An interesting look at the the return of protest music has been published by popular left-leaning magazine, the Nation. The article, titled Songs of Protest covers recent releases by Anti-Flag and Green Day as well as socially concious musicians like Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young.

The article explains:

For years, Justin Sane, lead singer of the political punk band Anti-Flag, said it was "left to artists to make the statements that should be getting put into the public discourse." But Anti-Flag is no longer shouting from the sidelines. The band's new CD, For Blood and Empire, features the song "Depleted Uranium Is a War Crime." It was inspired by an appearance at a 2004 Punk Voter rally in Seattle with Representative Jim McDermott, a Vietnam-era vet who has introduced legislation calling for an investigation of the military's use of DU. McDermott is on the CD, and the band is spearheading a drive to get Congress to act on the bill.

You can check out the article here.