“Wide”
from the album A Seed Buried in the Ground
2009
iTunes
Scenery and season have long influenced art. On The Cloud Hymn’s A Seed Buried in the Ground, this takes the form of a winter in the Midwest.
Released by local label Amble Down Records, A Seed Buried in the Ground is the debut full-length album from Wisconsin native John Nielsen. It’s a quiet and contemplative record that fits in beautifully with the frozen Eau Claire landscape, best heard with sealed windows while hiding out from a snowstorm.
Engineered and mixed by Eric Rykal of The Gentle Guest, the record is distinct in that there is literally no separation between the songs and the listener. What’s refreshing is that it’s simply the instruments and voices in the mix — no autotuned vocals, no compressed guitars. It simply sounds like you’re in the attic with Nielsen while he’s laying out the songs. It’s exactly how an intimate acoustic album like this should sound, with each breath and slide of guitar ringing out with pristine clarity.
A Seed Buried in the Ground is a firmly consistent album, albeit a somewhat predictable one. It’s a fine line to teeter, between forming a musical identity and offering enough variance to remain intriguing. There are a lot of good things happening here, but by the halfway point, the dissonant chord progressions start to meld into each other, resulting in a few forgettable tracks.
I kept waiting for A Seed Buried in the Ground to take a risk or turn some corner. For one, it sounds like a slightly self-conscious debut. There isn’t necessarily a clear, cohesive statement being made on the record. Granted, the splashes of piano, compliments of Paul Brandt, are some of the most gorgeous I’ve heard this year — when they are introduced on “Wide” it took me by pleasant surprise.
If Brandt’s piano parts could be incorporated more liberally, it would add depth and texture to songs like “Moon” and “Blood and Wood” that just need a little something more to lift it.
There really are a lot of wonderful moments on Seed, though, most notably when Tani Alyssa adds her beautiful harmonies and Brandt’s piano rounds out the mix. Another advantage of quiet albums such as this is that they lend more of themselves with each additional listen. It’s nice to come back and pick out more subtle instrumentation each time.
So, I’m anxious to hear what Nielsen does in the future. A Seed Buried in the Ground is certainly a strong debut and I think he knows the direction he wants to take with this music. I think we can expect more good things to come.