Music-geek wannabe trying to expand repertoire. Suggestions?

[Demonwolf]

I've gradually developed a subtler taste in music over the past few years, and I'm trying to get my playlist to keep up but unfortunately I don't really know where to look for music, since the only real options I have atm are browsing through iTunes in excruciating detail, waiting for word-of-mouth that comes to me very rarely thanks to my limited social life and the Myspace of a complete music geek friend of mine whose taste is unfortunately either far subtler than or vastly different from mine. I'm also really cheap and a neat-freak and iTunes song clips are really unreliable, so I tend to be paranoid about DLing songs that threaten to waste my money or clutter my collection. As a result, my current collection is only about 350 songs, which I'm dying to correct but don't know how. Pretty much, I have two major issues to contend with-

1. What's some good music that I'd like? List individual songs if you can, although artists are a high priority too. The artists whose songs have a substantial place on my playlist right now are as follows, but I'm also looking to expand my tastes. Also, I define 'substantial' as atleast 5 songs, but I don't really have any more than ten songs by any of the artists listed below so songs by the following artists that are good would be appreciated too.

311, Aimee Mann, All-Time Quarterback, Bad Religion, Bloc Party, Bob Marley, Broken Social Scene, Cake, Death Cab, The Decemberists, Eisley, Incubus, Irving, Modest Mouse, Neko Case, Postal Service, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rilo Kiley, The Roots, Simon and Garfunkel, Sufjan Stevens, The White Stripes and Wilco.

2. Where can I go to find music that would fit my tastes? I really have no idea.

[Seir]

This using this: Music Plasma.

Basically you can enter any artist or band and it'll make out a branching map of similiar artists you can try out. By the way, it also works for movies.

[StruckingFuggle]

Hey, Seir, I recall a site from ages ago that was like that, except you entered 3-4 bands, movies, or books, and it would find similarities based on how they intersect. Really short name, too. You happen to know of it? (or does anyone else)?

[Koeniou]

Seir, that site is awesome.

[Kits]

It was cool but they didn't find my very favorite band .

Dresden Dolls =/ Goo Goo Dolls

[Kemchi]

http://www.pandora.com

You put in a band name and it brings up bands that have similar stylings (well what they consider similar) but it's a pretty decent sytem. I use it to find new bands.

[Teranfirbt]

I second Pandora...
I also submit that you listen to the band "She Wants Revenge"

[Gowerlypuff]

I third Pandora. It has a whole bunch more bands than Plasma does (Plasma didn't recognise ANY of my a capella bands I put in)

[Spongiform]

[quote="Demonwolf";p="653988"]311, Aimee Mann, All-Time Quarterback, Bad Religion, Bloc Party, Bob Marley, Broken Social Scene, Cake, Death Cab, The Decemberists, Eisley, Incubus, Irving, Modest Mouse, Neko Case, Postal Service, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rilo Kiley, The Roots, Simon and Garfunkel, Sufjan Stevens, The White Stripes and Wilco. [/quote]

Except for Bob Marley, White Stripes, Simon and Garfunkel, maybe 311, maybe the Decemberists, and maybe Modest Mouse, you have pretty crap taste in music, if that represents your overall taste pretty well.

Therefore, "good music" and "music that you'd like" wouldn't intersect much, so I'm not really able to give you any advice.

[Arc Orion]

Kemchi, I officially love you for linking that. Now get over here and let me lay a big, wet one on you!