This guy’s got pretty good taste, doesn’t he
Meet Simon Lynge. He’s an Inuit Scandinavian singer-songwriter, and he writes the kind of intricately finger-picked folk music that seems tailor-made to soundtrack many a long, cold winter night. This is his new single Age of Distraction, and we don’t think it’s half bad:
You’re going to want to check this out
We’ve said it before, and we’ll be damned if we don’t keep saying it until we’ve gotten the message across to you: people who write great songs tend to have pretty great taste in tunes themselves. So, one of the things we particularly like doing here at one on one is to get some of our favourite musicians to put together a playlist of their favourite songs, exclusively for the listening pleasure of you lovely lot – so, that’s exactly what we asked Simon to do.
You can find his full playlist at the bottom of this page – but, for now, here’s the man himself telling you a bit about why he chose some of the songs he included in his carefully-curated collection:
The Beatles – Here Comes The Sun
‘This may be the best song ever written. From the words to the melodic structure and arrangement of the recording, it is pure inspiration and I can still to this day tear up when it comes on. There is something so real and tangible about the sun; the only thing truly worthy of worship as it literally is the foundation of our existence. When we let go of our ideas, ambition and longing, the sun is a miraculous foundation for having gratitude for our bodily existence and that’s the feeling George captured so accurately.
Billy Joel – She’s Always a Woman
‘This is a realistic non-glossy love song, that describes an actual human being with all her various facets, not just the idealized image of infatuation. Love is inherently cruel and dark because it couldn’t be so bright and wonderful if it wasn’t. I love how the chords flow into each other and invoke the feeling of confusion that is a part of loving someone who is sometimes the source of one’s suffering. Love doesn’t make sense or have a rational explanation; it is a great mystery and should be left that way, instead of only being a source of comfort. Billy gets it.
Ron Sexsmith – Gold In Them Hills
‘I’m a big believer in going through difficult things, rather than avoiding them, which is the custom in our current cultural paradigm. There is so much crap to escape these days and the more and harder we try to escape them the more appear. Ron captures the vulnerability necessary to paint one’s life with a full palette in this song; it’s so slow, pensive and beautifully crafted.
Paul Simon – Love
‘One of his lesser-known songs from the album You’re The One, which is one of my favourite albums of his. This song is the perfect example of why I like to listen to the work of older artists because the refinement of expression is so golden. This song is dripping with wisdom and the ascending guitar line in the chorus is one of my favourite moments on an acoustic guitar, ever.
Elliott Smith – Miss Misery
‘Elliott‘s songs are so intensely personal and a direct window into his soul. His melodies and arrangements are second to none. This song was nominated for an Oscar and lost to the Titanic theme song – scandalous!
If you’re liking what you’re hearing, why not hit play on Simon Lynge’s full playlist below?