I used to think that songs like this could change the world. That a big enough outpouring of love and compassion could overcome all the greed and callousness in the world, and provide a Christmas Carol-esque revelation to make the wicked see the error of their ways. ‘Circle of Destruction’, from Swedish singer/songwriter Sofia Talvik, feels like it could have been plucked straight from the golden age of 60s folk protest anthems. “There’s a fear and there’s hate that grows within, Gotta find a way to to not give in, Together is the only way we’ll win” – its message of peace and solidarity, its reminder that there’s more that unites us than divides, would have felt right at home in the fields of Woodstock. But therein lies the problem; growing older means realising that we’re still singing songs about the same injustices and divisions as we did all those years ago. A better world is not so easily won. Yet so long as that hopeful flame keeps burning, there is still a chance for change. In truth the power of songs like this lies in how they warm the heart against the coldness of the world, offering a reminder that there are other compassionate souls who feel just as disillusioned as your do, and that there is always chance for a better world so long as there are people willing to stand for it.