www.pandora.com
Have any of you tried this site yet? Its premise is that it will seek out and play songs in a style similar to one you indicate you enjoy by selecting favourite performers or songs. I was highly dubious, particularly since similar functions at sites like Amazon usually do nothing for me other than induce the odd bout of eye-rolling.

However, my first few tentative experiences have been extremely positive. I started out by entering the most obscure act I could think of that I was currently enjoying (Smog), and was quite astonished to find that the second song they recommended to me was none other than the wonderful ‘Straight on Home’ by beloved New Zealand jangle-pop act The Bats. That got my attention. The next song they queued up was a so-so number by some guy named Mike Park, but the next track was a great GBV-style lo-fi track by a band called Swearing at Motorists that had me wanting to listen to more.

Possibly worth further exploration, I think.