If you want to download songs/albums: Soulseek.
It's very user-driven, you download directly from other people. The downside of this is that if you aren't sharing yourself you might get banned and people can go offline (which means trying at a later time might get better results) but ultimately I wouldn't want to use anything else. It very clearly shows the songs' title, length and bitrate (if you see one song "01 -
song title" and another "03-
artist-
album-song title" or just different bitrates it might mean the person has different rips and not download it), I've found 99% of albums I've ever looked for on there (save for some underground hip-hop tapes) and with a bit of luck you'll find someone with a high download speed.
So Da_Funk you could use that to get Mike Doughty material. If you end up using the material don't use any '-' (hypen) in the title because the program takes that to mean you wish to exclude something. Just type in the artist and album name and you'll get a list. Best downloads will be the ones with a high download speed (obviously) that are marked in black. Results in gray will mean that you'll be in a queue (low queues are also a good option). If the download doesn't start immediately you can select the tracks (in your 'Transfers' section), right click and 'Get place in line'. It will usually but not always gives a number as to what number the song is in the queue (it won't refresh so the number stays).
It might take some getting used to but it's a very simple program. Highly recommended.
That rateyourmusic site, the top albums section in indie rock? Yeah man. Wow. Not saying I've heard every one of them, but the albums you haven't heard on that list, you need to hear 'em.
Right? Excellent site if you're looking for new music. Just pick a genre and you're off.