{"product_id":"a-certain-smile-a-certain-sadness","title":"A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness","description":"\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRocketship\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eare one those rare groups who don’t release a lot of records, but when they do, they\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ereally\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecount. Back when\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSlumberland\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efirst released\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein January 1996, the LP had a rippling impact on the international indiepop scene, and even today yr bound to hear their influence on new kids on the block\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Cords\u003c\/strong\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Umbrellas\u003c\/strong\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChime School\u003c\/strong\u003e, etcetera.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHey, Hey Girl\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esingle on Bus Stop was a complete killer, and everybody was dying to see what would come next. The two tracks on Slumberland’s\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy Popstars Can’t Dance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecompilation (which is definitely worth scoping out if you haven’t heard it before) further upped the stakes – could their album possibly be as good as we would hope?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe answer was an emphatic “YES!”. Dustin, Heidi, Verna and Jim outdid themselves on this gorgeous record, blending their patented swoon-some pop confections with spacey interludes and a judicious use of repetition. Every track is perfectly honed gem, sparkling in its completeness. From the breathless rush of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI Love You Like The Way I Used To Do\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto the sublime\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKisses Are Always Promises\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eto the ineffably sad\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFriendships and Love\u003c\/strong\u003e, this amazing record continues to prove its indie pop holy grail status with its melodic invention. Effortless mastery of the pop idiom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo pop fan should miss this one (but you knew that already) and no collection is complete without it, so we’re very happy to bring you this 30th anniversary reissue edition on gorgeous metallic copper vinyl LP. With gratitude to our friends at Slumberland as always.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Slumberland","offers":[{"title":"Exclusive metallic copper swirl LP","offer_id":54010287391062,"sku":"MRM-05615","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/6088\/9430\/files\/Screenshot-2026-05-27-at-15.27.43.png?v=1779892403","url":"https:\/\/monorailmusic.com\/products\/a-certain-smile-a-certain-sadness","provider":"Monorail Music","version":"1.0","type":"link"}