleven song record covering such topics, lyrically and thematically, as socio-political discontent, the hardships and confusions of growing up, moving from the country to the big city, the sad loss of a wonderful grandmother and the remembrances which surround that particular experience, and romantic relationships that didn't quite work out in the end. Naomi wrote the songs for the album over a period of about two years. When it came time for both she and the Insufferable Fucks to go into the studio, however, it took a total of about twenty-two hours, give or take, to record and mix the songs...and yet the album doesn't come across hastily done. Nor does it seem to have a lesser quality than those recordings that take weeks or even months to finish.

           Well, you know I don't write love songs, Naomi tells us on the fifth track of the album, which is the shortest song of the eleven. Perhaps that confident, unapologetic, from-the-gut manner of conveyance is one of the many reasons her songs appeal to so many of us---because they are honest and down to earth, and they communicate her thoughts, feelings and experiences in a very personal and human way. That is, there's more raw truth and personal openness than there is poetry in the collection of songs featured on "Pipe Dreams & Lullabies," but that is just another characteristic of her style that makes it all the more genuine. There's also a very real life feel to Naomi's songs, as well as that diary-like lyrical content which only a handful of singer/songwriters can truly pull off and pull off well, which is perfectly carried forth on Naomi's inimitable voice. Her voice is smoky, yes, slightly gravelly, true, but also quite feminine, with something else that is neither too rough nor too polished. In fact, I think it would be fair to say that Naomi's vocals are just as much a combination of "blues" and "folk punk" as the instrumentation itself, if not more so. In other reviews, Naomi's vocals have been compared to K.T. Tunstall (which I can only hear to a small degree, to be honest) and PJ Harvey (which, again, I can only somewhat hear). One thing is for certain, however, and that is that Naomi, although vocally comparable to a female version of Tom Waits or Nick Cave, she definitely doesn't look anything like either one of them. Nor does she look anything like Janis Joplin, to whom her vocals have also been likened. Nor Karen Dalton.The truth is that she is much easier on the eyes than all of them. So...not only does she have a unique and attractive sound, she has the look to go with it.

          With a driving bassline and a marching band-type drumbeat, the opening track of the record, "Consensus Counts For Nothing," goes round and round in a somewhat repetitive fashion, insisting in the chorus, They heard us, they saw us, they knew our cause was true...consensus counts for nothing...they don't agree with you. They heard us, they saw us, they knew our cause was true...consensus counts for nothing, when it's just them or you. Of course, the first track on "Pipe Dreams" is not the only anarchistic protest song of the bunch, for Naomi seems to have some pretty solid and fiery views and beliefs in terms of social and political issues, as well as a well developed awareness of the current state of affairs in the world. In the opinion of this writer, such things only serve to make Naomi's music that much more important, meaningful and worthwhile.

           As far as the lyrics on the album go, one of my favorite lines comes from the second track, "Better Things," which goes: And I'm too young to hate my job, so let's get fired. We've got better things to do with our time. In "Better Things," Naomi sets up the verse structure by going over the individual notes of well chosen chord patterns, one after the other, in a fluid picking fashion, the bass hitting on the corresponding note and ringing out until the next, while the percussion keeps a 1-2-3-4 beat primarily with kick drum and hi-hat...that is, until the chorus comes in. The chorus is where the song picks up a bit, with full-on chords, a busy bassline, and more involved drum accompaniment.

           "Chin Up, Guard Down," the third track, is a song about life in the big city. Definitely one of the songs that has gone towards earning Naomi the whole blues-punk and antifolk categorization that's been attached to her music in the press, "Chin Up, Guard Down" is a downhill song, gaining momentum as it goes, beginning with background instrumentation and strong vocals, and eventually passing into chords and drumrolls and hard-hitting bass bits.

To describe every song on the record in such a manner would be rather excessive. But I will say that there are some other gems on "Pipe Dreams & Lullabies," especially: "Heads Down," "Death to Kaplinsky," and, of course, the title track, "Pipe Dreams & Lullabies."

