Au Pairs, Playing with a Different Sex (side A)

Au Pairs' classic 1981 debut Playing with a Different Sex successfully stays raw enough to maintain its punk rock directness without becoming so awkward to be distracting.  The obvious force of energy comes from Lesley Woods's amazingly powerful vocals—she's clearly aware of the lyrics' blunt content as she's delivering them.  The band was obviously recorded playing live—the tempos vary a bit and the band sometimes pushes and pulls against them.  It's especially obvious at the beginning of "Headache for Michelle", where they're straining to keep the slow tempo before the song speeds up.  "Headache" is also interesting because the drum sound diverges from everything before it, likely because most of the song is played with the snares turned off.  Even the bass drum sounds rounder and deeper here with less beater.  All of the mixes are very simple and straightforward, which draws attention to the drastic, dub-influenced effects frequently employed on the guitars.  The front cover image of women from an unknown culture wearing bright colors and carrying guns is as jarring as Woods's consistently pointed lyrics, and the accompanying text matches perfectly.