Despite a painfully shy, introverted personality and a case of stage fright that makes Liz Phair seem like Mick Jagger, Windy City songsmith Kevin Tihista has carved out a nice little niche for himself so far. For years, the former Triple Fast Action and Veruca Salt sideman's songwriting chops lay dormant, only to erupt a few years ago like Krakatoa, spewing song after song of breathy, love-laced '70s AM pop that belies his awkward, diffident persona.

Much as its name implies, Home Demons Volume 1 is a collection of demos, home recordings and studio outtakes culled from sessions for each of Tihista's three full-lengths, the majority of which are seeing the light of day for the first time. Even in these quietest of moments, Tihista is more enigmatic than almost any other singer/songwriter currently performing -- his fractured croon and wayward melodic intuition wrap his songs in the same hooky vapor and lovelorn irony that fueled Nick Lowe and Dave Mason (to whom he pays knowing homage here with a lovely cover of "We Just Disagree").

There are a million idiots with guitars who fancy themselves the next Elliott Smith or Ben Gibbard. The thing that makes Tihista different from them is his desire to rewrite the past rather than dwell in it. "Wake Up Captain", the aborted title track from Tihista's last opus, is unveiled here in all its shimmery glory, with sumptuous minor-key strumming and a chorus that's guaranteed to break hearts wide open. "Idiots" is reminiscent of latter-day TFA, its buzzy electronic undercurrent and cascading piano lines struggling to keep up with Tihista's mile-a-minute ruminations. The lilting, mellifluous "Stratford Upon Avon" is his paean to Nick Drake, a dreamlike expanse of swimmy choruses and gently plucked acoustic fluttering. The aforementioned "We Just Disagree" is fully polished, adorned with swooning strings and a deliciously delicate vocal performance from Tihista. It deserves the same hit status bestowed upon the original in 1977.

Home Demons Volume 1 adds another riveting page to the tattered diary of one of the nation's most gifted and prolific songwriters. As with some of the most beloved albums in history, it seems slightly incomplete, a work in progress from a performer who is himself a work in progress -- the hardest working man in Chicago, he of the golden voice and endless melody.