The Aislers Set
Terrible Things Happen (Reissue)
Slumberland Records
Street: 09.23
The Aislers Set = Marine Girls + The Softies

The Aislers Set began in the quiet year of 1997 as the songwriting project of Amy Linton, co-founder of beloved SF noisemakers Henry’s Dress and drummer of the Rose Melberg–fronted twee pop band Go Sailor. As with any of Linton’s projects, their hooks were big enough for a commercial fishing outfit, yet their melodies as subtly graceful and varied as a school of fish. Recorded on an 8-track recorder in Linton’s home, Terrible Things Happen set the tone for the Aislers sound—retrofitted riffs and smash lyricism, perching listeners on the edge of a swiftly turning stack of dimes, each faced by mod, punk, pop and noise. Between the daydream pop of “Friends of the Heroes,” the railroad-racin’ rhythm of “Holiday Gone Well” and the balladry of “Alicia’s Song,” “Mary’s Song” and “Jaime’s Song,” the Aislers exude the sharpest of indie pop credentials on Terrible Things Happen. –Christian Schultz