the gifted children - whitespace differences
Release date: February 2, 2008
This is the 5th full-length by the gifted children (Buffalo and Rochester, NY), and their 20th release to date. Inspired by a New Year’s weekend spent in NYC, this album spans everything from shoegaze to short stabs of quirky pop to noisy electronic instrumentals... A true winter album, this is the perfect friend for those dark January nights spent drinking alone.
Credits:
aaron boucher - woodblock on 5; drumset on 10
brett dreyer - tenor saxophones on 4
tim grimaldi - cymbals on 1; drumset on 2, 3, 5 & 6; shakers on 4
katherine jacobs - cello on 4
jeff suszczynski - guitars on 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 & 10; piano on 1, 2, 4 & 5; bass on 1, 2 & 6; drum programs on 1, 7 & 9; keyboards on 3, 6, 7, 9 & 10; voice on 2-8 & 10; harmonica on 5; slide guitar on 5; noises on 7 & 8; organ on 9
pam swarts - voice on 1, 2 & 4; clarinet on 8
bill trautman - bass on 2, 5 & 10
all songs written january 2003 by jeff suszczynski.
most tracks were recorded on MD8, january 2003 – february 2004 in the gamble room and at bad wallpaper (rochester, ny).
additional recording january 2006 - january 2008 on pc at bad wallpaper (rochester, ny).
mastering: tony gross at gfi studios (ontario, ny)
cover photo by nick thompson
layout and design: brett dreyer and jeff suszczynski
Lyrics and individual track credits:
01 plot::god
instrumental
tim grimaldi – cymbals
jeff suszczynski – drum program, guitars, bass, piano
pam swarts - voice
02 velvet rope
when you call my name you turn me around
i can’t protect or hide myself from you
and i can’t budge when every sign is screaming that
you’ve set your sights on something new
you could taste his name and his canned variety
that could stand out against your borrowed universe
so you broke the crutch that i shared with you
i tried so hard to win my way past your velvet rope
but too many biting on your line becomes attrition
it was a dim light day a long time coming
when you cut the cord to your heart
tim grimaldi – drumset
jeff suszczynski – guitars, piano, voice, bass
pam swarts – voice
bill trautman – bass
03 ah, Pan –
ah, Pan -
don’t smear vaseline over lens
let us remember:
we grew large under glass
so you gave us:
a book of rainchecks
a weakling coat of arms
and a panoply of lies
ah, Pan -
you reduced us to:
wilted cowards jaundiced fear
you watched us move unaware and blimping
didn’t like the night
so we installed permanent daylight
ah, Pan – are you happier now?
you blinked and it brought down my airplane…
tim grimaldi – drumset
jeff suszczynski – keyboards, voices, ebows
04 we saw the vultures
we saw the vultures but we didn’t move
we gave up and waited for the night to come
then you found a way out and did not look back -
you bought a ticket for the next train out of here
brett dreyer – tenor saxophones
tim grimaldi – shakers
katherine jacobs – cello
jeff suszczynski – pianos, voice
pam swarts – voices
05 grace
an ancient desertion left me diseased
i was cannon fodder, waiting for release
i came to your city, got lost in the sea
and slept off the smell of a dead century
you pulled me from rooftops you woke me from sleep
before i could know you it was time to leave
it wasn’t ‘til later that I realized
that i had found grace in your brown angel-eyes
so much is wrong with an early goodbye
but maybe i’ll see you again sometime
aaron boucher - woodblock
tim grimaldi – drumset
jeff suszczynski – acoustic guitars, voices, slide guitar, piano, harmonica
bill trautman – bass
06 infection swath flyover
you might taste the salt of what they said out there
you still spin in ghost currents like an abandoned ship
yesterday you sailed away but the tide brought you back
you’re the one who always runs but you’re legless now
you might graze the temple of the burning man
you might find your calling writing epitaphs
yesterday you dreamt that all your friends were tiger sharks
in a parade to benefit the fitzwald school of arts
you still make them resonate like tuning forks now
tim grimaldi – drumset
jeff suszczynski – guitars, bass, voices, keyboard
07 tinhorn planet
i reached hard for your escalator prize
stretched and thin, waiting for the harvest season
wire to wire, connect me please
to your tinhorn planet sitting on a pedestal
a desperate call for sustenance went unanswered
your only gifts were liquor, tachycardia and false grails
though the swelling is gone now
i can still feel your hands on my throat
everytime you call
jeff suszczynski – drum program, keyboards, voices, noises
08 strange caroms
a strange carom and it begins
and here’s where the bells come in
you introduced me to your soundtrack kiss
with your cocaine lips
we could write a placard for unbroken skies
it would read: ‘Do not disturb until the sun shines’
instead i woke to your touch
lying sick on your cold bathroom tile
where are your otoliths now
and isn’t it time for you to go?
i left on a train the next day
stared out at a sea
of pinhole cameras aimed at me
so where are you now
when i trudge through upstate snow
where will you be
and where will you go?
jeff suszczynski – guitar, voices, noises
pam swarts – clarinet
09 …and then fold, homeward.
jeff suszczynski – drum program, organs, keyboards
10 the best of the surface tourists
the crushing blow was your skin on my skin
you broke my fall and stopped my sinking
when i went home it was snowing again
our tracks are covered, but i won’t soon forget you…
aaron boucher - drumset
jeff suszczynski – guitars, shaker, voices, ebows
bill trautman - basses