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Au Pairs "Playing With a Different Sex"

Alex from the other room: “What’s next?”

Me: “Aw Paris.”

Alex (without getting up or pausing for a second): “Nope, the Au Pairs.”

Needless to say, I’ve never heard of this band. The cover is what looks like two Native American or Asian girls running through a field with bayonets, it’s a very interesting image and pretty, I like it. The back cover is very pink and the first song is “We’re so Cool.” I hope this is a girl band. I was recorded in 1981. Okay, let’s put it on!

It is a girl singer! I really like her voice, it’s a little on the deeper side for a girl and she sometimes does like a low growly sound before saying a word, which I always love doing during karaoke. In a weird way she’s reminding me of a girl version of David Byrne’s voice. Am I totally off in thinking this?

On the second song she is singing in that sort of talk-singing style with a little bit of a Madonna accent. She sounds very cool and very 80s at the same time. I really like the guitar riff that keeps repeating in this song. So far I really like this music, it’s got a pop rock and roll feel to it, but not so mainstream. The breakdown part where she says “Will you dine with me tonight, will you dance and hold me tight, send me and orchid on Valentine’s day, what more need you say,” slows down the song for a minute and I really like it.

I’m excited to report that this album comes with lyrics and an awesome thing on the back of the liner notes. It’s a “Basal Temperature Chart for use with Brannan Fertility Thermometer.” It includes instructions with the words “tongue, mouth, lips, intercourse and throats” underlined. I love this so much and I’m not exactly sure why. I think because when music, especially rock music can be so male-centric and often misogynist, it’s so refreshing to see something “just for women” put out there, with no explanation, and no connection to the album other than the fact that women are writing this music, playing this music and singing this music. They’re also fertile AND sexual. Something like a fertility calculator talks about sex strictly from a woman’s perspective. It’s kind of a cool thing to think about while listening to this music. It’s also a cool thing to look at because it’s from 1981.

I really like this type of music, which wikipedia is telling me is called “post-punk.” Side two starts with a B-52’s-ish sounding song called “Come Again.” and it also has a guy singing on it. I love this song and could definitely see dancing to it. The repetitive sound of the bass really stands out for me and feels like it keeps this song going, the bass is the melody you would be twisting your body to while dancing. You want to twist your body to the bass and try to really listen to the lyrics at the same time while listening to this song.

From what I can tell after looking up the lead singer, Lesley Woods, she seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. She doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. That’s a bummer, because i would totally go see this band live in a second! I also would have really loved this band if I’d discovered them in college.

The last song, “It’s Obvious” repeats the phrase “you’re equal but different” over and over again at the end. WOAH then it sounds like it’s over but it starts again, but then just keeps playing over and over again like it’s skipping! But it sounds intentional! I just said to Alex, “is this skipping or is it supposed to sound like this?” He asked me if the needle is on the last groove of the record, which it is. Then he said, “There’s a thing called a lock groove, sometimes people put a repeating phrase on the last groove and let it play over and over again.” Me: “That’s awesome!!” He also told me that some times artists will etch secret message on the “inside ring” of the record, but we looked and this one just says “Birmingham” and Belfast, Bristol, Brixton.“ If that is a secret message, I don’t know what it means. Still pretty cool though. I’m really into lock grooves you guys, you can’t do that on an mp3 now can you?

Bottomline: This album gets an A+ in my book, I will definitely put it on again. I loved it.

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My collection of L7 cassettes

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Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPsayhitothewater

(This interview was conducted in Portuguese.)

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and hashtags chosen by Instagram’s Community Team. For a chance to be featured on the Instagram blog, follow @instagram and look for a post announcing the weekend’s project every Friday.

The goal this weekend is to make photos that creatively capture your own reflection in the water. Our inspiration for the challenge comes from Brazilian photographer César Ovalle (@cesinha), who created the #sayhitothewater hashtag. For César, this hashtag was a way to break away from his usual photographic style and connect with his community on a more personal level. “Since I rarely share photographs of myself on Instagram, this was a way to say, ‘Hi, this is me. I exist,’” he laughs. Fascinated by the natural mirrors that often emerge from urban puddles in his hometown of São Paulo, César can often be found searching for the perfect reflection after a big downpour. “The photos usually happen after rain comes through the city,” he explains. But rain or shine, César’s inspiration to make photographs comes from everyday life. “I try to photograph daily scenes with a different perspective, bringing out what is interesting or beautiful, things that others might find ugly or nothing special. The intent is always to surprise people, to try to get them to see things in a different way, be it through a simple portrait or an interesting architectural shape.” Some tips to get you started:

Make sure to look beyond the puddle and get creative about where you might find interesting reflections. If you are in a dry area, fountains, glass and swimming pools can all reveal natural mirrors.

Greetings come in many shapes and forms. “Be bold when it comes to striking a pose with your hands, legs and feet. “Doing something unconventional is always worth a try,” suggests César.

Focus on reflections that have interesting backgrounds but are not too polluted.

Make sure the surface beneath the water is clean. If it’s too dirty, it can damage the end result.

Pay attention to your style. “Wear interesting shoes,” encourages César.

PROJECT RULES: Please add the #WHPsayhitothewater hashtag only to photos taken over this weekend and only submit your own photographs to the project. Any tagged image taken over the weekend is eligible to be featured Monday morning.