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This Issue 09/17/2009

• Ego of the Week: Justin Reilly
• Freshman Superlatives
• Guilty Pleasures: Bridget Jones' Diary (2001)
• Period television is where it's at

You’ve been at Penn for a few weeks now, and you're finally back in the school-time groove. Unfortunately, you’re most likely grooving to the same old songs. It’s time to branch out, and we’re here to tell you how. Check out our favorite blogs, apps and tools created to help you cut the crappy music cord.

Disco Dust:
Aside from a super-cool name, DiscoDust.blogspot.com has a lot to offer for house aficionados and aficionado wannabes alike. Thanks to the site’s meticulous editors, its featured songs and artists are truly the cream of the dance crop. If you’re a music fan on a tight budget, you’ll also be a fan of their free downloads — just don’t tell the RIAA.

Punknews.org:
Punk rock isn’t dead yet, and Punknews.org is a blog dedicated to keeping it that way. It features news from the worlds of punk, metal, hardcore and everything else loud and in-your-face. Readers can submit their own news as well as concert and album reviews. These are vetted by a group of prolific editors devoted to keeping punk rock out of the shadows. Coined “the home-grown world-wide-webbed CNN of neo-punk” by Rolling Stone and Spin contributor Matt Diehl, the site puts little emphasis on differentiating between indie and major label artists and more on spotlighting quality rock 'n' roll.

Hear-It-First:
Think of Hear-It-First.net as Str8 Hip Hop’s less daunting cousin. Rather than featuring every single hip hop album and song, HIF offers an edited-down collection in a much less intimidating blog format. Since its inception, the site has become well known among hip hop heads, so much so that rising artists often give exclusive interviews and tracks to the site long before they hit it big. Also, as with Str8 Hip Hop, all the songs are free.

Str8 Hip Hop:
To talk about music blogs and not feature Str8HipHop.com is to commit a grave sin against hip hop music. By the time iTunes or Amazon features a hip-hop album or single, Str8 Hip Hop users have already been rocking to it for months. Though the site’s expansive forum is legally questionable, it boasts every upcoming and recent release. If you’re looking to bulk up your hip hop collection or score that new Wale CD before it drops, Str8 Hip Hop is the place to go.

Pitchfork Media:
If you want to know MGMT’s whereabouts at all times, PitchforkMedia.com is the place for you. Covering every indie band worth its weight in skinny jeans with up-to-date news on releases, concerts, signings and collaborations, Pitchfork will keep your iPod relevant and rocking. In the past few years, the site has branched a little farther into the mainstream and will probably let you know what they think of Jay-Z’s new album, too. Their lists of the best albums and songs of the past few decades are worth checking out, as is pitchfork.tv for its interviews and exclusive live performances.