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PETER ADAMS: I Woke With Planets In My Face [Subcircle]

“‘I have watched you all these years,’ said the Moon to me, ‘But when you are gone for good, I will still be here, on the other side,’” sings Peter Adams on the picture-perfect “Conversation With The Moon.” Delivered in an angelic, Jeff Buckley-like tone—pitched somewhere between the childlike reverie of a bedtime story and the faintly backlit clack-a-tap of a midnight blog entry—how does one begin to critique such a magically conceived line? I Woke With Planets In My Face is the second bedsit masterpiece from this DIY wunderkind with the classical-music background. Comparing Adams’ music to others’ is a loser’s game; his flights of fancy aren’t as improvisational as Buckley’s or Syd Barrett’s (his compositions, such as the Eastern-stringed “Ziggurat,” are far too structured and precise), and his affection for the psychedelic chaos of Neutral Milk Hotel and the Flaming Lips is channeled through layers of orchestration rather than guitar feedback. It may seem a ridiculous overstatement, but perhaps the best analogue for Adams’ talent is someone like Paul McCartney circa Ram: a guy brave enough to celebrate both small pleasures and big melodies, splashing it all on the canvas without so much as a glance over his shoulder. [www.peteradamsmusic.com]

—Corey duBrowa