How to listen to The Flaming Lips’ "Zaireeka" on your computer at work

I have recently picked up The Flaming Lips’ wholly unique 4-CD set, Zaireeka. For the uninitiated, all four CD's on Zaireeka are designed to be played simultaneously on four separate CD players.

Now before I get on with the point of this piece, I have to say that the aural experience of hearing these four CD's at the same time spread throughout a large space is unlike anything I've ever experienced. And for those in search of non-chemical new experiences, I highly recommend picking this up from your local record store and trying it out. Goes really well (by the way) with a good drag-out game of Risk.

But the problem remains: how does one listen to it in a non-four-CD-player environment?

For those who wish to listen to this little gem on a PC, here's whatcha do:

Make sure you have four music players on your system. Me? I have RealPlayer, WindowsMedia, MusicMatch, and WinAmp. Save each CD as tracks on one music player appiece. Then sync up the players and play. Perfect syncing is nearly impossible since each starts with a mouse click and it is impossible to simultaneously click four different applications. But each player does (or should) have a time-code display which can allow you to sync up the music within the first five seconds of play - which on all tracks is before any of the music actually starts.

Another by-product of doing this at work is that the act of syncing four separate media players on your computer at once will give you an unintended look of intense concentration on your face, which may help others mistakenly believe that you are an industrious worker.

Beware of track 6 at the office.

For advice on listening to Zaireeka in your car, please contact my good friend Ross.

Mark