If I am recalling it correctly, it took two or three e-mails to convince Naomi to take part in the Urban Artist Group's Sounds from the City Earth Underground segment. Eventually we somehow won her over, and only a few short weeks later we received her press package, including her Pipe Dreams & Lullabies record. And after listening to it in its entirety a couple times, I was more than a little glad that I had employed such persistence in bringing her aboard this vessel of ours, as music isn't so much our journalistic focus as it is our way of life...and I personally live for discovering such remarkable bands and singer/songwriters, or at least it's one of the many wonderful and rewarding things I live for. And for me, the only place to find such extraordinary and talented artists is deep within the City Earth Underground, whether in the gray ghetto metropolises of the Northeast (especially Philadelphia and New York City), or in the snow-blanketed wildernesses of Canada; in the Nebraskan farmlands, or the dusty desert roadside junk towns of desolate New Mexico and Nevada; the hilly terrain of the magnificent cityscape that is San Francisco, or the backwoods bayou places in deep south Louisiana; the shotgun shacks and clapboard homes and dilapadated trailers of Alabama, or the attractive little beach towns of the Jersey coast (where one is invariably met with those deliciously salty ocean breezes and the echoing calls of countless swooping gulls); and the cool and mysterious places I've never been, like Australia and Europe. Yes, there's extraordinarily phenomenal music to be found all over the world. And like Los Angeles musician and filmmaker, Eric Beetner, says: Anyone who says there is no good music today is just not looking hard enough. It may have gone deeper underground but it is there. Take some time and find it. Truly, I couldn't agree with him more. Music is as it ever was in terms of great music being written and performed by great bands and singer/songwriters. In fact, in the opinion of this writer, music is actually becoming more diverse and challenging, more technical in some areas and simpler in others, more personal and independent and meaningful. There are less lines being drawn between genre and other such categorization, less limitation to one style of music, and more open-mindedness, artistic vision, and expressive bravery. To make my point, I give you Naomi Hates Humans, a band that was born right on time, a band that is more of a response to today's climate than a product of it.

           But who is Naomi Scott? And what kind of life must she have lived up until now to have created such an endeavor as Naomi Hates Humans? When I asked her that same question, she responded by saying, Hmm. Ok. I've never been particularly good at quantifying my place in existence. Essentially, I've just turned twenty-six (which feels all kinds of old). I live in London, where I have lived for the past four years. Before I moved to London, I had always lived on the South Coast of England. It took a while to get used to not being near the sea, not that I ever swim in it, but I like looking at it. These days I love London and couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

           I make websites for a living during the day, which I find wholly unsatisfying as a pastime, but it pays quite well and is, at least notionally, creative. When I'm not doing that, I play music, draw stuff, and kickbox. I'm also a big fan of getting drunk and dancing like a goon (which is basically the national pastime in the UK), but I cannot and will not dance when I'm sober.

           In terms of the music side of things, I suppose I was always a musical child, but not one of those terrifyingly talented genius types. I just enjoyed it. I started playing the piano when I was about eight, I think...mainly because we inherited one from my great uncle. I also took up the clarinet when I was about eleven and used to play in school bands and things. Strangely, I was never very good at improvising on either instrument and never really wrote much stuff for them. That was probably more of a confidence thing, I guess. I went to university when I was nineteen, and both instruments kind of fell by the wayside. Having got to quite high standards on both, I can now only really get by on them.

           I took up the guitar when I went to university. I had a few lessons in my first year, and then I started a band. The other two in the band were both incredibly good musicians, so I kind of got away with not being too great on the guitar. I had no inclination to sit down and learn the guitar in any great depth; I just wanted to start writing and playing. So I learned the basics and everything else I just made up. Sometimes I'd watch people play guitar on tv and copy the shapes of their hands. Not the most conventional way of learning, but it worked.

           Singing-wise, I was in the church choir when I was a child (but mainly just because we got paid!!). I grew up in a very tiny village (full of eccentrics and legends---exactly the kind of place I imagine Americans think of when they think of the English). The church was kind of the social centre of the village. I think it has changed there now, though. Less of a community spirit. I'm not sure I was ever a great believer in religion. It (the church) was just a place to go and sing songs and things. Anyway, I digress. I didn't really think I could sing back then. I used to hide at the back and not sing very loud. At some point in my teens, I started singing at the piano when no one was at home (mainly Bon Jovi songs, of all things!!). At some point, I got the courage to start a band with boys from the village, and it progressed from there. The growly aspect only started to emerge during my university band. I think it was a combination of trying to convey the vitriolic nature of the lyrics with trying to hear myself over a very very loud band, not to mention the sheer quantity of Jack Daniels I was consuming at the time.

           So yeah, I guess that's the origins of my sound for the most part.

           It is true that names can be misleading, and for Naomi Scott's Naomi Hates Humans that is doubly so. Such a moniker has no doubt had countless reviewers and interviewers of music and arts to ask the same general question: "Naomi, do you really hate all humans?!" And while I am not entirely blameless in that particular line of inquiry, I am naturally curious as to the meanings and origins of certain monikers, while at the same time, in this case, I was trying not to take it too literally, trying to look past what seemed to be the obvious statement of it. So, with a head full of ideas and guesses, I asked Naomi its meaning, as well as where it came from. To which she replied...

