Trying

Recorded while the band was evolving slowly into the Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Trying to Burn the Sun is the third and final release from Elf, the band that finally earned Ronnie James Dio the attention he had been seeking since the late '50s. After writing and recording a few singles for Blackmore, Dio and Elf were solidly moving in a heavier musical direction, no doubt influenced by Deep Purple and the British supergroup's lead guitarist. Standout cuts include "Wonderworld" and "Streetwalker," two cuts that were somehow placed at the tail end of the record, despite their strong melodies and musicianship. Because the Rainbow debut was released during the same year, this record was slightly overlooked, even though the band had established a small amount of momentum in Europe and Japan especially. Trying to Burn the Sun is a great listen for fans of '70s rock, not just Dio/Rainbow fans.

Deru (Ben Wynn) adopts a structurally more conventional approach on "Trying To Remember", his Merck successor to 2003's "Pushing Air" (Neo Ouija). There's little that's conventional about Deru's hallucinatory, portentous sound, however, which emphasizes dense textures and downtempo hip-hop beats that curdle and scrape. Wynn's pieces float dreamily with phantom whispers, muffled bell tones, and soft electric piano burble piercing through dense strata of crackle and industrial noise. Representative of the album's spectral sound, “Words You Said” weaves haunting piano figures into a viscous slab of static and smears, while “Noru” merges tactile clatter and throbbing rhythms with blistered tones. "Trying To Remember" subtly merges electronic detritus with hip-hop beats in a nuanced and fresh hybrid.

The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable is more than just a business self-help manual. With extensive research and real-life case studies at its core, this collection is perfect for any business or individual trying to achieve more than the status quo. Written by Seth Godin and 33 other notable authors, including the likes of Tom Peters and Malcom Gladwell, The Big Moo is filled with stories that investigate the deeper strategy and choices behind successful businesses. Seth Godin's performance is particularly well-suited to relaying anecdotes and research in a light and accessible tone.

Saint Etienne return with their 10th album and prove they are still utterly essential. Saint Etienne have always understood that pop music is the nearest thing we have to time travel, the closest we can get to breathing the air of a different time. On this album, they take that theory to its logical conclusion. I’ve Been Trying To Tell You uses sounds and samples from 1997 to 2001, evoking the folk memory of the period by using and twisting recordings from the time, re-working them into new songs. “They're all by people you'd have heard on daytime Radio 1 or 2 at the time,” Bob clarifies, “not Boards of Canada or anything.” Opening track “Music Again”, for example, begins with some gorgeously poignant electric harpsichord from a long-forgotten R&B hit.