"Won't need no shadow man/ running the government/ won't need no stinking war" wails Neil Young kicking off his latest record "Living With War", meanwhile Paul Simon opens his latest offering with a cooing refrain of "How can you eat from a rice bowl/ the holy man only breaks bread?". Two stalwarts of yesteryear are single handedly proving that the more things change, the more things stay the same.

It's slightly sad that it takes two anti-war songwriters from wars past to finally put Iraq on the agenda, it seems today's chart toppers are more interested in pushing boundaries with erotic film clips as opposed to actually integrating intelligence and insight in their hits. As far as these two albums go, this is where the comparisons end.

Paul Simon's album is a subdued and textured marvel, produced by Brian Eno, the album revels in subtle warbles and blissful musical colourings. It's a great reflection of where he is in life and is as intelligent as his greatest work, with the kind of cultural fusion that made "Graceland" the landmark that it is.

"Living With War" on the other hand was written and recorded by Young in the space of a month, apparently sick with the apathetic approach to politics that songwriters were taking, he effortlessly proves how easy, and needed it is. The sound reflects the urgency of the recording, but the loaded lyrics that smother the album are what makes the record worth listening to.

Two great songwriters have proven why they were so great twenty odd years past 'their time', in their own way, both these records are brilliant indictments on modern culture, but they don't sound contrived, in fact it's a refreshing burst of reality for music.