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Bob Wratten's broken heart started all of this, a remorseful outlet to work again with ex-throb and former TBS vocalist Annemari Davies. As things happen, the Stars started to shine at a time when his indie pop songsmithing for The Field Mice (his former band) began to dwindle.

Over the course of the Stars' last three discs, Wratten's downtrodden tunes have strayed through grainy, 4AD-ish atmospheres, trip hop transistors and wayward folk pop. A fascinating blend of emotionally-strained melancholy and effervescent-tinged melodies, Wratten's sweet 'n sour mix is a harvest of "happy hurt," tunes that would have you skipping down the street if they weren't ripping at the veins in your wrist.

"The ghost of an unkissed kiss," Wratten sings the title's stanza, "a field of snow without footprints/it'll always be perfect/but we didn't get to live it." "Smile" benefits from working with a permanent band for the first time, who add subtle keyboard flourishes and effortless phrasing to Wratten's fragile words.

One part of me wishes him luck on the contentment that evades him. The other part hopes he keeps creating some of the best lovesick stanzas on the planet.