           Ha! Yeah, I get this question a lot. First the origin. My band at university was called Morbo Hates Humans (Morbo being the newsreader in the animated show Futurama). We were together for three years, and in certain circles I was known as Naomi Hates Humans as a consequence (there was also a Ben Hates Humans, who is now in Tea With The Queen, and a Dave Hates Humans, who is now drumming for Ice, Sea, Dead People). I went solo a year or so after we split up, and in the absence of a better name I went with Naomi Hates Humans. I thought it quite funny and memorable, and it also conveyed a little of what my lyrics were about. To be honest, it's been both a blessing and curse, and I have considered changing it before, as it makes things all too easy for lazy reviewers. It often gets used to justify the idea that all of my songs are depressing and angsty. Whilst I'd be the first to admit that I don't write party tunes, I think there's a sense of hope in all of my songs, if you look for it. Most importantly, I don't hate humans at all. That would make life very difficult. I find humans en masse a very frustrating species. We seem determined to be our own undoing. Mostly, if anything, humans disappoint me, and I include myself in this. We could all do better.

           Somewhere along the line in our interview I asked Naomi about her bandmates, the Insufferable Fucks, Sagar Patel (drums) and Lewis Young (bass), as well as what it was like working with them, musically, artistically, and personally. 

           Sagar and Lewis are both very good friends of mine, she said, and they have been for quite some time. In fact, Sagar is also my flatmate, so he was an obvious choice when I wanted to get a band together for the album. Sagar is a terrifyingly talented drummer (although he is too self-deprecating to accept it), and Lewis is one of those ridiculously talented multi-instrumentalist types. Lewis usually plays either drums or guitar, but I twisted his arm to take up bass for the album. They are used to playing together, as they are both in the band Tea With The Queen. It took me a few practices to get used to playing with a band again after such a long time, but it all worked out really well. We've played a few gigs together as well, which have gone done really well with the audiences, and it's been really fun.

           When I play on my own, I used to always sit down, not drink before I played, and take things very seriously. Having other people on stage with you takes the pressure off. The full band gigs are just all about having fun. This has kind of transferred over to my more recent solo shows. I now play standing up all the time, for a start.

           The Insufferable Fucks was something Lewis came up with, and we all though it was hilarious, so we went with it. Not much more thought than that went into it, I'm afraid.

           While Naomi doesn't necessarily consider herself part of the female musical movement that is increasing all the time these days, it is almost indisputable that she has played a part in it, consciously or not, intentionally or not. Over the course of the past five years or so, there has been a perceptible rise in the number of people, men and women alike, joining the "antifolk," "folk punk," "anarcho folk," "troubacore," and "acousticore" communities of the underground music set. Young women are especially finding their musical niche as singer/songwriters with the emersion of such a scene, like Kimya Dawson, Rachel Jacobs, Jennifer O' Conner, Brenna Sahatjian, Shannon Murray, and the like. Of course, this is nothing new. It's simply that there's more of a feminine awareness in recent years. And more and more the gender boundaries are dissolving.

           To date, Naomi has released her debut album, Pipe Dreams & Lullabies, a split album with Tim Holehouse, Naomi Scott vs. Tim Holehouse, and she has also contributed vocals to one of the songs on Tim Holehouse's most recent record, ...From the Dawn Chorus. She has also played a number of live shows, though she seems to prefer the house shows over the larger venues, which makes perfect sense, as they are undoubtedly more casual and personal settings in comparison to the bars and clubs. Nevertheless, I admittedly can't imagine a crowd, house show or larger venue, that Naomi wouldn't be able to win over with her songs.

           In recent months I've heard two songs from Naomi there weren't on the album--- "Heroes Like Us" and "Some Things Are Worth Getting Your Heart Broken For"---as well as a live webcast performance during which she played a handful of great songs, including songs from her album, a couple newer songs, and a terrific cover Tom Waits' "Way Down In A Hole."

           This London-based songstress with her half whiskey and cigarettes voice and bluesy "folk punk" songs is among those singer/songwriters who breathe life back into the underground music communities, and whose sound is one that won't be soon forgotten by those who have experienced it.

           Hopefully, Naomi will be providing us with such musical contributions for a long time to come. I for one will be looking forward to whatever comes next from her.