Pandora is the bomb, easy to use and a good way to discover new music without a bunch of Web surfing, hit-and-miss iTunes purchases or, you know, having to read irritating magazines.
What happens is this: You visit
and the site-soooo very simple to use, with a server soooo fast you don't even have time to get bored-prompts you to enter a band you like: say, Ladytron. Immediately, Pandora sets up "Ladytron Radio," your very own personalized Internet radio station with music in the same vein. Each new song is accompanied by the song name, band name and album name.
To fiddle with the virtual knobs on your station, all you have to do is click on "Guide Us," and you can remove a song from your playlist if you hate it, increase its rotation if you love it or put it on hold if you're sick of it. You can also add additional artists or songs to an existing station to make it even more specialized.
There's also a "Backstage" button. Type in the name of any band, and immediately Pandora takes you to a band bio, pictures and selected discography.
Pandora's graphics ain't much to sneeze at, but the site's simplicity is what makes it so inviting. Basically, you type in your favorite bands and you can set up multiple stations of new music you're gonna love. There's no burdensome ads, no "Hey, aren't we cool?" attitude. Just infinite amounts of new music. Now that's what the Internet's for, isn't it?
