In high school, I loved pop music. Hanson, the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys: it was a rich time for bubblegum. I enjoyed it so much that my tastes didn’t stray much from Top 40 through college and a couple of years after.

I still love a good pop song, but at a certain point, they stopped satisfying my musical needs. Friends gave me some album recommendations and I found some for myself, but I felt stuck. Then, a wonderful thing happened. My dear friend, Sarah, bought me a Christmas present: a subscription to Paste magazine.

Paste is an independent entertainment magazine that covers music, TV and movie options, ranging from obscure to mainstream. Its sleek design and extensive content drew me in the very first time I flipped open the cover.

Another great thing about the publication is that each issue includes a free digital CD sampler of new music. And we’re not talking one or two songs – sometimes there are 20 or more. These samplers have made Paste my go-to for new music suggestions.

Here are some of my other favorite features in the magazine:

1. The Paste 7: Our favorite entertaining bits of whatever - This spotlights some of the editors’ and writers’ favorite things in pop culture right now, including Web sites, TV shows and people. It’s a quick read, but it always gives me at least a couple of things to check out.

2. For Fans of… - In the first pages of the magazine, there are reviews and write-ups of new or little known musicians, authors and directors. At the end of the review, they offer a helpful feature where they identify other musicians, authors and directors that have similar qualities. I really like having this reference point and their recommendations are usually spot on.

3. The rating system - Instead of the typical four stars or two thumbs up system, Paste uses a rating guide that ranges from 0-100. For example, 91-100 is Phenomenal. While they’ve gotten some criticism that the system is too complicated, as a teacher, it makes perfect sense to me.

4. Dischord - Located in the review section, this feature offers two points of view on the same record, one negative and one positive. In a recent issue, they reviewed the latest Matisyahu record. One writer called it, “an eclectic album that’s unrepentantly over the top,” while the other said, “we can perhaps thank the existence of marijuana, dorm rooms and the safe allure of gentrified exoticism for…[Matisyahu's] fertile recording career.”

5. Wichita shout-outs

Recently, Paste has fallen victim to tough economic times and launched a “Save Paste” campaign. They’ve had to cut back on the number and size of issues they print, but still provide excellent content in print and on their Web site. I don’t know what I’d do without Paste to guide me in my entertainment choices. If you haven’t yet, I’d encourage you to go over to the site and check out what they have to offer. Your iPod will thank you.

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