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How I Learned to Write Backwards

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How I Learned to Write Backwards
A drawing of buildings
Studio album by
The Aislers Set
ReleasedFebruary 18, 2003 (2003-02-18)
Recorded2002
StudioAmy's Garage, San Francisco, California, US
Length30:10
LanguageEnglish
LabelSlumberland Records/Suicide Squeeze Records
The Aislers Set chronology
The Last Match
(2000) 		How I Learned to Write Backwards
(2003)

How I Learned to Write Backwards is the third full-length studio album by American indie pop band The Aislers Set, released in 2003. It has received positive reviews from critics.

Reception

Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4.5 out of 5 stars, with critic Fred Thomas writing that How I Learned to Write Backwards is the "brightest album from San Francisco retro-minded indie pop sweethearts the Aislers Set", which continues to draw on primary songwriter Amy Linton's 1960s pop inspirations while adding "looming paranoia and youthful lightheartedness" that he compares to Laura Nyro and Judee Sill that makes "a masterwork in an unflinchingly great catalog, easily their most comprehensive statement and full of a foggy kind of bliss that no other band after them ever quite replicated".[1] 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 recalls several 1960s girl groups mixed with "sadness", "dour minimalism", and "thrashing noise pop" that results in emotional catharsis.[2] Editors at Pitchfork Media scored this release 8.0 out of 10 and critic Jason Heller called this release songwriter Amy Linton's most assured, and her self-observational lyrics about pensive days and sleepless nights circumvent the band’s carefully constructed cuteness and slip straight into the heart" with a mix of uplifting sounds and "a deflated ennui".[3] Writing for PopMatters in 2014, Zachary Houle rated this album a 7 out of 10, called the music "arguably the band’s darkest hour, [but] still affirming and affecting, the final piece in a wonderful trilogy of albums".[4] 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.[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Amy Linton, except where noted.

  1. "Friends of the Heroes" – 3:27
  2. "California" – 3:13
  3. "Holiday Gone Well" – 3:25
  4. "Alicia's Song" – 4:28
  5. "I've Been Mistreated" – 2:29
  6. "Mary's Song" – 5:17
  7. "Why Baby" (Wyatt Cusick) – 1:54
  8. "Long Division" – 2:33
  9. "London Madrid" – 3:38
  10. "Cocksure Whistler" – 2:22
  11. "Army Street" – 3:24
  12. "Falling Buildings" – 2:44
  13. "Jaime's Song" – 4:02
  14. "My Boyfriend (Could Be a Spanish Man)" – 1:57

Personnel

The Aisler Set

  • Wyatt Cusick – guitar on "Mary's Song", "Why Baby", "Long Division", and "Falling Buildings"
  • Amy Linton – guitar, instrumentation, vocals, production, artwork
  • Yoshi Nakamoto – drums on "Mary's Song", "Why Baby", "Long Division", and "Falling Buildings"
  • Alicia Vanden Heuvel – bass guitar on "Mary's Song", "Why Baby", "Long Division", and "Falling Buildings"

Additional personnel

  • George Horn – audio mastering at Fantasy Studios
  • Chris Daddio – mixing to digital audio tape on "I've Been Mistreated" and "My Boyfriend (Could Be a Spanish Man)"
  • Jamie McCormick – audio engineering on "I've Been Mistreated" and "My Boyfriend (Could Be a Spanish Man)"
  • Mike Schulman – layout

Distributed By – Revolver USA Mastered At – West West Side Music Recorded At – Amy's Garage, San Francisco, CA Lacquer Cut At – AcousTech Mastering Mastered At – Record Technology Incorporated – 8917 Lacquer Cut By – KPG* Mastered By – Alan* Performer – Alicia Van den Heuvel*, Amy Linton, Jen Cohen, Wyatt Cusick, Yoshi Nakamoto Performer [Adjunct Member] – Dan Lee, Gary Olson, Stormy Knight Performer [Playing With Us] – Dallas Kavanaugh, Jon Reuter, Sara Jaffe, Stormy Knight Recorded By – The Aislers Set

Remastered by John Greenham at Infrasonic Sound in Los Angeles, CA. Resequenced by Linton and Kenji Kitahama. -->

See also

References

  1. ^ Thomas, Fred (n.d.). "How I Learned to Write Backwards – The Aisler Set". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Lindsay, Cam (September 29, 2014). "The Aisler Set". Exclaim!. ISSN 1207-6600. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  3. ^ Heller, Jason (September 30, 2014). "The Aislers Set: Terrible Things Happen/The Last Match/How I Learned to Write Backwards Album Review". Albums. Pitchfork Media. Condé Nast. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Houle, Zachary (October 17, 2014). "The Aislers Set: How I Learned to Write Backwards". Reviews. PopMatters. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  5. ^ Glauner, Jim (n.d.). "Aisler Set". Trouser Press. ISSN 0164-1883. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
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