the gifted children - self-central locator

Release date: December, 1997

The second EP written and recorded in a single day by Jeff Suszczynski and Bill Trautman, nearly a year after their first foray into the ‘make a record in a day’ challenge. In addition to some indie folk with an experimental twist, there are hints of the art rock that the gifted children went on to regularly produce in later years (‘the ending of a foul matrix’, ‘the diva’).

Lyrics and individual track credits:

01 yellow (trautman/suszczynski)

your foresight is hindsight
in the glass that you emptied with them
the truth is denied
they all know it's going to end
you won't last so long, tell them
you can't last that long, save them

jeff suszczynski – keyboard, scissors
bill trautman – acoustic guitar, voice, tin foil

written and recorded: 6 december 1997
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

02 first kiss (suszczynski/trautman)

and this kiss is always
better than you hoped it would be
under trees or under stairs
or in the back of a crowded room
happen suddenly and leave too soon
brush your face the way you do your hair
and any trace will soon disappear
a magic moment, encased in glass
a magic moment, we knew it wouldn't last.

jeff suszczynski – keyboard, drum machine, voice
bill trautman – upright bass

written and recorded: 6 december 1997
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

03 the diva (suszczynski/trautman)

the set
the stage
and the production are fabulous
the voices and bodies
have glass-breaking resonance
her sensational eyes
are sinking inside of the collective mind
of the mouth-gaping audience –
she's trapped them in time
she's trapped them in time.

jeff suszczynski – voice
bill trautman – acoustic guitar, upright bass, drum machine

written and recorded: 6 december 1997
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

04 maybe he (suszczynski/trautman)

and all of this time you're still bearing in mind :
maybe he'll be smart
maybe he'll be strong
maybe he'll be the death of us all...

jeff suszczynski – acoustic guitar, voices, keyboard
bill trautman – bass, snare drum, shakers

written and recorded: 6 december 1997
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

05 the ending of a foul matrix (suszczynski/trautman)

the bind that ties
with jabbing needle eyes
inexhaustible and elastic
thought that it would never end
but send a postcard if it dies
send a postcard if it dies

waiting for it all this time
when it arrives the noose will break
the clock unwind
this time, there's no suprise
no parting kisses, no sad good-byes
no sad good-byes

jeff suszczynski – keyboard, drum machine, voice
bill trautman – bass

written and recorded: 6 december 1997
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

06 self-central locator (suszczynski/trautman)

self-central locator
stirring the ice with ring finger
ignoring all of the fallen ones
crystals of thousands of happier moments
float down...

can you catch them
or will you watch them glide by?
or are you fastening the stake to your side?

jeff suszczynski – keyboard, voice
bill trautman – acoustic guitar

written and recorded: 6 december 1997
(southland drive, brighton, ny)