the gifted children - relics of the near future, volume 1
Release date: December 1, 2020
2020 is our 25th anniversary as a band... we originally planned to have a big reunion show and release an album of previously unreleased material, but then COVID-19 came and locked the world down. with a pandemic rendering us unable to celebrate a quarter century of making music in the normal fashion - no bandmates flying in from around the country to rehearse together, no in-studio appearances and group interviews, no reunion concerts in crowded bars - we decided to make the best of the situation and work on finishing and releasing songs from our vast archives over the spring and summer.
the 15 songs we released each week, between April and July, are compiled here as the first volume of an ongoing series called relics of the near future. these recently completed songs from our archives span our entire history, and run the gamut from full-band arrangements of indie rock songs, to plaintive and spare acoustic folk, to post-rock and art-rock epics, and everything in between. it's essentially us, as we've evolved and played over the last 25 years - one-off orphans that didn't fit on any album, outtakes from previously released albums, cast-outs and forgotten songs from albums-to-be, etc. we hope you enjoy this music as much as we have enjoyed rediscovering and finishing it, as we've stumbled across lost gems and oddities while sifting through hundreds of unreleased tracks.
Credits:
david bartol – violin on 6
aaron boucher – drumset on 11
brett dreyer – acoustic guitar on 11
tim grimaldi – drumset on 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 15; ride cymbal on 6; tambourine on 6; floor toms on 6
nick hall – drumset on 4, 7
isabel hernandez-cata – voices on 2, 11
katherine jacobs – cellos on 14; voice on 14
jim sahr – guitar(s) on 6-9, 11, 13; backward guitar on 6; keyboards on 10; crowd noise on 10
emma sanders – voice on 4
justin sheehan – voice on 11, 15; guitars on 15; keyboards on 15
jeff suszczynski – guitar(s) on 1-4, 6, 8-15; voices on 1-4, 7, 8, 10-14; keyboard(s) on 1, 2, 3, 12; slide guitar on 2, 9; piano on 3, 4, 5, 7; harmonica on 4, 12; ride cymbal on 5; shakers on 5; ebows on 6; snare drum on 6; cymbals on 6, 9; drumsets on 9, 13; white noise bath on 10
joe suszczynski – accordion on 13
bill trautman – bass(es) on 1, 2, 6-9, 11, 12, 14, 15; mandolin on 2; upright bass on 4, 5, 7, 13; electronic drumset on 5; guitars on 5; voices on 5; aluminum foil on 13
alexander trimpe – keyboard on 7
all songs by jeff suszczynski, except 5 by bill trautman and 15 by justin sheehan.
all tracks recorded from 1995-2020 on cassette 4-track, minidisc 8-track, adat 8-track, mac, and pc.
01 relics of the near future (suszczynski)
everyone's dreams are dying -
there is no best option anymore
let us design algorithms to show you your weakling future
anachronistic machines somehow holding key values
it is dark and there are buttons to push
a question for the tactile
but restless mermaid fingers shake
and go numb from the chance to make mistakes
tim grimaldi - drumset
jeff suszczynski - guitars, voices, keyboards
bill trautman - basses
written by jeff suszczynski in 2002.
basic tracks recorded on md8 in 2002; additional recording on pc, 2020.
cover collage: 'relics of the near future, part 1' by jeff suszczynski [2009].
02 the armchair prophet (suszczynski)
so much deeper
i worry about you now
so many things between us
armchair prophet what do you see?
scant provisions for our uncertainty
do we crutch it or do we just walk
resist the pull or succumb to the promise of simplicity?
bring me isotopes and perfume
let’s cover up the mess
better yet let’s dedicate to whereabouts unknown
and finally admit that we know nothing
remove bandages to reveal: nothing!
it healed itself right out of existence
is that what you want?
to turn a blemish into void?
tim grimaldi - drumset
isabel hernandez-cata - voices
jeff suszczynski - acoustic guitars, keyboards, voices, slide guitar
bill trautman - bass, mandolin
written by jeff suszczynski in 2002.
basic tracks recorded on md8 in 2002; additional recording on pc and mac, 2019-2020.
cover collage: 'whereabouts unknown' by jeff suszczynski [2020].
