How many times have you heard Flo Rida’s “Right Round” today?

I’m guessing maybe three times within the hour.

Radio stations, especially Top 40 stations, have a bad habit of repeating songs over and over; it gets dizzying.

Where’s the variety? The biggest problem with FM radio is that they fail to give airtime to up-and-coming artists who are making exciting music.

Instead, they regurgitate the same drivel with no intention to venture into different genres.

You may not realize it, but there’s a lot of brilliant new music out there just waiting to be listened to, and you won’t be able to find it on popular radio stations.

Discovering new music is like finding buried treasure. You just need to know where to find it. If you just keep your eyes and mind open, you’ll hit gold.

Here are a few bands that don’t quite meet the standards of mainstream radio for one reason or another, but they have the talent and music that will drive you wild.

Metric

Metric is one of those bands that have gotten bigger and better as the years have gone by.

It has become one of the most beloved and influential indie bands of our time, and while it hasn’t exactly exploded in popularity here in the United States, 2009 may be its year. Metric’s newest release “Fantasies” is a wonderful blend of new wave synth-pop and rock.

It’s a different look for them, but it fits them well.

“Help I’m Alive” is a hook-heavy song that perfectly sets up the rest of the album, which contains – dare I say – arena anthems like “Sick Muse” and “Gimme Sympathy,” as well as delicate soft jams like “Twilight Galaxy” and “Collect Call.”

Electric Touch

Here’s a hardworking band that after forming only about a year and a half ago is already touring with the Fratellis and playing festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza and the upcoming All Points West Festival in New Jersey in August.

Electric Touch has hit it big, and thanks to an exhilarating stage show and a solid self-titled debut, it is gaining popularity with each step they take.

Its new album has plenty of radio-friendly songs to go around, and perhaps in due time they will take over the airwaves, but for now you can quietly enjoy the dance-rock sweetness in songs like “Love In Our Hearts,” “Sonic Love” or “Call My Name.”

White Lies

What do you get when you mix Joy Division, Depeche Mode, the Cure and a depressed version of the Killers? Stumped?

Take a listen to White Lies, and you’ll see what I mean. Fresh out of the U.K., White Lies is ready to take over America with their debut album “To Lose My Life” that’s filled with brooding and moody tunes that are delightfully dreary.

Many, if not all, of the songs are related to death in one way or another, complete with vivid and at times profound lyrics, but don’t let this scare you because the melodies are dynamite.

Their post-punk sound is steady and ferocious, especially in rollicking songs like “Death,” “E.S.T.” and “To Lose My Life.” New wave never rocked this hard.

The Internet is a powerful tool – kids love it, parents don’t understand it and record companies absolutely hate it.

Over the past couple years, music blogs have become stronger and greater in number. This is where many new and undiscovered bands get most of their publicity, and readers just eat it up.

So thanks to the Internet and blogging, here are a few artists who are making a name for themselves in the blogosphere.

Little Boots

Her debut album doesn’t come out until next fall, but Victoria Hesketh, a.k.a. Little Boots, is already generating massive excitement over the internet. Think of a British version of Lady Gaga, but with a little more groove to her.

Little Boots’ first single, “Stuck on Repeat,” is an electro-pop disco with a thumping bass that will go right through your soul.

“Meddle” is another danceable single, and if you go on YouTube and check out live performances of this song, you will see how talented Little Boots really is.

She simultaneously plays the piano, a (very) mini synth keyboard and an instrument called a “tenori-on” which looks more like she’s playing Space Invaders.

You won’t see Lady Gaga pulling that off!

Wale

This Seinfeld fanatic is a man on a mission to change rap and hip hop as we know it. He’s got a flow and swagger like Kanye West, and his tracks are super catchy.

There’s a little something for everybody in Wale. If you’re a fan of Seinfeld, check out his “Mixtape About Nothing.”

If you’re down with a chilled-out sort of rap, you might want to give his remix to Duffy’s “Warwick Avenue” a listen.

Or if you just want to party, his killer new single “Chillin'” featuring Lady Gaga is just the ticket.

Take this opportunity to expand your musical horizons, because you never know what you might find.

Turn down that radio. It’s not going to help you here. Just turn on the computer and tune in to what’s really going down. The musical world knows no boundaries.