"Have you, like me, been recalling the great protest songs of the Sixties, and wondered where the new protest songs are? Yesterday, I found out."

Not really.. But I'm all about music with message, even though I'm more into Bad Religion than stuff that came from the hippie movement. However, I do have a sweet spot for Neil Young.

It started as a rumour - gossip shared by fans on internet chat sites. Could it true, they asked? Could Neil Young, a cultural lodestone for a generation of country rock fans, really be turning his attention to President George Bush and the war in Iraq? Now Young himself has confirmed it. Not only has he recorded an entire album about the conflict, but in one of the songs he spells out who he thinks is to blame for the ongoing chaos and violence and what the consequences for that person should be. That track is called "Impeach the President".

"I just finished a new record - a power trio with trumpet and 100 voices," the 60-year-old says in a ticker-tape message posted at the bottom of his official website. "Metal folk protest? It's called Living with the War."

I liked the sentiment, but I didn't care much for Let's Roll as a song. I was also somewhat miffed when Young came out supporting the Patriot Act.. I'll be interested in seeing what the lyrics are like.

Independent Online Edition | Neil Young sets his sights on Bush