Rocketship – A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness (30th Anniversary Edition)

An outsider, even in its time, the debut from Sacramento’s Rocketship found its footing somewhere between the jangled and jeweled gardens of twee pop and the headier burbling of Radiophonic plug jockeys like Stereolab, Broadcast, and Unrest. The band’s debut feels somehow completely at home among its Slumberland peers and completely incongruous. With singer/songwriter guitarist Dustin Reske at the helm, the band formed in 1994 with a single on The Bus Stop label before working on their debut for Slumberland. Though the early single hints at some of what would come, it largely sink its teeth into the indie pop of their peers. Short, punchy songs permeate the 7” making the longer builds and patient place setting of “Let’s Go Away” come as a real surprise when the album came together only a few short years later.

The insertion of a heavier hand on ‘60s psychedelics tips the tone away from breezy harmonies and helium hooks, letting keyboardist Heidi Barney’s embellishments shine atop the band’s propulsive kick and gauzy atmospheres. Lost between The Paisley Underground, Twee Tone dreamers, and a new appreciation for the Krautrock core, the record is often at its best while letting its pop impulses become washed away by its more experimental ones. The aforementioned “Let’s Go Away” pushes the boundaries at 6 and a half minutes, far outstripping many of their 45-centric peers. Yet, they go deeper with buzzing noise walls that set the stage for Broadcast’s brand of reverberating bliss a few short years later on tracks like “Carrie Cooksey.” The record is a true hidden gem, a smudged masterpiece that’s been lost and found a dozen times since it’s release 30 years ago. It’s great to see it back in discussion and back in print. One of the year’s essential reissues to be certain!

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