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A Telephone Built For Two

by School for the Dead

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    Immediate download of 11-track album in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.

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1.
Periscope 04:00
Periscope, if there's a better way let me know what I should do. Telescope, you are far away, but it's ok 'cause I can still see you. This trip has just begun. Getting over it is half the fun. Microscope, if there's a better way to close let me know what I should do. Kaleidoscope, is there a better world than this one where I'm surrounded by you? This trip has just begun. Getting over it is half the fun. Periscope, close your eye. This is the moment you've been waiting for. Periscope, close your eye. This is the moment you've been waiting for. There's no better place that I know, Than sitting in the car, While you're cleaning off the snow. This trip has just begun. Getting over it is half the fun. Periscope close your eye. This is the moment you've been waiting for. Periscope close your eye. This is the moment you've been waiting for. There's no better place that I know, Than sitting in the car, While you're cleaning off the snow. Spirograph, we go round and round but our paths will never meet. Spirograph, we go round and round but our paths will never meet. Spirograph, we go round and round but our paths will never meet. Spirograph, we go round and round but our paths will never meet.
2.
Your friends are all laughing at something you're saying Maybe you're funny or maybe they're nice You used to be certain without hesitation But something is different and now you think twice Why don't I feel like I should? Why don't I feel like I should? You made an equation that you use on occasions A formula written so you know how to act It tells you to smile when you're at celebrations Or to take it down a notch when you should show some tact Why don't I just feel like I should? Why don't I feel like I should? You used to be better at everything that you do You used to be better but now something is strange You've got to forget her, you've got to let him go Hadn't you promised that you would never change? All these instances chip away at the wood Until you no longer feel like you should. Encourage me blindly and I'll encourage you blindly Together we'll go out and walk into walls If you need to find me I'll be folding sweaters If you need to find me I'll be stuck at the mall Why don't I live like I should? Why don't I feel like I should? You used to be better at everything that you do You used to be better but now something is strange You've got to forget her, you've got to let him go Hadn't you promised that you would never change? All these instances chip away at the wood Until you no longer feel like you should. Something has changed It's uncurable, I'm told Why don't I feel the way I should? Something has changed There's a slant all over the world Why don't I feel the way I Why won't I feel the way I Why can't I feel the way I should? Your friends are all laughing at something you're Saying Maybe you're funny or maybe they're nice.
3.
This time it looks good We made a solid plan That we both understand This time it looks good Because we promised To do what we should Yeah we promised This time it looks good This time it looks good An oath is wall we need We both have to agree This time it looks good Because you're happy We did what we should And now you're happy This time it looks good There is a time where the time stands still There is a place where there's only one place And we are the only ones alive We are the only ones alive This time it looks good This time it looks good We fought our final fight Forgot our sleepless nights This time it looks good Because when we collided We both understood And we decided This time we'd be good. There is a time where the time stands still There is a place where there's only one place And we are the only ones alive We are the only ones alive This time it looks good There is a time where the time stands still There is a place where there's only one place And we are the only ones alive We are the only ones alive This time it looks good
4.
Save my place. I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want to be forgotten. Save my place. Save my place. You're going to hear something rotten. You're going to hear something rotten. Save my place. Save my place. I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want to be forgotten. Save my place. Don't believe them if they say Don't believe them if they say Don't believe them if they say anything bad Don't believe them if they say Don't believe them if they say Don't believe them if they say anything bad Save my place. Save my place. I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want to be forgotten. Save my place. Don't believe them if they say Don't believe them if they say Don't believe them if they say anything bad Don't believe them if they say Don't believe them if they say Don't believe them if they say anything bad Save my place.
5.
I don't believe in ghosts but I'm scared of them And in this way I contradict myself (No I don't) It's hard to be smart when you're so, so dumb So much, so much of the time. I don't believe you'll like what I have to say And so I'll just keep it to myself (No I won't) It's hard to be nice when you're so, so sad And it's so sad that you'd even try It's a journal of lies when it lies on the table A journal of lies if just anyone's able To read what you wrote It's a book full of quotes That you just made up That's a journal of lies that you've got there I don't believe a thing that they shout at me I don't believe a single word they yell (Yes I do) My spirit's been busted by people I trusted And now they can all go to hell It's a journal of lies when it lies on the table A journal of lies if just anyone's able To read what you wrote It's a book full of stuff That you just made up That's a journal of lies that you've got there
6.
The tape starts as I'm backing out of my garage Hit the breaks, stop, no wait, I guess it was just a mirage It's a long ride heading down 202 It took a long time trying to get through to you It's a long, long ride But I'll make it every Friday night. In the basement there's a telephone built for two A chair and a string that stretches from me to you There's a long pause before we speak It's a hard time trying to get through the week It's a long, long ride But I'll make it every Friday night. You're going back to school For another year Back to school But I'm staying here Back to school For another year But it's OK, you're only five days away In the dorm there's a girl and she's typing out his name There's someone at the door but she's typing out his name There are cables in a circuit of underground streams So she's able, in a second, to shatter your dreams It's a long, long ride But I'll miss it every Friday night. You're going back to school For another year Back to school But I'm staying here Back to school For another year But it's OK, you're only five days away
7.
Boring Dream 04:54
