Chris Brown knows he has some stiff competition at this year’s VMAs. After hearing he’s up against Lil Wayne, Usher, T.I. and Flo Rida, the Best Male Video nominee for his “With You” clip told MTV News, “I lost. There’s, like, a 5 percent chance now. Wayne is definitely on top of his game right now. He might win. He has the flavor.” There’s also one other nominee that 19-year-old Brown owes some props to: “Usher has been in the game for a while.” He does have some other opportunities to get himself a piece of a Moonman: His clip with Jordin Sparks for “No Air” has been nominated for Best Female Video, and voting for Best Dancing in a Video will begin after Friday’s “FNMTV.” Brown is really just looking forward to having fun and rocking out on September 7 when the VMA festivities go down. “I think it’s going to be crazy,” he said. “Like, I don’t know if I’m performing this year or next year, but I want to see what the old school gonna do.” Until then, Brown has a hit single to keep him busy. And the song “Forever” is not only the #3 song in the country — it’s also the new jingle for Wrigley’s Doublemint gum. Brown, fellow R&B hitmaker Ne-Yo and “Dancing With the Stars” dancer-turned-country singer Julianne Hough recorded their own versions of classic Wrigley jingles. “When I first recorded the song, I didn’t think it was going to be a jingle or anything like that. When the song came out,” he said, “I fell in love with the record.”

The first track from the Kings Of Leon’s new album will be available to download for free through NME.COM today (July 28). If you click here from after 3pm you can get ‘Crawl’ for free. The track is is the first song to be taken from the band’s fourth album ‘Only By The Night’ (out September 22), and it was the opening track in Kings Of Leon’s set at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. ‘Crawl’ will only be available as a free download for a limited time.

Artist: Robin ThickeSong: ‘Magic’Why You Should Watch: The Grammy-winning R&B singer takes you on a magical journey — funny mirrors and space travel included. Buy ‘Magic’ on iTunes.

Mute Records has a 30-year history of releasing the finest in electronic, experimental, post-punk, art rock, avant-garde, and alternative music, and this new album by Irmin Schmidt & Kumo is another prime example of the quality and ever-progressive direction of the label’s offerings. Irmin Schmidt was founder member and keyboardist for the legendary German avant-garde rock group Can and Kumo (aka Jono Podmore) is a breakbeat pioneer and producer. Sound like an interesting combination? Well, it is. You might gather from the album’s cover art, a powder-white naked man and woman whose red veins are visible through their skin and who have Mexican salamander heads, that this is not going to be a mainstream pop affair. Axolotl Eyes is filled with music that beautifully contrasts synthetic and ‘real’ instrumentation. Kumo’s scintillating beats, shimmering grooves, and sonorous bass perfectly envelope Schmidt’s meandering piano excursions. Several tracks also feature Paul J Fredericks on vocals, Ian Dixon on trumpet and throughout Schmidt and Kumo keep it interesting blending together theremin, slide guitar, keyboards, and violin with the crackling synthetic beats and atmospheres. This is a big departure from Schmidt’s Can days, but I think any Can fan would know that the one thing you can expect from the ex-Can men is experimentation and pushing the boundaries of sound. The set also comes with a bonus 5.1 surround sound DVD of the sound installation Flies, Guys and Choirs, created by Kumo, Sandra Podmore, and Kate Shipp. The film was first conceived for Londonís Barbican Centre in 2001 and also screened at the Sonar festival, Barcelona and Les Chants Mechaniques festival in Lille. It’s certainly trippy with its psychedelically-effected close-ups of insects, fish, and other natural things, accompanied by quietly forceful environmental music. The album is out now on Mute Records in the U.S. (Spoon Records in the U.K.) and is another excellent chapter in Irmin Schmidt’s long and adventurous recording career. You can preview tracks at Irmin Schmidt & Kumo’s MySpace page.

"When I was a kid," he told the crowd, "I just wanted to make a record. That was it. I really had no vision I would be 56 years old and make 23 albums." But now the Indiana rocker, once called Johnny Cougar, finds himself 32 years into a still-potent career. For his new album (released July 15 on Hear Music) Mellencamp collaborated with producer T Bone Burnett not only on the record's austere and textured sound but also on CODE, a high-definition sound process developed by Burnett that's featured on the DVD version of the album. Mellencamp is still basking in the glow of his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in March, but he's hardly resting on his laurels. Q: As you've said, "Life Death Love and Freedom" is not "a sing-along album." It handles some big and serious issues and questions. What was the creative charge or mission you felt as you set out to make this? John Mellencamp: All of these songs were written in a 15-day period. I had no intention of writing songs for a record; (they) just sort of happened. One would be making an error to personalize these songs too much. (They) were written in the American Songbook tradition. Q: What led you to work with T Bone Burnett for this album, and what did he bring to the party that led to what we hear on "Life Death Love and Freedom," thematically and sonically? Mellencamp: I've known T Bone for about 10 years … T Bone Burnett knows more about music from 1960 backwards than anyone I have ever met. Regardless of how the record turned out, he and I became very good friends. Our friendship became more important than the record. It's very rare that you make a musical friend. Q: How would you describe the path you've taken during these 23 albums? I would contend there's been a thread through them all, that the landscape on "Life Death Love and Freedom" is indeed the same world "Jack & Diane" inhabited, only 26 years later. How do you see it? Mellencamp: All of these records are the same to me. The songwriting all comes from the same place. But it's how we choose to use the band that changes. I have been fortunate enough to go from being a young man to an old man. Q: How does CODE allow you to present your music in a way that's more satisfying as an artist? Mellencamp: Digital technology was sold by the record companies as a better sound. But us guys who make the records always knew different. CODE gives a wider band range to allow the sound to be captured in a more analog way, if that makes any sense to you at all. Q: Musicians, including yourself, played an active role in the 2004 presidential election. What impact do you think you had, and what do you see as your role, if any, in this year's campaign? Mellencamp: Slowly but surely, this country changes by the men that we elect and admire. If my music can help change the culture in any small way, then let the change be near. Q: What made Hear Music a good fit for this album? Are you on a record-to-record deal with it? Mellencamp: Hear Music is strictly a logo now. This record is being worked by Concord Records. I was with PolyGram for 25 years, (so) I have no desire or need for any long-term record contracts. Reuters/Billboard

