Hey Kalebarkab – thanks for the inquiry! I have no idea what content in this post solicited your comment, but seeing as you seem to be implying I have expertise in pop music I can’t help but want to live up to your well-intentioned (but probably misplaced) assumption. I also have a nagging suspicion you may be a robot, but you’ve at least left an interesting name and an email address which is frankly about as good an indicator of true sentience as any these days.

Back in my heyday as an entertainment journalist for The Stanford Daily, my primary sources of discovering new pop music were 1) Rolling Stone, and 2) indie hipster friends. The creation of Pitchfork was also a seminal moment for my music discovery ability.

These days I’ve entirely outsourced my music, relying upon word of mouth, emailed mp3s and/or MySpace links, plus the occasional critique from a major news magazine. I know a lot of friends are using the Pandora these days — they’ve even got a great iPhone app, so I definitely encourage you to check it out.

You know what else is really nice? Just taking a drive and spinning the (digital) dial on your radio to check out what the DJs are playing. This paired with Shazam on your iPhone or Blackberry makes music discovery incredibly easy, fun and exciting. The moving scenery is an added bonus.

Hope that helps, my friend.