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With fegmaniacs still combing through the B-sides and outtakes dotting his recent I Wanna Go Backwards box, Robyn Hitchcock serves up yet another platterful of rarities. Shadow Cat, issued in the U.K. by the label run by Terry Edwards (Higsons, Gallon Drunk, Scapegoats), comprises 14 cuts recorded between 1993-99. For the most part, these are solo tracks, with Edwards guesting on two numbers and Moris Teper contributing acoustic guitar on the olde-school Brit-folk title tune. Frustratingly, there’s no track annotation other than general production credits (Jon Brion oversaw a handful), so you’re left guessing about specific vintages. But matter; in songs such as the stately guitar/piano pop nugget “The Green Boy” or the strummy/twangy “Beautiful Shock,” all the Hitchcock hallmarks we’ve come to love — skewed lyrical wit, jittery yet unerringly melodic arrangements, and a steady rush of emotions — are present and accounted for. If one man’s trash in another’s treasure, then this guy’s cast-aside tracks become our cherished gems.

Standout Tracks: “The Green Boy,” “Beautiful Shock” FRED MILLS