Peter Adams

The Spiral Eyes

(Subcircle Productions)

Record Review by Amber Henson

If you do, in fact, decide to buy Peter Adams’ debut album--which I would recommend--also get a beach chair and a portable CD player, and go sit out under the stars in a field and wait for the goose bumps. They’ll come soon.

Perhaps I’m just a sucker for a plucked violin and grandiose orchestration like you’ll hear on track five, “More Than You Know,” but this really is "lie back and be amazed by the world" music. The Spiral Eyes was recorded in his home studio in Cincinnati and Adams does everything: guitar, bass, drums, synths, strings, and sweet, lilting vocals. He’s like the Jack White of soft, feel-good music.

Despite his elaborately constructed arrangements, Adams says, “all the songs I wrote are childishly simple at their most basic,” which is very true. Nonetheless, it’s very good pop music in a somewhat Beatlesque vein. They’re the kind of songs you can hum along to after listening to them just a couple of times. But don’t worry, not all the songs will lull you into a peaceful sleep. Towards the end of the album, there are a couple of very rocking songs. Track 10, “Mister Grieves” (not to be confused with "Mr. Grieves" by the Pixies) has a Smash Mouth sound to it, but better. Finally, on the last song, Adams gives us a very strange dose of laughter, from all sorts of voices. It’s definitely the part of the album that would drive you out of the field and back into your house.