The Playlist: Ashlee Simpson, Flight of the Conchords

We round up the week's new music, so you don't have to.

The best new music this week? It's right here:

Ashlee Simpson: Bittersweet World
Discouraged neither by live television mishaps nor the general public's larger interest in her personal, rather than musical, life, Pete Wentz's main squeeze nevertheless returns with a Santagold-penned electrotrack that's extraordinary for making her sound totally unrecognizable. Now that's bittersweet.
Free Download: "Out of My Head (Ay Ya Ya)"

 

Flight of the Conchords: Flight of the Conchords
Everyone's favorite guitar-playing New Zealand comedy duo finally gets around to releasing all those wonderfully surreal pop songs that made their HBO show the highlight of our week. OK, we admit it, we have pretty boring weeks. But still, "Leggy Blonde" and "Business Time" are modern classics, and any CD that has a pop-up inside gets our vote.
Free Download: "Ladies of the World"

Elvis Costello & The Imposters: Momofuku
This just in: CDs are dead! According to Elvis Costello, at least, who this week releases his latest mystery-shrouded studio album exclusively on vinyl, with a digital download code in the package. Don't worry, he'll just reissue on plastic in a year.
MySpace: Elvis Costello

Also Out:  Barry Adamson, Back to the Cat; Blind Melon, For My Friends; Billy Bragg, Mr. Love & Justice; Cat Empire, So Many Nights; Dimitri from Paris, Return to the Playboy Mansion; Elbow, The Seldom Seen Kid; Jeff Healey, Mess of Blues; Donny Osmond, From Donny...With Love; Story of the Year, The Black Swan; Tokyo Police Club, Elephant Shell; Anna Ternheim, Halfway to Fivepoints; Armin van Buuren, Imagine; White Tie Affair, Walk This Way