Slant magazine
Heather Nova's music was
virtually omnipresent in 1999. During that time, "London Rain" and
"Heart & Shoulder," from her 1998 album, Siren, were featured
prominently in movie trailers, television shows and soundtracks, but
mainstream success continued to elude the songwriter through the new
millennium. More hopeful (and easily more accessible) than her major
label debut, Siren blends classic melodies with strikingly honest
lyrics (Nova even comments on her burgeoning small_time fame on the
opening track: "There've been changes beyond my dreams/Everybody wants
me to sing"). Artists like Nova elevate pop music to a new plateau, and
with tracks like "Not Only Human," it's clear she lives and breathes
her art: "Life is something set to music/I can hear it when I'm sad."
The album was bottomless with potential radio hits like the soaring
"Winterblue" and the delicately bittersweet "What A Feeling" ("Now's
the time when this will turn to fruit...The laughter that was dead is
coming"). But with no commercial singles released, individual songs
were never given the opportunity to create an impact. It makes one
wonder how the slow demise of the single format will affect other
developing artists like Nova. |
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