Last night I had the most boring dream It went on and on forever it seems And I could have sworn it was real I could have sworn that the light flickered on when I thew the switch That's how you check When I woke up I was still pretty bored When I woke up I was... still... pretty... bored But I could have sworn this was my life I could have sworn I was born and I loved and I'm alive Am I wrong? Somewhere, someone is thinking things about me And I can't understand why I don't want to be a pedestrian I want to be king Just for a while, just to see Last night I had the most dreadful thought Am I the sum of the things I've bought? And how could I live with myself? How could I live with myself if the power went out? What would I do? Somewhere, someone is thinking things about me And I can't understand why I don't want to be king, I'll stick with pedestrianism It just seems easier, and safe. I know, I realize Around every corner, more beauty lies I know I realize We extend our arms beneath infinite skies Oh no, what can I do? If it's a mid-life crisis at twenty two Does that mean I'll never see forty five? I know, I realize Around every corner, more beauty lies I know I realize We extend our arms beneath infinite skies Oh no, what can I do? If it's a mid-life crisis at thirty two Does that mean I'll never see sixty five? Last night I had the most dismal night There was nothing I could say that would make things right But I could have sworn I was smart I could have sworn that my brain was as big as my heart Was I wrong? Somewhere, someone is thinking things about me And I can't understand why And I can't understand why And I can't understand why
8.
Well I went to a shiny diner filled with gals and guys I wore a fake, huge mustache. I was traveling in disguise But the juke box saw right through me, Brenda Lee was apologizing And I muscled my way up to the counter, all the while realizing I was one of those disgruntled lovers, one of those disgruntled lovers Maybe next time I will succeed. I surveyed my surroundings, everybody staring at their soups And if you asked any one of them, they'd each say they were duped The room so full of suffering, I never felt so at home With numbers we were buffering the pain of being alone 'Cause we were all disgruntled lovers, we were all disgruntled lovers Maybe next time we will succeed. 'Cause everybody's moving on, while I'm just still here hanging out I'd move on too if I had my druthers Yeah, everybody's taking off while I seem to be taking on The air of a disgruntled lover The air of a disgruntled lover So I grabbed my book and backpack and I headed for a river Hoping to get one of those epiphanies that they sometimes deliver But when I got down to the bank there were people all around It seems that someone left a note and then that someone drowned It was a disgruntled lover, one of them disgruntled lovers Maybe below they will prevail. 'Cause everybody's moving on, while I'm just still here hanging out I'd move on too if I had my druthers Yeah, everybody's taking off while I seem to be taking on The air of a disgruntled lover The air of a disgruntled lover I know my name is me And that's not bad for now Some things are hard to see Some things are harder now 'Cause everybody's moving on, while I'm just still here hanging out I'd move on too if I had my druthers Yeah, everybody's taking off while I seem to be taking on The air of a disgruntled lover You know what I'm talking about The air of a disgruntled lover I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about The air of a disgruntled lover
9.
Map 04:07
I want you to show me where you used to live. So why don't you show me where you used to live? I want you to show me all you saw as a kid. So why don't you show me all you saw as a kid? Let's go back to your home town and look around. Draw me a map. Draw me a map of your past. We can make it last. I want you to show me all the places you hid. So why don't you show me all the places you hid? Let's go back to your home town and look around. Draw me a map. Draw me a map of your past. We can let it go at last. It's so clean where we are. It's so clean where we are. It's so clean where we are. Some people thought we were trying to hard. I want you to show me where everything went wrong. So why don't you show me where everything went wrong? Let's go back to your home town and look around. Draw me a map. Draw me a map of your past. We can let it go at last. It's so clean where we are. It's so clean where we are. It's so clean where we are. Some people thought we were trying to hard.
10.
Super Hero 02:44
I'm not a super hero, I'm just a guy And I could use a hand My baby's acting crazy and I don't know why I want to understand So come on, Darling Speak up, Baby Love Save the day, Super Girl 'Cause I've been falling Falling deep in love Yeah, I love that girl but she's been acting weird I'm kind of scared I'm kind of scared She's not a poker player but she's got a poker face And i could be dealt a better hand She tips the table up, the chips all over the place I want to understand So come on, Darling Speak up, Baby Love Save the day, Super Girl 'Cause I've been falling Falling deep in love Yeah, I love that girl but she's been acting weird I'm kind of scared I'm kind of scared That super girl comes busting through the clouds above the city She waves to me enshrouded in her cape, she looks so pretty I stumble through the crowds they help me up with groans of pity She's got the last word She's got the last word She's got the last word So come on, Darling Speak up, Baby Love Save the day, Super Girl 'Cause I've been falling Falling deep in love Yeah, I love that girl but she's been acting weird I'm kind of scared I'm kind of scared
11.
I was just a stranger in a room that was too smoky When I saw a long lost friend singing Karaoke All that day I had this feeling that I wasn't human That all changed because my friend was singing Randy Newman Later on I realized that I had been sequestered Quit my day job, packed my car, and finally headed westward Found a floor to sleep on face to face with a good night light Based my week around the Bay State Tuesday Open Mic Night And when the ladies started dancing That was an answer for the moment I was surrounded by my best friends My friends, this night might never end. Got a job in which I drove around with people's dinners Joined a band, I played the bass, I was just a beginner Rode our bikes down to the park to play a game of stick ball Watched the afternoon grow dark while leaning on a brick wall And when the ladies started dancing That was an answer for the moment I was surrounded by my best friends My friends, this night might never end. I was thinking of a time When we lived mostly at night He was singing like a chime She was shining like a light I was thinking of this time When our house was always full It seems we did much more when there was nothing to do And when the ladies started dancing That was an answer for the moment I was surrounded by my best friends My friends, this night might never end. This night might never end. This night might never, this night might never, this night might never end.

