Here we go again. The world is on fire. People are suffering. The news is a nightmare loop of bad decisions and loud explosions. So, what is the solution? What is the grand plan to fix the mess we are in? Is it better policy? Is it stopping the flow of weapons? Is it actual, hard work?

No. It is a record album. Specifically, it is a sequel to a record album. Because Hollywood taught us that if something worked once, you should do it again until everyone is sick of it.

We are getting "Help 2." This is the big new charity project for War Child. They have rounded up the usual suspects. They have called in the famous people. We have the Arctic Monkeys. We have Pulp. And because we need the kids to care, we have Olivia Rodrigo. They are all recording new songs. They are all getting together to save the world, three minutes at a time.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane. The original "Help" album came out in 1995. That was almost thirty years ago. It had all the big British bands of the time. Oasis, Blur, Radiohead. It was huge. It raised a lot of money. Everyone felt great about themselves. You went to the store, you bought the CD, and you told yourself, "I am a good person. I helped." You put the CD on your shelf and felt like a hero.

But look around you. Look at the world today. Did it work? Did the wars stop? Did the suffering end because a guy with a guitar sang a sad song in a London studio in 1995? Obviously not. If anything, things are worse. The world is louder, angrier, and more dangerous. But the answer from the entertainment industry is always the same: "Let's sing about it."

This is the ultimate ego trip. These artists are talented, sure. Olivia Rodrigo can write a catchy tune about a bad breakup. The Arctic Monkeys can play their instruments very well. But there is something deeply arrogant about thinking that a pop song is the answer to geopolitical disasters. It is the height of celebrity delusion.

They sit in their million-dollar studios. They wear expensive headphones. They drink fancy water. And they record a track that is supposed to help a child in a war zone. It is nice, in theory. Raising money is better than not raising money. I get that. But let’s be real about what is happening here. This is not about the victims. This is about the singers. This is about their brand. This is about them looking deep and soulful in a black-and-white press photo.

Think about the "sequel" aspect of this. "Help 2." It sounds like a bad movie. It implies that the first one was just the opening act. It admits that the first one didn't finish the job. If the first album was so powerful, why do we need a second one? And will we need "Help 3" in another thirty years when the world is still broken? Of course we will. Because the music industry loves a franchise.

It is cynical to say this, I know. You will say, "Buck, at least they are doing something." Are they? Or are they just doing their job? They are musicians. They make music. That is what they do. Packaging it as a crusade for justice is just good marketing. It makes you buy the album. It makes you stream the song. It makes you feel like you are part of the solution, instead of just a person staring at a phone screen while the world burns.

And look at the mix of artists. You have the old guard, like Pulp. They bring the nostalgia. They remind the older folks of the 90s, when we thought things were getting better. Then you have the new blood, like Rodrigo. She brings the youth. She brings the clicks and the views. It is a perfectly calculated product. It is designed to hit every demographic. It is a business plan disguised as a hug.

War is complicated. It is ugly. It is driven by greed, power, and hate. It is driven by people in suits who will never listen to an Arctic Monkeys album. Do you think a dictator cares about a charity single? Do you think a general stops a tank because a pop star wrote a ballad? No. They don't care. The only people who care are us. The consumers. We consume the guilt, and then we consume the product that promises to wash the guilt away.

So go ahead. Get excited for the star-studded album. Stream the songs. impeccable production values. Enjoy the glossy voices of people who have never worried about where their next meal is coming from. Feel that warm glow in your chest. Just don't fool yourself. This isn't help. It's just entertainment with a halo. The band plays on, and the ship still sinks.