Jeffrey Luppino-Esposito and Stelios Phili EDITORS

Yes, that's right folks, the Power PopSense Awards are rolling out the red carpet and it is bleeding with anticipation! The best in music, culture, and humor, in no particular order, in a series that doesn't have a clear end point, but you damn well know it's exclusive because we could end it right here and then all other blogs would be forced to assume their inferior role to these champions of the blogosphere. Thankfully, that isn't the case, so if you don't see yourself on this list, never fear, you might make it in the upcoming episodes, so stay tuned! Let the games begin! (Oh yeah, plus we decided to put sweet songs between a bunch of them to make you love these blogs even more by association!)

Largeheartedboy – By far the most cultured man on the internet. Not only does the site provide delicious independent music for download, but the Large Hearted Boy reads 52 books in 52 weeks and reviews all of them. Literature + music + pop culture = a sophisticated audience. Would you like tea with that?

Sufjan Stevens - Angels We Have Heard On High.mp3

Metaphor – With a slogan like, “Stop Listening to Crap,” you know its good. Metaphor will steer any set of misbehavin’ ears in the right direction with its excellent coverage of new artists (see MUST DISCOVER ARTISTS VOL.VI) and tasty tidbits of music news. Plus, “Lili Chou” reads and has PopSense. By jove, does this girl have it.

The Yellow Stereo - Excellent independent artist coverage. I would visit this site solely for their daily graboid, which serves as the ultimate indie goody-bag of tunes. Tuning into the Yellow Stereo is a must if you desire to expand your musical repertoire.

Iron & Wine - Flightless Bird, American Mouth.mp3

I Guess I’m Floating – Tastenakers, in the truest sense. I Guess I’m Floating has excellent artist profiles of bands that have yet to (and most certainly should) grace your eardrums. Get over there now before any traces of hipster goodness float away from your lame soul!

Thieves by Tuesday - Not only does this blog provide the best in underground music and the wittiest of insight, but it does it with a whole lot of style. J-Dawn of 'Thieves' makes your eyes and your ears happy with a classy site that delivers the hottest tracks without fail. Oh yeah, and she has so much popsense it's not even fair.

Lil Wayne ft. Coldplay - Viva La Milli (Terry Urban Remix).mp3

Pretty Much Amazing - The name says it all; the masterwork of Luis Tovar is nothing short of amazing. PMA brings the best in everything from indie electric tunes to the absurdly popular hits that we all secretly love. This is a blog that provides the the absolute hottest in music news on an extremely exclusive level, yet still manages to remain remarkably personal with its readership and other bloggers. Make this blog a daily requirements before you fall behind.

Daytrotter – The best blog for exclusive live content from up and coming indie bands. What’s more is that all the tracks from any given live session are posted for free. 5 bands per week. 20 free tracks. And iTunes thinks it’s generous with its weekly (crappy) free song? Psh. Also included are really sweet artist portraits.

Bon Iver - Flume.mp3


Allan's World of Music - Don't be deceived by this blog's name (which could very well have been conceived during the dot com craze). Allan is a delightful music blogger who adds a sincere personal touch to each and every post. There is something fantastically real about the experience one has on AW. Check out this Toronto treat asap!

Stereogum – Ah yes, the mothership of all blogs. They have exclusive content up the wazoo. And I usually never say “wazoo.” My favorite features are Progress Report (progress on upcoming albums), Premature Evaluation (reviews of albums that have yet to be released), and of course, the bitchin’ giveaways. This is the site for those who want first dibs on music news. Yum!

Lily Allen - The Fear.mp3

I Am Fuel, You Are Friends - Ever get the feeling that the bands you like just aren't quite as hip as you thought they were? Well then it's time you got over to Fuel/Friends and changed that immediately. Creator and writer Heather Browne demonstrates unparalleled care in every single article she posts on the site and you will be caught up in her world of musical knowledge as you read along from day to day. Both she and her site are incredibly honest and fun while remaining professional in a pleasantly simple sense.

An Aquarium Drunkard - Justin Gage has redefined what a music blog can do, and we're not the first to realize it. A widely acclaimed site, An Aquarium Drunkard delivers daily by blending a range of sounds, tossing in their own show on SIRIUS radio (now 2 hours a week), and bringing you some of the best music reviews and interviews on the web. For the guarantee of a smooth mix of professional and personalized music news, AD is the place to be.

Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes.mp3

Spinner - Ok, so Spinner doesn't have that home-grown feel that we love in most blogs, but that doesn't stop the fact that it simply delivers. It stays classy with a daily mp3 instead of flooding the web with tracks, and it has a professional level of insight that gives the web a sense of trust, even for you old print-lovers out there. Brush up on your Rock Almanac and check this site out.

My Old Kentucky Blog - The endlessly witty squad of contributers over at the official colonel-protected home of MOKB bring all the best in music news that your snap happy soul could desire. These guys stand out from the crowd by providing some top-notch interviews and by seriously working hard for their readership to keep up with the absolute latest in the music world. Plus, they've got their own Sirius XM show... that's hot.

Pacific! - Hot Lips.mp3

Fluxblog - Matthew Perpetua started an mp3-blog revolution in 2002 and since then has continued to deliver reliably consistent reports on the latest in new music. His analysis is personal and subjective, but in the best way possible -- he has a huge body of musical knowledge that allows him to effectively put into words things that usually seem accessible solely through sound. Unique, one-of-a-kind insight from the personal expert of the mp3 world-- need we say more?

Lykke Li - Little Bit.mp3

Idolator - The Idolator brand is simply something you want to be a part of. I dare you to read whatever their first article is at this very moment and then not go onto their next post. It's impossible. The writing is smooth, incredibly digestible, yet undoubtedly one-of-a-kind. It's not surprising that they have an active community of readers who add to the experience as well. Get over there, get your music and cultural needs fulfilled right now.

Pigeons and Planes - How he finds the most obscure/underground/unreleased songs, the world may never know. He is the licks to the center of the tootsie pop of the blogosphere. What makes this whole operation even more amazing is that he's a new blogger in '08 but he delivers like a seasoned pro. A must read, especially for the hip hop lovers out there, prepare to be wowed by Pigeons and Planes.


That's all for now my blovers (yup, just made a word for 'blog lovers'), Part 2 is on the way-- Don't forget to Subscribe Now to get updates so you know right away if your favorite site, or your very own site, will make the list!

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