about

“School for the Dead” is perhaps the most misleading name for a band since the days of that hedonistically bombastic hard rock group from the ‘70s known as April Wine. Except, rather than a moniker conjuring flowery romantic notions only to have the listener assaulted with the brash swagger of a band who once named one of their albums (this time, appropriately) “Harder…Faster,” School for the Dead is sitting on the other side of the playground. Rather than commiserating along the rusty hulk of a dilapidated urban schoolyard fence among the malevolent adolescents with their boom-boxes, denim, long faces and Kelly Leak-like attitude, School for the Dead are too busy perched atop a shiny jungle-gym surrounded by chirping schoolchildren, green grass, and the effervescent scent of jonquils prancing on the breeze.

Well, yes and no. Singer-songwriter-bandleader Henning Ohlenbusch at one point wonders aloud on “A Telephone Built For Two,” the group’s sophomore set, “Why don’t I feel the way I should?” but the question is posed while a cascading swirl of background harmonies and sumptuous synths support the ache in the melody with a comforting embrace. Similarly, when Ohlenbusch opines that “Last night, I had the most boring dream,” the rhythm section meanwhile careens along like one of those trains in the final minutes of a classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller. Moreover, the despondent suicidal characters inhabiting “Disgruntled Lover” cannot dance the emo-a-go-go but instead have their tales of woe delivered by Ken Maiuri’s plucky banjo, Tony Westcott’s shimmery surf-guitar splashes, and a boot-stompin’ hoedown courtesy of tasty bassist Max Germer and crackerjack trapsman Brian Marchese, not to mention Henning Ohlenbusch’s sardonic familiar croon. This album is a delightful tapestry of the human spirit, a sumptuous curry where coriander and cumin combine, turmeric tangoes with tarragon and a sprinkle of cinnamon simmers atop a garlicky, gingery gumbo, musically speaking.

Simply put, “A Telephone Built For Two” has something for everyone.

credits

released September 16, 2008

School for the Dead is:

Henning Ohlenbusch
Brian Marchese
Max Germer
Anthony Westcott
Ken Maiuri

Chris Collingwood (Singing on Tracks 2 & 3)
F. Alex Johnson (Pedal Steel on Track 1)
Lesa Bezo (Singing on Track 1 & 2)

Recorded and mixed at Rub Wrongways Studios, Northampton, MA by Henning Ohlenbusch
Mastered by Dan Richardson
All songs © 2008 Henning Ohlenbusch
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School for the Dead Northampton, Massachusetts

School for the Dead changed their name to Gentle Hen! They're working on their fourth album under their new name.

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