Amy Lynn & The Gunshow – Clearly It’s Me

It always brings a smile to me when Amy Lynn & The Gunshow release new music.  They have a raw formula which just connects with me on every level, and that light-hearted, carefree, retro funk-soul is everywhere on this record.   Amy absolutely nails the delivery of the first refrain with razor sharp precision and from then you’re trapped.  The baritone sax booms,  Amy soars and a large smile engulfs my face.  Loving the switch of tempo, loving the story… every time I hear these guys I just wish there was more!  Really looking forward to the next song(s), who knows maybe it’ll be an album (even more looking forward to them taking a trip to London!).  Cracking song.

Beck Laneheart – Bumps and Bruises

Sometimes you hear an artist you really like yet as time goes on they fade a little from your mind until iTunes (or your phone) kindly reminds of their existence.  This is exactly what happened last Sunday while coolin’ out; iTunes on random and it played “Eversholt Trees” – Beck Laneheart jumped straight back in to my conciousness.

I love Beck’s voice, it forever yearns and seems to have the ever so slightest American tone, as if she was raised on recordings of Sheryl Crow.  On Bumps and Bruises her voice builds and then gently disappears in a cacophony of crescendos and diminuendos.   It is a beautiful and effecting record, pure in its simplicity.

From what I could find out it seems like she still busks around London.  On my summer galavanting I really do hope I come across her because I’ll be pulling up a chair and having a good old listen.

Mamas Gun – Bicycle Race

With the world’s greatest sporting event soon upon us, I think London’s commuters should be adopting this song as its temporary national anthem, “bicycle races are coming your way, so forget all your duties oh yeeeaaah”, duties like obeying traffic lights and leaving the sidewalk for pedestrians.  I can see it now, as commuters move from tube to bike we’ll be seeing old ladies swept aside, zimmerframes reaching for the skies and Starbucks installing drive-through coffee stops (if they don’t exist already!).

As an aside, I really do believe that for the two weeks of the Olympics London Underground will work impeccably; no signal failure, no late over-running of engineering work and no gopher’s loose on the track causing a complete suspension of the Northern Line.  It’ll be f**ked afterwards, but during those two weeks it’ll be perfect.

Anyways, Mamas Gun’s cover to Queen’s classic is great and should put you in the mood for travelling on two wheels, just make sure you avoid those Games lanes!