Spots of Light

I live in an ever darkening world, where zealots and priests shun the light and leaders act as cowardly bigots, denouncing the "other" and promote fear and hate. And no, for once I'm not talking about WoW. Though seeming less real at times, the physical world, especially the unfortunate region I happen to occupy, has seen better days, better years. Looking at old films, you'd think there was such a thing as "hope" once, before this dream turned into a nightmare.

And maybe you'd be right. I cannot otherwise provide a good explanation to the existence of some of the artists I've been exposed to at late. I know their spirits did not spring out of mere vacuum, because you can feel their pain and joy, memories and yes- hopes, in their voices and lyrics. And I know that they would not have been able to reach out to their listeners if they hadn't had some little sparks of their own. And these sparks are brighter when it's dark.

That spark is shining pretty strong in Carl Hauck, a young singer-songwriter from Illinois. Upon hearing "Windjammer", the title song from his latest LP, I was swept into a summer field of butterflies, bright light and a feeling of freshness I could almost touch. The rest of the record, a deeply personal work born out of coming home and coming to terms, is also written and composed beautifully, like, as the first song suggests, a fine Riesling, bursting with life in all its shades and hues.

It makes one almost dare to hope.

Check out Carl Hauck on his website, MySpace and Facebook. Windjammer will be out on November 9th, 2010, accompanied by special concerts:
11/5 – Champaign, IL – Mike ‘n Molly’s w/ Jesse W. Johnson & The Brothers Burn Mountain
11/10 – Chicago, IL – Martyrs’ w/ Andy Davis

Carl Hauck - Martial Riesling {MP3}
Carl Hauck - Windjammer {MP3}

Ashenvale

I admit, my initial response was shock. Shock and dismay. I mean, how would you respond if the places you left long ago but still look upon fondly in nostalgia were being torn apart, destroyed forever? I was also surprised by the relatively mild opposition to this brutal act. But perhaps I shouldn't really be all that surprised. After all, it's not real.

Oh yeah, I'm still stuck in my virtual world, now facing annihilation brought on by the most dangerous of beasts - its creators. Those who for the sake of the chance of bringing back old players would destroy the "old and familiar". What kind of people would be attracted by the utter destruction promised by the next expansion pack and do we really want such people, whose sole attraction point to the game is death and fire, to be running around in our midst?

Sure, the game needs to undergo changes from time to time, keeping players wanting more and challenged and attracting new ones. But the price of these changes may be too high to pay. If the apocalypse promised by the trailer is of any indication, much of the most beautiful and tranquil areas would be forever gone, all for the momentary thrill of the pouring lava and flight over churning chasms.

It's not good enough, Blizzard. You're not one of the many teenagers playing the game, taking delight in senseless killing for instant gratification. You're supposed to know better than that.