03 staredown at the family showcase (suszczynski)
your clamor’s all i hear
your face is all i fear
always...
your mind is undetermined
and your feet aren’t on the ground
always not settled down...
your delinquent children beg
for the money that you spent
from their college education funds
no you can’t run away anymore
tim grimaldi - drumset
jeff suszczynski - keyboards, acoustic guitars, voices, pianos
written by jeff suszczynski in 2002.
main tracks recorded on md8 in 2002; additional tracking on pc in april 2020.
cover collage: 'staredown at the family showcase' by jeff suszczynski [2020].
04 nice nice very nice (suszczynski)
to sweep you off your feet
with all the strength that i can muster
act a prince and be a fool
watch the armor lose its luster
but you’ll play along if i have it in my eyes
together we’ll pretend
that it is nice nice very nice
the tape is cut, now watch us splice together
nick hall - drumset
emma sanders - voice
jeff suszczynski - acoustic guitars, harmonica, voices, piano
bill trautman - upright bass
written by jeff suszczynski in 1996.
main tracks recorded in 1999 on md8; emma vocal recorded on tascam 424 in 1996; additional tracking on pc in april 2020.
05 ultrasound (trautman)
and you will be
every color in my canvas
and i will use worried brushstrokes
to paint you carefully dark red
canvas shows us a picture of the big top lights
right there in the center ring
where the spotlight shines down upon it
i saw the dancing bears fade to gray
washed out by other hues, wiped away
i'll paint you carefully dark red
jeff suszczynski - piano, ride cymbal, shakers
bill trautman - upright bass, electronic drumset, guitars, voices
written by bill trautman, circa 2000.
main tracking recorded on minidisc in 2000; additional recording on pc in may, 2020.
cover collage: 'to paint you carefully', by jeff suszczynski [2020].
06 the dustin wolgast me-first school of driving (suszczynski)
instrumental
david bartol - violin
tim grimaldi - drumset, ride cymbal, tambourine, floor toms
jim sahr - guitars, backward guitar
jeff suszczynski - guitars, ebows, snare drum, cymbals
bill trautman - basses
written by jeff suszczynski in 1999.
basic tracks recorded in 2015, addition tracking in 2020. violin recorded in 1995.
cover collage: 'maybe in the next one...' by jeff suszczynski [2020].
07 woman in the dunes (suszczynski)
languish in secret coves
speaking in secret codes
pouring hearts into bottomless holes
life – come on and swallow me whole
nick hall – drumset
jim sahr - guitar
jeff suszczynski – piano, voices
bill trautman - upright and electric basses
alexander trimpe - keyboard
written by jeff suszczynski in 2004.
original tracks recorded in 2004 on md8, finishing tracks recorded on pc in 2020.
outtake from the my museum pieces lp.
cover collage: 'woman in the dunes', by jeff suszczynski [2020].
08 deep sleep among the machines (suszczynski)
deep sleep among the machines...
jim sahr - electric guitars
jeff suszczynski - acoustic guitar, voices
bill trautman - bass
written by jeff suszczynski in 2002.
original tracks recorded in 2002; finished in 2020.
cover collage: 'deep sleep among the machines' by jeff suszczynski [2020].
09 the largest swamp in the world, part 1 (suszczynski)
[instrumental]
jim sahr - electric guitars
jeff suszczynski - electric guitars, slide guitar, drumsets, cymbals
bill trautman - bass
written by jeff suszczynski in 2003.
basic tracks recorded in 2003, additional recording in 2020.
cover collage: 'the great believers' by jeff suszczynski [2009].
