Back in the day, fans got their information about new music from family, friends, that cool new kid in class - and specialty magazines that arrived once or twice a month. Now the family, friends and cool new kids are still around, but there are a lot fewer music mags. News, reviews and angry screeds bounce across the Internet well before the next issue of Rolling Stone can lumber its way into the mailbox.

With that in mind, here are some of our favorite sites and blogs for sampling the state of pop music, ones that you can use to discover new sounds. We stayed away from sites whose "primary" goal is to sell you stuff (iTunes, Amazon, etc.) or were originally known in their print incarnations ("Spin").

All of the following sites have a distinct voice or a particular musical ax to grind, but that's what can make them so informative and so much fun. The people who run them are passionate.

Keep in mind, this is just the tip of a very big Internet iceberg. And, oh yeah, we still like our magazines, too.

gorillavsbear.blogspot.com

Home base: Dallas

Who's logging in: Indie-rock kids who want to know what's next six months ahead of everyone else

Why it's cool: Dallas' Chris Cantalini has an uncanny knack for backing the next big thing; along with a pair of contributors, he's expanded into booking shows and hosting a weekly segment on Sirius satellite radio. Along with Pitchfork and Fluxblog, one of the blogosphere's more respected tastemakers. Gorilla vs. Bear excels at being passionate about new music without ramming it down your throat.

Quotable: "I have a feeling we'll be hearing quite a bit about Philadelphia's Tickley Feather in the not-so-distant future. She opened Panda Bear's recent Philly show, and she's been picked to support Animal Collective on the second half of their upcoming fall U.S. tour. She seems like an inspired choice, and I imagine her otherworldly, super lo-fi, underwater carnival folk ballads . . . will go over extremely well with AC fans."

www.fluxblog.org

Home base: Astoria, N.Y.

Who's logging in: Music enthusiasts with a willingness to pick apart decades of pop music

Why it's cool: Matthew Perpetua, founder of Fluxblog, has been writing extensively about music online way before blogs were mainstream; his taste is eclectic (one of his ongoing projects is Pop Song '07, an endeavor dedicated to assessing every R.E.M. song ever recorded) and his insights, while occasionally pithy, are often dead-on.

Quotable: "(A)side from the too-brief intro segment, "No I in Threesome" is perhaps the most fully realized and sophisticated composition in Interpol's discography, or at least on par with previous highlights such as "Evil", "Not Even Jail", and "NYC". The thing that's difficult to understand is why the rest of the tracks on "Our Love To Admire" seem so tossed-off and forgettable in comparison."

www.pitchforkmedia.com

Home base: Chicago

Who's logging in: Alt-rock completists who need to know about everything from Arcade Fire to Zutons

Why it's cool: It's a knowledgeable mix of updated news (hey, Neil Young's "Greendale" is going to be a graphic novel!), intelligent if over-long and densely written reviews (with links to buy or download the music), features/interviews, recommendations for best new music (recently including Dallas' St. Vincent and Austin's Spoon), and even its own musicfest (the three-day Pitchfork Music Festival recently took place in Chi-town). Not the snarkiest or breeziest of sites but very encyclopedic and worthwhile.

Quotable: "Leslie Feist follows her half-covers/half-originals album "Let it Die" with a record that's equally diverse yet more full-blooded, all sung in a voice that could make Dick Cheney weep."

www.stereogum.com

Where it is: New York City

Who's logging in: Alt- and indie-rockers who want to hear music first

Why it's cool: With its collection of MP3 downloads, videos, music news, reviews and reader comments, Stereogum is a lively way to keep up with what's going on. Neither as self-serious as Pitchfork nor as flippant as Idolator, it's informative without being too abrasive. Plus, its list of "most commented" and "most e-mailed" stories and extensive links to other blogs offer a glimpse into what other music fans are talking about.

