A guide to the hottest places to hear new music.

By Paul V.

Well, it's official -- the word "blog" is now a part of our everyday vernacular. Everyone has a blog now, right? From the most insipid to the most inspired, lots of people have something to say, and it's captured online for everyone to see. But did you know that music fans from around the globe have taken their worship of the tunes to the web, posting up tracks of anything they deem to be cool, fresh, new, hip, or just plain worthy of your online investigation?

You could literally spend hours perusing the hundreds (if not thousands) of music web logs. Doing that might make you snow-blind; so here for your perusal are some of my favorite blogs that feature free MP3's for download. Of course, once you download an artist or song for free -- and you dig it -- it's your civic duty to go out and buy that artist's music, pronto. Ready, set, go -- fire up that iPod!

Digital Eargasm

digitaleargasm.blogspot.com/

Like its name implies, this features a plethora of dance and club remixes, mostly vinyl-only/bootleg mixes that don't get commercially released. Host Skin2Skin has broad and diverse taste -- be it the latest Peter Rauhofer tribal mix to beatified versions of Nirvana to brand new updates of '80s troopers like Thompson Twins and Duran Duran.

Big Stereo

this.bigstereo.net/

This is my favorite indie rock/electro/remix blog site. Host Travis has excellent intuition in finding brand new artists you'll be talking about 6 months from now, as posting what he deems are the best club remixes. His recent posts include bands like The Gossip, Go! Team, Avenue D., Goldfrapp, Digitalism, and Diplo.

Arjan Writes

www.arjanwrites.com

Think of Arjan as your best gay pal, who knows exactly what's going to inhabit your iPod for the next year. He's been writing his blog for ages, and he's got a great flair for describing why he digs something. Arjan hearts everyone from the Dixie Chicks to the Pet Shop Boys to Brandon Flowers of The Killers.

Stereogum

www.stereogum.com

Another terrific indie rock/alternative roundup that hosts brand new (and usually not-officially-released-yet) tracks from the likes of Morrissey, Snow Patrol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Arctic Monkeys. Plus links to music videos, live performances, band reviews, and pop-culture commentary, like Britney Spears' recent appearance on Will & Grace.

Disco-Not-Disco

speedrail.blogspot.com

Blogged by a 24-year old Brooklyn club DJ, his tastes run the gamut from dirty electro like Avenue D., M.I.A., and Mount Sims to edgy hip-hop like Ghostface Killah to sticky dance-pop like Kylie Minogue to rare oddities like Steve Martin's "King Tut." Go grab the Gnarls Barkley and new Nelly Furtado/Timbaland now!

Puritan Blister

puritanb.blogspot.com

Readers of the usually snobbish Pitchfork.com site might know of Puritan Blister's frequent postings and reviews, but this is his personal blog for oddball cover tunes and select new mashups. Where else could you find a must-have like Tiffany doing a version of Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me"?

Awesome Until Proven Guilty

patandtravis.blogspot.com

This is a fun blog by two guys who find reasons to put different themes together, such as linking Prince's "Raspberry Beret" with The Cranberries and Strawberry Alarm Clock. How very fruity! They also post up lots of '80s hits, bizarre cover tunes, and things like the theme to The A-Team.

The Bootie Blog

www.bootie.tv/home/bb

This is a thorough and comprehensive site that gets you everything mashup and bootleg related. He has links to all the top mash-mixers on the planet, and posts up his Top 10 new mashups each week. Check out the zany world of 'bastard pop' right here.

Comfort Music

www.comfortradio.org/comfortmusic

The vibe here will soothe your ears and/or overly hectic life. Its specialty is turning you on to some down tempo electronica, lounge-chill, trip hop, and some occasional light funk. Everyone from Massive Attack to Gotan Project to Rae & Christian to Sneaker Pimps is yours for the taking.

Lost In The 80s

lostinthe80s.blogspot.com

This is the place for all '80s aficionados. But you won't find the standard, overplayed hits you get on every '80s compilation CD. Rather, you can find long lost gems from the likes of Boomtown Rats, Hunters & Collectors, or Debbie Harry's first solo CD. This blog comes from right here in Long Beach, CA.

Bubblegum Machine

www.bubblegum-machine.com

If it's ever been on K-Tel or Ronco, it's here. If it features hand claps, cow bells, walls of sound, sha-la-las, toothy teen idols, or lyrics about hugging, squeezing and rocking all night long, it's here too. Seriously, where else could you find Helen Reddy and Dolly Parton alongside Generation X and The Cramps?

Disco Delivery

discodelivery.blogspot.com/

Yes, indeed, if you heard disco's big and making a comeback, you're right. But this is the real disco -- those rare and long-gone vinyl 12" tracks that club DJ's spun in the early to mid '70s -- before Travolta and The Village People made movies. Cerrone, Amanda Lear, Linda Clifford, Larry Levan -- go learn and listen to your history here.

The Dreamtime Mix

dreamtimemix.blogspot.com

Another blog devoted to unearthing lost chestnuts of the '80s, along with the occasional mashup or current new band. He also creates and posts his own extended remix versions of his favorite tracks, using the best parts of the originals to make them longer. Find everything from Simple Minds to Marvin Gaye to Simply Red and David Bowie.

The Hype Machine

hype.non-standard.net/popular

This is a fantastic, all-encompassing aggregator (aka search forum) of the latest tracks that have been posted up on various blog sites. Its best function is the "listen" button, and it also links you directly to Amazon.com, should you want to check that artist out for purchase. Bookmark this and check it daily.

The Smash Mix

www.thesmashmix.com

Last, but I hope not least, go check out some bitchin' DJ mixes from yours truly. This is my podcast/download site where you can grab the Smash Mixes that air on Indie 103.1 FM every Friday afternoon. Loaded with mashups, bootleg, remixes, indie rock, 80's gems, and usually a bit of "Family Guy," I hope you find them...smashing!