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has failed in his bid to become a London councillor. Rowntree, who had been representing Labour in his bid for the Church Street seat in the Westminster City Council, lost out to Conservative nominee Mehfuz Ahmed, reports BBC news. Rowntree lost by 303 votes, with Ahmed triumphing with 955 votes in a 24 per cent turnout. The drummer had previously come third in a London by-election last year. However, he has been selected as the prospective parliamentary Labour candidate for the Cities of London & Westminster constituency in the next general election.

Is there an emptiness in your life that only more Backstreet Boys music can fill? Great news! The Backstreet Boys are working on their sixth album. The now-quartet recently hit up the studio while touring Europe, and plan to work on some more new material when their U.S. tour wraps in early September. Backstreeter Howie Dorough even says the group might work with pop producer extraordinaire Max Martin, who teamed with the Boys on their hits “I Want It That Way” and “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.” But wait, there’s more: Both Dorough and A.J. McLean are nearly finished working on their respective solo albums. Release dates for those solo discs have not been announced yet.

Last year, “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” combined to do more than a billion dollars in sales. With each game getting big sequels in the fall, the arms race is on to acquire the exclusive use of some of the biggest bands in history. Deals have already been struck to secure tracks from Jimi Hendrix, Guns n’ Roses and the Who, as well as the all- Aerosmith version of “Guitar Hero.” Click below for a peak inside the business of getting songs into the video game market. • Rock Games Battle For Bands

After missing his two previous hearings on the matter, the Babyshambles frontman finally appeared in British court today to cop to roughing up a paparazzo. Officially, Doherty pleaded guilty to a charge of causing criminal damage stemming from an encounter last summer. The Yeovil Magistrates Court accepted Doherty's plea, with the magistrate ruling that there was a "degree of provocation" in the incident before fining the rocker roughly $2,000. "Yeah, it was OK today. It should have been sorted out ages ago, to be honest," Doherty said outside the court. "It's been hanging over me a long time." Since last Aug. 22, to be exact. It was then that Doherty, accompanied by family while on a day's release from one of his many stays in rehab, took offense at being followed around town by paparazzo Catherine Mead. Proving again that Doherty and candid cameras don't mix, the volatile rocker took refuge in a store and, when Mead pursued, he grabbed her camera and smashed the lens. He was eventually arrested in December. Doherty was ordered to pay Mead roughly $1,800 for the damaged equipment. The remaining $200 fine went toward court fees. He was originally expected to enter his plea last Friday, but did not show at the courthouse. An arrest warrant was briefly issued but ultimately withdrawn after only a few hours after he pinky swore to appear in court today.

More people seem to be invested in Miley Cyrus’ trip to adulthood and maturity than will vote in the election. Ever since her conception at the hands of the robots at Disney, Miley’s been sheathed with the unavoidable fixation of the media and the unyielding adulation of fans everywhere. From the iniquitous Vanity Fair pictures to other shots of Miley in various stages of undress, her maturation has been a veritable goldmine for our celeb-obsessed culture and pervy granddads. All the while, Ms. Cyrus has been coated in the ditzy gloss of Disney mania. Given the mantle of the Innocent Teen, Miley betrayed us all by acting like the Normal Teen and getting busted cold for it. The truth came crashing down like a ton of glitzy bricks: Miley Cyrus was ours and she blew it. This girl can’t grow up. Not yet. We’re not prepared. So Miley apologized for the Vanity Fair stuff, denied a few rumours here or there, and was back in our good graces right up until the moment she started talking about a Sex-less show and her new album. Her new one was going to be more adult, more mature, and it was going to have nothing to do with that Hannah Montana crap. Uh-oh. Called Breakout, Miley’s latest is amazingly quite good and often very telling. The most evident and distinguished characteristic of the album is her voice. It’s quite good, not “OMFG good” just yet, but it’s certainly quite satisfying to listen to. And she’s not afraid to take risks with it. I expect she’s able to exhibit her vocal qualities better than any member of Danity Kane. Yeah, I went there. Don’t worry, parents, Miley’s not going all Madonna on your asses. The “provocative” nature of Breakout is largely confined to being dissatisfied, missing out on life a little, and kissing boys… ever so lightly… on the cheek. No bare skin, no backseat romps, no drugs, no smuggling immigrants across the border in the back of Billy Ray’s pickup truck. page 1 | 2