Upcoming Reviews and Guided by Voices

I visited the Boise Weekly offices today. Along with a copy of a 1975 film entitled The Passenger that I'm assigned to review, I picked up four very varied CDs that ought to each prove interesting, at the very least. Two are from Rock, Paper, and Scissors Inc. Thandiswa arises from the rich cultural post-apartheid music scene of South Africa. Julia Sarr, a Senegalese-Gambian-French singer, collaborates with Patrice Larose, a French flamenco guitarist, on Set Luna. Both of these releases already have me salivating at their exotic setting. These aren't your typical American white male indie releases. The other two, however, are closer to orthodoxy. Collin Herring was called "the torchbearer for alt-country" by the Dallas Observer. Along with that quote in the press release were many others that built Collin up to almost unparalleled proportions. He's got a lot to live up to. The fourth release is packaged very DIY, and is called Salt Lake City by a band called Purr Bats. Their press release opens with "howdy" and doesn't give a clue as to what kind of music awaits me. I have a sneaking suspicion, however, that this is some punk rock. We'll see. I bought a fifth CD today that will only be mentioned here (no review): Guided by Voices - Human Amusements at Hourly Rates: The Best of Guided by Voices. This is my introduction to a seemingly legendary band that I've somehow managed to avoid. I'm hearing it right now, and it already sounds like something that might well receive stereo rotation ten years from now. Look for all the aforementioned reviews within the next two weeks.