| Terrible Things Happen | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | the Aislers Set |
| Cover: | The Aislers Set - Terrible Things Happen.jpg |
| Alt: | A drawing of steel beams wrapped up onto themselves |
| Studio: | Amy's Garage, San Francisco, California, US |
| Genre: | Indie pop |
| Language: | English |
| Label: | Slumberland |
| Producer: | Amy Linton |
| Next Title: | The Last Match |
| Next Year: | 2000 |
Terrible Things Happen is the debut album by American indie pop band the Aislers Set, released by Slumberland Records in 1998. It has received positive reviews from critics.
Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Fred Thomas writing that "Terrible Things Happen finds the band still in a very fresh, embryonic state" that shows songwriter Amy Linton's 1960s musical influences that makes "a strong collection... gathering together the raw materials of Linton's knack for homespun production, heartbreaking melodies, and unexpected songwriting twists that would just get stronger and stronger as the band marched on". At Exclaim!, Cam Lindsey reviewed all three of the band's full-length studio albums upon their 2014 rerelease, scoring them a 9 out of 10, stating that this album includes many pop styles from the 1960s and "the nosier side of C86", resulting in "a template for a whole new generation to ape a decade later". Editors at Pitchfork Media scored this release 7.8 out of 10 and critic Jason Heller called this release "a sea change" that marked Linton's songwriting from the more punk-influenced work in Henry's Dress with "layered harmonies, dynamic shifts between distorted riffs and acoustic strumming, adventurous arrangements, and dreamy, chanson ambience straight out of a David Lynch roadhouse". Writing for PopMatters in 2014, John L. Murphy rated the band's first two albums a 7 out of 10, alongside the band's 2000 effort The Last Match and called the music on this debut album "a fresh template" that includes several influences that previous critics have heard in the band's music and continued that "updating the sounds of the past, post-punk and girl-group, on this reissue, these songs remain some of Linton’s best". Jim Glauner wrote an overview of the band for Trouser Press where he called Terrible Things Happen a document of Linton's signature sound among a muddy mix and he praised her vocals and musicianship.
All songs written by Amy Linton, except where noted.
The Aisler Set
Additional personnel