I've heard people make fun of them (not clear why - because they are hipster but not hipster enough?), but I like Paste and Magnet. They have articles about bands I like and introduce me to good music, although neither are successful enough to be called the "new big music magazine".

I'm pretty sure you want to avoid NME.

Uncut, Mojo, Q and Word are good for the sort of stuff you named, and they each come with a CD/free download list...

How old is this sister, and how much of a music nerd is she?

For tastes like the ones you describe, Rolling Stone doesn't seem like that bad a choice.

Alternately, I kinda like Alternative Press, though it might be too 'alternative.' And there are some British magazines that are pretty appealing to somebody like me (Mojo, Q, etc.), but may be too music-geek for her (and they're way overpriced for Americans, which may be an issue). And URB is really good, except that it focuses pretty heavily on genres that the young lady doesn't enjoy.

She is 16 going on 17, music nerdiness unknown, but certainly much less nerdy than me. I would get her a Rolling Stone subscription, except I secretly want her to listen to bands I like, rather than bands that everyone else likes!

(Isn't it my job, as her soon-to-be-older-sister-in-law, to shamelessly remake her in my image?).

Forgot to add: We're in the US.

How about Spin? They probably cover a lot of bands you like, and it's definitely aimed a little younger than RS is.

(I think you should get her two subscriptions. If the kid wants RS, give her RS--and something better. Besides, reading two music magazines will encourage lots of worthwhile insights about advertising, marketing, pr and the culture industries in general. I am a nerd.)

Ewww, not Q! Q was good about 10 years ago, but there's a really good reason its circulation is drastically reduced these days. Mojo is very good for the classic stuff you've mentioned but still carries reviews of all the new releases. It might be a bit pricey for a non-UK subscription. A lot of people swear by Uncut as well, but I've never read it. Same thing with the subscription rate as it's a UK-based mag.

For the type of music you mentioned, Mojo, definitely. And yes, it's way over-priced in the US. If I hadn't gotten a gift subscription, I'd still be picking it up on the newssatnd every month. Uncut covers much the same ground as Mojo but is by far the weaker of the two.

I subscribe to Relix. The free monthly mix CD is worth the subscription. YMMV.

Personally, I wouldn't do Alternative Press unless she is into hardcore or screamo. The British mags are usually pretty good, and some will cover a lot of the old stuff she already likes in addition to the new stuff she just doesn't realize she loves yet.

Man, I hate my subscription to Paste. They claim to be about signs of life in music film and culture, but the music at least, especially on the CD sounds exactly the same from song to song from month to month. Twee, adult-contemporary stuff. Nothing with any teeth to it. I've switched over to STOPSMILING, which isn't much about music, but is altogether more eclectically satisfying.

drezdn! I got a Scarring Party T-shirt in the mail the other day. Can't wait to hear your new album!

What sciurus said, regarding Paste. That, and they alwyas seemed much more concerned with their design and lay-out than they were with music, film or culture.

I am actually capable of posting without typos. Just not tonight.

I subscribed to Paste starting a few years back, and for a while I really evangelized for that magazine. But I recently decided to cancel my subscription. The thing is, they make some decent band picks, but the writing is flabby and unfocused. I think they rely way too much on image, selling the 'Paste' identity (we're mature but still cool and we have great taste), and graphic design, and have forgotten to pay attention to the fact that a print publication (that's not about fashion or art photography) really has to contain good writing.

What to replace them with? I don't know. For music writing, there's very little. The music issue of the Oxford American has more great music content than a year of many other magazines. The local arts and culture rag does a great job describing bands on the local scene. My best music recommendations come through friends, online radio, and the local freeform station.

Harp is OK. The writing is hit and miss, but I think their heart is in the right place. And that's what you call "damning with faint praise". Ditto for Magent, although aren't nearly as clever as they think they are.

I used to be a huge fan of The Big Takeover, but I'm letting my subscription lapse. The interviews are still well-done, but Jack seems to have decided "I'm older now, so I don't want to listen to loud music anymore". Which is perfectly fine; the problem is, I'm older, too, (older than he is, I think) and I still like it loud.

It's a real shame that there's not an American music magazine of Mojo's caliber. Not that Mojo is the be-all and end-all, but it is, at the moment, the best of a sorry lot.

Dammit: although they aren't nearly as clever.

*is buried under huge stack of old Creem back issues*

I think this year's Oxford American music cd is kind of a letdown, compared to ones from past years. Where's the Zora Neale Hurston, or the Nugrape Twins, or the song about Muhammad Ali? And don't tell me it's a fairly common Thelonious Monk song, or 'Cadillac on 22s.'

Oh, get copies of Uncut back issues! It used to be the greatest fucking music mag EVER plus it had film stuff too, but lately, it's still $12.50 and much lighter and more tabloidy, with more lists and shit. Shame on you Allan Jones!

I've tried Paste(on Miko's rec, actually) and I think I got in too late. Maybe it's time I tried a couple issues of Mojo. The last one I read had an article that professed to think that Steven Tyler was a wise man, but in fast, proved him to be a real fuckwit I found.

This is now, officially, a typo thread. I called it.

,but in fact,

Is the new Oxford American music issue out? Hot damn! Thank's for mentioning that, box, even if the CD is weak. (I'm hoping you're wrong on that count.)

Thank's? Thank's?

Will somebody please come break my typing fingers?