the gifted children - zip lock

Release date: January, 1997

This EP, like many others recorded in this time period, was never really officially released, aside from a few cassette copies distributed to other band members. It marks the first in what would become a series of EPs in which Bill and Jeff wrote and recorded all of the tracks in a single day; in this case, it was a post-Christmas day off (December 27, 1996) that sparked the creativity to go start-to-finish on 7 songs (plus a bonus 13 minute jam that was added as a hidden track on those few cassette copies).

Lyrics and individual track credits:

01 inside the pod (suszczynski/trautman)

my life in the pod
is not as glowing as it seems
i often find it hard to breathe
and my dreams do not reverberate
still we glow
still we glow

my nightlight is always on
always on and always warm
still we glow...

jeff suszczynski – guitar, voice
bill trautman – bass

written: 27 december 1996
recorded: 27 december 1996
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

02 estella (suszczynski/trautman)

i got a letter from estella
she sends her usual scorn
but maybe that semi-colon stretches out for too long
at least i can hope
that she returns my love
but my eyes lead me astray
to the day when i can hold her in my arms
i love her so –
my estella, i love her so.

jeff suszczynski – guitar, drumset, voice
bill trautman – bass

written: 27 december 1996
recorded: 27 december 1996
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

03 lipsink... (trautman/suszczynski)

the continuing story of sam, the cat....

jeff suszczynski – keyboard, voice
bill trautman – bass, drumset

written: 27 december 1996
recorded: 27 december 1996
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

04 bob (suszczynski/trautman)

instrumental

jeff suszczynski – guitar
bill trautman – drumset

written: 27 december 1996
recorded: 27 december 1996
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

05 neutral milk hotel (suszczynski)

close to me you are
we are boiled in milk
neutrals in the acid house –
curdled in chaos
at least we can see who we are
not like those gone for the gold

let us soothe your open wounds
dry your crying eyes

jeff suszczynski – acoustic guitar, voice
bill trautman – drumset

written: 27 december 1996
recorded: 27 december 1996
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

06 toothbrushes and tongues (suszczynski)

carefully planting the seeds of your love
the serfs who will till your fiefdom
making believe that they do what you say
you're the codpiece of admiration
watch them jump into hands that you don't even know
and they'll never come back again.

you lost it all while skipping stones
off of the hairy barebacks
of the ones you sent to crawl
cleaning cracks in stones
with toothbrushes and tongues
now watch them jump into hands that you don't even know
and they'll never come back again
they'll never come back again.

jeff suszczynski – guitar, drumset, voice
bill trautman – bass

written: 27 december 1996
recorded: 27 december 1996
(southland drive, brighton, ny)

07 zip lock (suszczynski/trautman)

it seals the freshness in
it will preserve the skin

jeff suszczynski – voice
bill trautman – drumset

written: 27 december 1996
recorded: 27 december 1996
(southland drive, brighton, ny)