If you think Top 40 is not so tops and want your tunes to be more cutting-edge, you need to know where to find the best music. Read on.

Your local radio station plays the same 10 songs over and over again. MTV is too busy airing "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" marathons to actually bother showing videos anymore. Print music magazines are rapidly dying off.

So where can a music fan such as yourself find out about the newest, edgiest tunes? Here are a few expert tips for discovering music outside the realm of the Top 40:

Enter the Blogosphere
Blogs are a great place to learn about -- and, just as important, to hear -- indie and alternative rock. The challenge for beginners is finding the good ones.

“There are roughly 5,094,947 music blogs on the Internet,” jokes Ryan Dombal, a staff writer at Pitchfork, a popular indie rock Web site (technically not a blog) credited with helping break acts like the Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. “Pitchfork breaks through the MP3 din, hitting on things people care about” via album reviews (the site employs an infamous 0.0 to 10.0 rating scale), artist news and interviews, and links to the latest videos and audio files.

Another good starting point is the indie rock blog Stereogum. “After you find one blog or site that corresponds with your personal taste, check out the other blogs or sites it links to,” Dombal recommends. “It’s a process of trial and error, but it's worth it when you’re eventually exposed to your favorite new band.”

Tune Into the Net
“Commercial radio is all about finding that mass-appeal audience, and if mass appeal is your bottom line, you’re going to cut out a lot of interesting music,” says Mike Taylor, program director and DJ for the Cincinnati-based Web site WOXY. A terrestrial radio station in the past, WOXY has been broadcasting exclusively online since 2004. Its DJs cater to a select audience; current station faves include the female singer-songwriter St. Vincent and Brooklyn indie rockers White Rabbits. If you like a song you hear on WOXY, you can click on the link to the Web site Lala and buy the MP3. “We act as a filter for new music,” Taylor says.

To find other online broadcasters catering to your tastes, check out station aggregator Web sites like Shoutcast or Live365. iTunes also offers free Net radio streams. Or let a computer try to figure out what you’d like: Web sites like Pandora, Last (.fm) and iLike will personalize playlists for you based on your top artists.

Get out of the House
The Internet is a wonderful tool for discovering cool new tunes. But sometimes it’s nice to talk music with an actual human being -- you know, face-to-face (like back in 1999). If you’re lucky enough to still have one or more independent record stores in your town, visit! “I think it’s easier to talk to someone working at a store than hunt down music on different blogs,” says Scott Wishart, co-owner of Lunchbox Records in Charlotte, N.C. “I can recommend something similar to what they like and play it for them on the stereo -- or they can listen to it on headphones in the back.”

Wishart advises developing a rapport with a local record store clerk so he or she can get to know your tastes and avoiding the snobs (think: Jack Black in High Fidelity), if possible. Finally, once you’ve found music you love, separate yourself from the computer as often as possible to see your new favorites live. “Show up early for shows and catch the opening bands,” advises Pitchfork’s Dombal. “That’s how I first heard about this band called The Strokes. And if the opening act sucks, you can make fun of them with your friends.”

Slick, safe and cheap to fix, these autos are the hot choice for young men.

It doesn’t matter how much you pimp the family minivan: It will never be a date magnet. But now that you’re earning a steady paycheck, you’re ready to buy your own -- hopefully racier -- set of wheels. Ideally, you’ll find something sporty that won’t freak your parents out about safety or economy -- a task that’s easier today than ever.

“Almost all cars are coming with high safety ratings now, and they’ve never been more reliable,” says Armaan Almeida, automotive editor for Cars Direct, an auto research, rating and buying site. “That’s why manufacturers are starting to give such stout warranties.”

So don’t feel guilty about giving in to your driving id with these new and upcoming rides. Almeida helped recommend them for their top-of-class handling, safety and ease of repair when those inevitable dings appear. And they look a lot better at the curb on Saturday night than that old minivan.

2010 Chevy Camaro Coupe: $23,040
Yes, the Camaro. The 2010 completely redesigned model -- from the cocky sneer of its grill to its iPod USB port on the dash -- makes it cool to drive a Chevy for the first time since the Bee Gees were hip. The standard V-6 engine (though you can upgrade to a V-8) catapults you from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than six seconds and gets up to 29 miles per gallon on the highway. When you’re behind the wheel, the front air bags, antilock disc brakes and electronic stability-control system will keep you as safe as if you were driving a granny sedan.

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: $22,000
Behold Hyundai’s first coupe. And if you can peel your eyes away from the sculpted, European-looking body of this four-cylinder rear-wheel-drive Adonis (or Aphrodite, if it makes you more comfortable), there’s just as much to drool over beneath the skin. There are the beefy 12.6-inch disc brakes; the electronic stability control; Bluetooth capability; front, side and curtain air bags; and even the soft feel of the leather-wrapped manual-shift knob. For a few extra grand, we recommend bumping up to the 306-horsepower, V-6 version. Close your eyes in it, and you’ll feel like you’re purring along in a $50,000 sports car. On second thought, maybe keep your eyes open.

2010 Mazda 3 5-door: $19,230
If you lug a lot of gear, like bike equipment or a surfboard, a coupe won’t cut it. That’s why the newly revised hatchback version of the top car bargain for the past half-decade makes so much sense. Open the rear door of the Mazda 3, fold down the backseats, and you’ve got a sporty gear shed on wheels -- complete with a 4-cylinder engine that gets 29 mpg on the highway, a satellite radio-compatible six-speaker stereo system and a roomy air bag-laden cockpit.

2009 Honda Accord Coupe EX-L V-6: $28,805
We agree that the dependable Accord sedan is about as exciting as a chess match. But the coupe version manages to strike a near-perfect balance between fun and utility. On the one hand, you’ve got the trademark Accord high resale value (that alone justifying a price higher than the other buggies featured here), safety, low maintenance (no tune-ups needed for the first 100,000 miles), and the knowledge that it’ll last longer than most modern marriages. On the other, this six-banger peels across the pavement from 0 to 60 so fast (actually 5.3 seconds) that the music blaring from the 270-watt, seven-speaker sound system barely has a chance to keep up.

2009 Nissan Altima: $19,900
Maybe it’s the four doors, but there’s something more professional and slightly less ostentatious about the four-cylinder Altima than the other rides here. It’s definitely the right choice if you’re working out of your car or taking long road trips. After all, the sub-$20,000 price and 31 mpg highway efficiency make business sense. There’s enough room to hold your high school basketball team’s starting frontcourt comfortably in back -- or all your sales samples -- and the Altima consistently receives the highest safety and reliability marks of any car in its class.