I have nothing to say to this other than wow … you have GOT to be kidding me.
UPDATE: The link appears to have disappeared. Oh well, if someone finds another one, post it here. It’s of Microsoft’s Anti-Spyware beta 1, indicating that Mozilla Firefox was a “severe spyware threat”.
I’ve been accepted into Ph.D. programs in chemistry at two schools now, UC Davis and the University of Washington. Thank god all the pressure is off! It’s gonna come down to UW, Berkeley and Purdue, if all goes as planned. Decision deadline is April 15!
UPDATE: I was admitted to Purdue today … 3 for 3!
As I prepare to leave Bowdoin, I have to start detaching myself from the benefits of NOC, etc., that I take advantage of. One of those is the abililty to run my own mail servers on campus. To those of you who have relied on vdov.net mail for the past year or so, I am sorry. I have moved all mail services away from Bowdoin to a great little service called fastmail.fm. Although vdov.net will be up forever, user-end mail will never again be available here again for anyone but me. Questions? I’m still at acosta@vdov.net.
Las Pesadillas - Quantum Immortality
You find yourself in a Mexican desert, a dry warm breeze with the subtle scents of brush and tequila penetrates your skin. The sun is almost setting, and the mood is passionate and intense. Then out of nowhere a spaceship lands and a group of clowns emerge. Angry clowns with ray-guns and beer. Some of the clowns start discussing Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle while others are enacting sketch comedy.
This is as best I can describe what it is like to listen to Las Pesadillas’ latest album, Quantum Immortality. Most of the time they seem to dodge genre typecasting with an annoying persistence, alternating between Pixies-esque guitars, They Might Be Giants-esque lyrics, Decemberists style story-telling, and cover everything with spanish-style horn parts, strings and countless other styles and instruments. Then there are also songs about space travel, driving instrumentals and songs with poetic reflection about winter. This album has it all, it seems. On every listen I notice another band I could name as an influence here. The band itself claims to be playing “Electro-Classical Progressive Pop,” but this is a classification that could not possibly be more open-ended. Sounds sexy though.
This album was released in August of 2004, but only recently has it made the journey from the band’s home of Sacramento, CA all the way to the east coast. A worthwhile wait in my mind.
Interestingly enough, this is a concept album based on quantum physics. Yes, quantum physics…these guys are indeed crazy enough to bring Schrödinger to CD, so to speak. As an aside, Quantum Immortality is an actual thought experiment in quantum physics. Every situation can end in multiple ways, and each of these outcomes exists in some alternate universe somewhere. So say you have a revolver with one bullet in it. There is a probability that when you pull the trigger, the gun will fire and you will die (1/6). Every time you pull the trigger you spin the cylinder, so the probability is always 1/6. When the gun fires, your perception of the universe ends. So if you notice that the gun never fires (i.e. you are in one of the alternate universe where it does not fire) you will infer that you cannot die, and believe yourself to be immortal.
This strange idea lends itself to clever songs like “Everybody Died But Me,” “Girls Running From Bullets,” and “Schadenfruede.” Stuff like this amuses dorks like me, but even if you are not scientifically inclined, don’t worry, this album is still full of diverse, high-quality songs that do not require Physics 379. The “concept” is really just the wasabi on the sushi, to use an incredibly odd metaphor. (If you don’t enjoy Japanese cuisine you can use the “cherry on the sundae” metaphor…you boring, cliché-loving non-hipster.)
So let’s examine the check-list: Musically interesting? Check. Variety in song style and lyrical content? Check. Songs about drinking? Check. Well done instrumentation? (Including horns, strings and synth?) Check and check. Coherent and well organized album? Very check. Comes with a free oil change and back massage? Well, no. So I guess it isn’t perfect.
If more bands focused on making good, fun music and less on pandering to a genre’s expectations, the world would really be a better place. Do yourself a favor and find this cd. I imagine that an online purchase is your best bet. With music of this quality and creativity it would be a true tragedy if this band did not catch on. It is your indie rock civic duty to give this band a listen, so get on it.
-Derek