Quotable: "Sunshine finds Minneapolis rap duo Atmosphere on a "Summertime" kick.. . . Dudes, while we dig the posicore, not every woman "looks better in a sun dress.'. . . We do understand though, as Will Smith dropped it way back in 1991, "it's like summer's a natural aphrodisiac.' Too true."

www.idolator.com

Home base: New York City

Who's logging in: Insatiable gossips and smart mouths who like slapping the music industry around while celebrating it

Why it's cool: Residing under the same corporate media umbrella as sharp-tongued sites Gawker, Defamer and Wonkette, Idolator brings a similar irreverent spirit to coverage of all types of music-industry shenanigans, ranging from Brit-pop Keane to rapper Twista. They even trash their would-be competitors, as in "we don't normally dissect individual Pitchfork reviews because . . . it would require us to "actually read Pitchfork reviews" Ouch!

Quotable: "Lesson for (TV() producers heading to Nashville to create quick content on the cheap: Everyone realizes you assume that people who live outside the broadcast reach of (L.A. NPR station) KCRW are uncultured morons, but people around the world are familiar with the idea of getting paid for the work they do."

www.the9513.com

Home base: Austin

Who's logging in: Nashville traditionalists, new country fans, die-hard Texas music groupies and everyone in between

Why it's cool: Run by Brody Vercher with a staff of well-spoken contributors, the self-described "hottest spot on the Web for the latest . . . coming out of the country music world" tackles CD reviews, interviews and news with fan-boy fervor but tempers that enthusiasm with a knowledgeable critical eye.

Quotable: "The pieces of (Brad Paisley's) "5th Gear" fit together thematically to form one of the most memorable country albums in a very long time. There's a strong sense of nostalgia present here, but also a sense of growth and the realization that life gets better as it goes."

www.hiphopmusic.com

Home base: New York City

Who's logging in: Brainy hip-hop fans - it's subtitled "My milkshake brings all the nerds to the blog"

Why it's cool: Though New York-centric, this well-written and personal blog delves into issues facing hip-hop everywhere. From the similarities between rap and country to thoughts on "Hot Ghetto Mess," it's more than just a place to talk about the new Lil Jon track.

Quotable: "I miss mixtapes. I miss the bad cover art and the slim cases. I miss how cheap they are, I miss the shouting and gunshots peppered throughout otherwise listenable tracks, and I miss having to hunt them down, going in and out of stores that still advertise "Pagers.'. . . Who is to blame for the hole in my heart formerly occupied by mixtapes?"

www.batanga.com

Home base: Miami

Who's logging in: Aficionados from across the Latin music spectrum, from Tejano to tango, Brazilian to "rock en Espano"

Why it's cool: It's a trip through the world of Latin rhythms without leaving your computer. The pop-up ads can be annoying, though.

Quotable: "Pacha Massive's debut transports you to the plushy couch of your local Latin cafe with their funky mix of tripped-out beats and "sabor" Latino.. . . Their positive rhymes are a bit cliched, but it doesn't work against them completely. This album definitely provides the perfect soundtrack for cranking out the next great Latino-American novel on your laptop while sipping cafe con leche."

www.descarga.com

Home base: New York City

Who's logging in: Afro-Latin music enthusiasts

Why it's cool: The intellectual Descarga features the likes of NPR's "Afropop Worldwide" host Ned Sublette and Miami Film Festival founder Nat Chediak as contributors.

Quotable: "Chucho Valdes' peerless ensemble (Irakere) gave fusion a good name and spawned a spate of imitators the world over.. . . Irakere's recent updates of Cuban music pale in comparison to these outings. The band never fully recovered from Arturo Sandoval's and Paquito D'Rivera's departure."

www.allaboutjazz.com

Home base: Springfield, Pa.

Who's logging in: From jazz purists to jam-band fanatics and lovers of every form of fusion in between

Why it's cool: With its wide-ranging definition of jazz - ranging from ambient to Dixieland, hard bop/cool to South African - and choices of downloads, podcasts, smart reviews, interviews and forums, this site is indispensable for jazz buffs.

Quotable: "On "Mistico," Charlie Hunter finally, after a couple of near misses, gets in touch with his inner rock guitarist.. . . Nothing on "Mistico" is on the one. It's all on the two and four. It ain't bad so much as it's nasty."