If you never knew that Of Montreal recorded enough material to have a rarities collection, then Daughter of Cloud is an education into the process of recording B-sides and tracks that were never previously included on any other album. In other words, none of these tracks are close to the worthy goodness of a real Of Montreal record.

The tracks on Daughter of Cloud all seem to hit a true sense of juvenilia with over-the-top sexual discussions that would be right at home with Dr. Ruth, to the utterly weird “Hindlopp Stat” that seems to risk either being a misunderstood parody of indie rock along the lines of Blur’s “Song 2” or a pale attempt to sound like Radiohead. Like most rarities collections, Daughter of Cloud is filled with songs that you are likely happy never made it to a main studio album, with the exception of the solid “Psychotic Feeling,” which is probably the best Of Montreal song you’ve never heard. Otherwise, this entire album feels like a throwaway.

Outside of “Psychotic Feeling,” nothing on this album really needed a mass release. It’s all fun stuff for Of Montreal fans, but it’s really nothing to get worked up over. The great tracks are few, the okay tracks are many, and the bad tracks — like “Sails, Hermaphroditic,” “Georgie’s Lament,” and the unlistenable “Partizan Terminus” — are just bad enough to make this album hard to swallow on the whole.

If you are a diehard fan of Of Montreal, then you’ll be just fine with this record. Just don’t use it to introduce Of Montreal to your friends who aren’t hip enough to have heard of these guys. You’ll scar them for life.

(Polyvinyl Record Company, 206 N. Randolph Street, Suite M100, Champaign, IL 61820)