*** Robyn Hitchcock, “Moss Elixir,” Warner Bros....

*** Robyn Hitchcock, “Moss Elixir,” Warner Bros. This British cult figure paints his world with a surrealist’s twist, morphing majestic cats and dirty birds into metaphors for love, sex, time and death. Now with a new label and without the Egyptians, Hitchcock packs his seventh solo album with fantastic songwriting and shimmering yet economical guitar-pop. His best, most introspective and rewarding work in almost a decade.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).