He’s from Leeds, and he’s the next big thing
Have you heard of Charlie Straw? If not, you will pretty soon: he makes gorgeously atmospheric blues-folk music, and we’re firmly convinced that he’s going to be absolutely massive. This is his new single – it’s called All I Know, and we can’t get enough of it:
He’s not bad at all, is he
As a matter of fact, we happen to think that he’s pretty flipping good. That’s why we asked him to put together a playlist of his favourite songs, exclusively for the readers of One on One. You can find Charlie‘s full playlist at the bottom of the page. For now, though, here’s Charlie telling you a bit about why he chose a few of the songs:
Bon Iver – ____45____
‘The production is so crazy and the woodwind carries so much anger. It kind of makes me furrow my brow as I listen to it – no song has done that before.
The National – I Need My Girl
‘I love this song for the lyric “your love is such a swamp”. Its a dark and oddly beautiful sentiment.
Nick Drake – From The Morning
‘Quite often my favourite song is at the end of an album, and this song is a perfect moment at the end of a near-perfect album. I went through a period recently of putting this song on every time I woke up… It’s so calming.
Curtis Harding – Keep On Shining
‘You cannot be upset after listening to this song. I tend to listen to a lot of sad songs, so its good to have something uplifting like this to turn to.
Tom Waits – On the Nickel
‘It is a lullaby about a homeless shelter in downtown LA that has some of my favourite lyrics about finding light in a dark place (“I know a place where a royal flush can never beat a pair”). There is a live video of this song on YouTube where Waits’ performance is so perfect. His cigarette is hanging off his piano as he growls the song out, transporting you to this hobo shelter in a faraway place.
Check out Charlie Straw’s full playlist:
