[Editor’s Note: On January 28, Minneapolis-based environmental sound artist and MN Water Steward Matthew Hiram released his latest album Green Green Earth.
In the album’s press release, Hiram says that the project “explores ecological themes through organic field recordings, intricate electro-acoustic textures, and meditations on our planet’s fragility…With Green Green Earth, I invite listeners to reconnect with the natural world. The album weaves field recordings from bird sanctuaries, national forests, and gardens with detailed electronics for a spatial experience of connection and reflection.”
Below, Hiram explains in a exclusive essay for SWT the process of recording the album and why it’s important to record and be immersed in nature.]
Some places draw you in, asking you to listen. My new album Green Green Earth was born out of spaces like the Eloise Butler Bird Sanctuary, where the chorus of sounds and colors are so vivid and intense. I’m the kind of person that can get hypnotized by the sound of the wind in the trees. Being open to these moments of clarity is key. I carry these sounds with me to honor and connect to these spaces and use the stories of these places to inform and shape the music’s voice and direction.
This album is a gesture of connection, grounded in these sites and created to be in tune with the rhythms of the environment. Green Green Earth invites you to explore the spirit of these green spaces, using field recordings from bird sanctuaries, national forests, and gardens, with layers of voice, melody, and texture to tell a story for those who listen.
Making the album was as much about exploring as it is about creation. I spent a lot of time walking through trails, sitting under trees, and just quietly listening. I use the term Sonic Conservation to describe the act of documenting and preserving the sounds of these spaces and incorporate it into my creative practice to serve as a call for environmental protection. While some tracks use literal field recordings, others draw on the intense colors or feelings that these places bring. The songs reflect the beauty of the natural world and attempt to carry the complex balance of strength, sadness, and hope that is part of the universal human experience.
Each track is a reflection of a specific place or aspect, using natural symbols to tell a story.
- Viburnum: Representing love, hope, and transformation.
- A composition for Moog Sub-25 synthesizer, with Moog Mother-32 synthesizer, and stereo signal processing. Featuring field recordings from Eloise Butler Bird Sanctuary.
- Heartwood: Represents strength, support, and life’s core essence.
- An intimate meditation for voice and Moog Sub-25 synthesizer, with Yamaha electric piano and stereo signal processing.
- Celadon: Represents tranquility, peace, and harmony.
- A composition for Farfisa organ and voice, with Yamaha electric piano, steel chimes, bamboo rain stick, brass bells, and stereo signal processing.
- Canopy Song: Represents the upper layer of forests, a critical habitat for diverse species.
- A meditation for Walnut bass flute and Moog Mother-32, with Fender Jazz Bass, PlantWave, Korg Volca Keys, and stereo signal processing. Featuring field recordings from Shawnee National Forest.
- Sea of Green: Representing the interaction of light and life, in honor of the sacred green spaces.
- A meditation for Moog Sub-25 synthesizer, and Yamaha electric piano, with tanpura, brass cymbal, magnetic tape, and stereo signal processing. Praise to the many shimmering shades of life itself.
- Sacre: A reflection of Water as life’s elemental source.
- A composition for Moog Mother-32 sequencer and voice, with Yamaha electric piano, and stereo signal processing. Featuring field recordings collected from Bancroft Gardens.
- Cicada Song: Representing triumph, transformation, and rebirth.
- A minimal meditation for Moog Sub-25 and Moog Mother-32 synthesizers, with bamboo Bansuri flute and stereo signal processing. Featuring field recordings from Minnehaha Creek Watershed.
- Eglantine: Representing beauty, protection, and love, an ode to the wild briar rose.
- A composition for Yamaha electric piano, Moog Sub-25, and Mother-32 synthesizer, with brass bowl and stereo signal processing.
This is essentially a spiritual album. It’s about building a personal connection to ourselves, and to the planet we share. It’s meant to encourage experiencing these amazing green spaces, and allowing space in ourselves to reflect and grow. The album acts as a path towards mindfulness, and a call for protection.
Green Green Earth is an offering, sharing these experiences with the hope that they resonate. However you can find a place for this music in your life, may it bring a sense of peace, and a closer connection to the world around you. Thanks so much for listening.
Watch the official music video for the track Heartwood below:
For more about Matthew’s music, upcoming projects, and collaborations, visit www.hiram.earth. You can follow Matthew on Facebook and Instagram and listen to his music on Bandcamp.
Matthew Hiram
Contributor
Matthew Hiram is an interdisciplinary artist and composer based in Minneapolis, creating work connecting Nature and the human experience. Blending traditional and modern techniques, Hiram uses organic field recordings, synthesizers, and innovative sound design to reflect the beauty and fragility of Earthly ecosystems. His projects, inspired by iconic natural locations like Joshua Tree National Park and the Oregon coastline, blend experimental composition with ecological advocacy. As a certified Minnesota Water Steward, Hiram collaborates on public art and conservation projects, combining sound and science to inspire environmental action. His ongoing projects continue to weave together themes of Nature, connection, and spirituality.
