I LOVE Adam’s dark, vulnerable side.

Listen to my favorite track off of Trespassing, the gorgeously brooding Underneath, and you’ll see that this is one artist who doesn’t need glitter to sparkle.

Nelly Furtado has dropped the music video to her new summer banger Big Hoops (The Bigger the Better), taken off her fifth studio album The Spirit Indestructible, set to drop on June 19th. Directed by X, the video was shot in downtown LA and features Nelly on giant ass stilts with a performance from World Champion Native American hoop dancers.

Basically, it’s a pretty cool vid.

Check it!

Don’t judge a band by its cover. (No, no, that’s not a bad pun.)

First glance and Never Shout Never seems like saccharine eye candy, nothing more. All I had to do was take a listen, and these harsh first impressions were quickly disbanded.

They’re not just another pretty boy band. Rather, they are what I would call psychedelic rock in contemporary form. A trance rock coating with a soft, chewy synth-pop centre. Because of their affiliated genres, many of their songs are increasingly dream-like. It’s like an e trip without any of the cognitive repercussions! Yay!

Resounding within the trance are lyrics that are finely tuned and poetic in hope. Mr. Ingle is what I would call a haunting front-man with a lot of potential.

Their first collaborations don’t indicate the tight approach found in their third album, which was released last year. Time Travel is their landmark, and a taste of the goodies up ahead. They are clearly maturing as artists and expanding in their skills, which will be a delight for my ears.

I’m getting excited for their latest dive in the scene, set to be released in the fall. Very much like Marianas Trench, I have a feeling these guys are just going to get better and better.

We’ll see, won’t we?

NATHAN BLUMENFELD-JAMES of EARLY MORNING REBEL: Dustin and I have been best friends and creative partners since we were 14 years old. We have been writing, recording and producing together ever since. A year ago, we were hitting a wall with some of the projects we were working on, and decided to start fresh. We recruited Josh Mervin to play drums and keyboards, and we’ve been working together for 8 months.

MC: Where did the name Early Morning Rebel come from?

EMR: Dustin and I used to play a game where we would come up with band names for fun. We had compiled over 300. When we decided to start a new band, we started going through the list. Over 200 of them were too ridiculous and perverse. We tried on a few names while we were recording early on, and none of them felt right. I brought Early Morning Rebel up and we all knew it was the one. It fit and made complete sense with the music.

MC: How was the music scene growing up in California? Did you always dream of making it big?

EMR: I have always known that I wanted to be a musician/artist/performer. And of course, success is the dream. More than anything I am grateful I get to do what I love. Growing up in California, the music scene was great. It’s a tough town to break into, because there are so many bands. But the LA music scene history is undeniable, from Laurel Canyon to LA punk bands, to the great hip hop and singer/songwriters.

MC: It’s my understanding you guys got somewhat of a big break from Grey’s Anatomy. I can imagine you guys want to part ways from people mentioning this. [Laughs]

EMR: Not at all. It was an honor to have ‘Life Boat’ on Grey’s. They are known for having great music, and they used it really well. We are looking forward to getting more of our songs on great shows like that.

MC: Do you guys have a favorite venue to play at?

EMR: We have played all LA venues in various bands. One of our favorite smaller venues in LA is The Troubador. It has a great history and good sound.

MC: Your new single ‘Burn Us Down’ is so dope. Where did the concept of this track come from?

EMR: It was one of the first songs we wrote when we started the band. The intention was to write a “Blood Boiler”. We wanted to have that raw energy, but do it in a somewhat anthemic way.

MC: What are the plans for the summer? Touring?

EMR: We are doing a West Coast tour in June, and then doing New York, London, Paris Fashion Weeks… The plan is to come back to the states for tour and do UK as well.

MC: For people who don’t know of you just yet, how would you describe your music?

EMR: A friend of ours described it as INDIE POP NOIR. You could say indie… alternative… pop sensibilities… but most of all, we hope it feels authentic.

Yesterday was painfully embarrassing. Today, I have faith. 1st President to ever support gay marriage. Wow. Obama is a certified bad ass! SO PROUD!

Let’s Rosa Parks these bitches!

And one more thing…

EAT IT, NORTH CAROLINA.

Free single of the week time on i-Tunes, kids! Get on it; times are tough! This week, Animal Kingdom’s Strange Attractor is the chosen one. This English quartet has something so soothing and calming about their sound that it just leaves you in the mood. Almost “dream pop” if you will.

Their upcoming album, The Looking Away, will be released digitally 05/08.

I’m looking forward to getting to know these guys better. Check them out!

The track, like most that Ryan’s fingers touch, is butter.

Strange Clouds is available now on iTunes, and features collaborations with Taylor Swift (listen to that sucker HERE), Chris Brown & T.I., and Nicki Minaj (among others). Listen to the above-mentioned track below!

Totally diggin’ this fresh pop punk band out of LA! Meet Scouts: Morgan Freed (vocals, guitar), Stephen Soss (guitars, keyboards), and Jerrod Bettis (drums, keys, vocals). I’m not fully versed in the band’s story, but I do know that I’m liking what the boys are doing so far, including the stylish music video for their single Skeleton — a track taken off their self-titled EP.

Watch the just-released clip (directed by Thomas Trail) below.