10 white noise bath (suszczynski)
you could almost let yourself inside
but pulled away before the flood came
taste a little more regret and a lot of safety
cycles to break or keep
fade into a white noise bath
(the beauty's in the hidden stuff...)
jim sahr - keyboards, crowd noise
jeff suszczynski - acoustic guitar, voices, white noise bath
written and recorded by jeff suszczynski on march 6, 2001; jim sahr's additional tracks recorded in 2003; harmony vocal added june 2020.
cover collage: 'safety and regret', by jeff suszczynski [2020]
11 distance (suszczynski)
from the rear of the hall
everything looked so small
and in that pseudo-world
she was so beautiful
hope filled my head -
all the thoughts that begin
prayed the show would never end
please know that i am watching you ...
from the rear of the hall
everything looked so small
and in that pseudo-world
details blurred to perfection
she was so beautiful
hope filled my head -
all the thoughts that begin
prayed the show would never end
please know that i am watching you ...
aaron boucher - drumset
brett dreyer - acoustic guitar
isabel hernandez-cata - voices
jim sahr - electric guitar
justin sheehan - voice
jeff suszczynski - acoustic and electric guitars, voice
bill trautman - basses
written by jeff suszczynski in 1995.
original version appeared on the 'august' ep [1995]; this version is an outtake from the colorfast anthems sessions, with most tracks recorded on adat 8-track at mcmaster recording (hilton, ny) in 1997-1998. finishing tracks recorded on pc in june, 2020.
cover collage: 'the thoughts that begin', by jeff suszczynski [june, 2020]
12 rhetorical chasms (suszczynski)
come on, i'll write bridges for you to cross
landing strips for your midnight flights
guardrails for your seaside drives
come on, i'll give you hope before crestfall
give you sleep before nightfall
make new meals from old food
dance on the carpet like a jettisoned toy
always remember to call
those who you said you would call
always remember this:
the chant must be seaworthy
the driver must be trustworthy
with no albatross
tim grimaldi - drumset
jeff suszczynski – guitars, keyboards, voices, harmonica
bill trautman - bass
written by jeff suszczynski on june 24, 2002. main tracks recorded in 2006, with finishing tracks recorded in 2020.
cover collage: 'rhetorical chasms' by jeff suszczynski [2020]
13 what did you miss? (suszczynski)
the time has come for walking upstairs in pain
and looking through rocking chair eyes
fixed on a screen that shows comfortable scenes
familiar, deposed, and antique
the time grows, the garden slows
the crawlspace is too small
feelings that once burned within
don't register at all
what did you miss in this somnambulistic trance?
what did you miss - life becomes a backwards glance
now is the time for cliches and smalltalk
no new things are found christmas day
a kinetic mind in this seamless time
lies frigid, choked, and austere
the gates close, the garden slows
the house has empty halls
feelings that once burned within don't register at all
what did you miss leaning on a tyrant past?
what did you miss behind tinted safety glass?
what did you miss holding back and holding in
what did you miss - the phenotype could be anyone's
jim sahr - electric guitar
jeff suszczynski - acoustic guitar, drumset, voices
joe suszczynski - accordion
bill trautman - upright bass, aluminum foil
written by jeff suszczynski in march, 1995. basic tracks recorded on cassette 4-track in march, 1995; additional tracks recorded on pc in may, 2020.
cover collage: 'your future, owl-eyed #2' by jeff suszczynski [2020]
14 maybe years from now… (suszczynski)
maybe years from now, when the sting is gone...
katherine jacobs - cellos, voice
jeff suszczynski - acoustic guitars, voices
bill trautman - bass
written by jeff suszczynski in 2002. basic tracks recordedon md8 in 2006; additional tracks recorded on pc in 2020.
cover collage: 'maybe years from now...' by jeff suszczynski [2020]
15 parade (sheehan)
all we asked was ten more minutes
while the city spent its weekend
it all was planned but unexpected
youth goes quickly when undefended
i'll have a single room where it's cool and dim and quiet
i will sleep and hope that the neighbors stop their fighting
when it's too much work just to stay awake
we can close ourselves inside to keep the traffic silent
we can dance to this, we can turn it off
only look outside to find the parade
is this all that we'll remember:
birthday parties, christmas mornings
there's so much more that seems to happen
without our knowledge, without our process
don't take hold...
tim grimaldi - drumset
justin sheehan - guitars, voices, keyboards
jeff suszczynski - electric guitars
bill trautman - bass
written by justin sheehan in 1998. main tracks recorded in 2000, with additional guitars recorded in 2020.
cover collage: 'Is that all there is?' by jeff suszczynski [2020]