Protest music has been a core of Neil Young‘s work for decades. Listeners should not be surprised he was so direct with Living with War. His straight-talking, no-nonsense style of rock and roll has brought about some all-time great anthems of protest. Rockin’ in the Free World is the obvious one, but the stomping Talkin’ to the Trees single, Big Change, is up there, too. Living with War hopes to use those same fundamentals found on Rockin’ in the Free World and the political activism Young has been a part of for decades to pass comment on the Iraq War, the George Bush administration, and the hellfire which could spread into peace and tranquillity. Arguably, Young was right. After the Garden, the searing opener from Living with War, warns of a world without that serenity. What is there for us after the garden is gone? Very little, by the sounds of it. Young warns of a loss in faith and hope across Living with War, a message which isn’t quite strong enough to hold the album together.
Repetition is crucial to Living with War. Contrasting that heavier instrumental tone with the softer touch, that higher pitch Young has always offered, is what Living with War relies on. The title track is a gruelling commentary on not just warfare and prayers of peace, but in how we are cold, indifferent, even, to wars we see on TV. It’s that slight removal which causes such a disconnect and, in turn, desensitisation. Young never explicitly comments on that because for him, it’s the other end of the spectrum, he is too invested and says he lives with hope in his heart. He lives in defiance of the horrors but never quite convinces as to why that should be the case across Living with War. Like all great art, the point of Living with War is primarily the message. It just helps to have some strong material within, too. After the Garden is quite the opener, and there are a few moments throughout that push Young to some of his best material in the early years of the 2000s.
Hardly a difficulty there, though, as the material Young had released up to this point was hardly outstanding. Prairie Wind is a rarity worth experiencing, musings on death at a time when it seemed to be on Young’s doorstep. Some of the comments on Living with War are obvious. The Restless Consumer rails against consumerism and the act of connecting with unnecessary media. It’s a magnificent commentary that still stands tall today, that pushes it into a continued relevance, but instrumentally, musically, it’s just far from Young’s best. That’s the problem for much of Living with War, the true musicality of the piece is a far cry from what Young proved he could do just two years before this release. Some nice moments, like Families, but it’s overly soppy and not all that great.
A great deal better than the rest of the album, all the same. Young can still mark a few cutting lines, with the commentaries on the USA, the darker side of the country he took to as a means of protest. Young is best when in opposition, and the truth of that can be heard on the flag billowing on Flags of Freedom. It rings through with a similar potency to Chimes of Freedom from Bob Dylan, though a step below that masterclass in quality as Young looks for fresh meaning in a song with all bases covered already. Bruce Springsteen offered a better cover of the track, a direct powerhouse. But Young’s defining quality, and his downfall on Living with War, is a need to find reason where there is none. Let’s Impeach the President loses its grasp on what rang through as a promising idea, homing in on what becomes a ridiculous end to the album. Young’s spirit is convincing, though the writing at times on Living with War is anything but.
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